Never mind what you've heard. Halle Berry was not the first black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. She was actually the 74th white one. And never mind all this talk about America electing its first black President; Barack Obama is actually the 44th white man to hold the job.
I never really felt I had the same respect as my male team-mates. My opinion wasn't worth as much. I used to sit quietly in meetings and not say anything, as I knew my opinions would be disregarded. And that's after I had become Olympic champion and multiple world champion.
Many discoveries must have been stillborn or smothered at birth. We know only those which survived.
I've got a good record, but maybe, for whatever reason, it's not built up by people. I wouldn't say I'm hard done by. But it's true that I sometimes don't get the praise.
How do I have to continue to excessively prove myself and always be the underdog? I don't get the respect I deserve, and that leads me to believe that maybe it is a colour issue.
The greatest humiliation in life, is to work hard on something from which you expect great appreciation, and then fail to get it.
I've done shows that aired on American TV, but none of them proved to be successful, so yes, no one here knows who I am.
My great wish is to go on in strict but silent performance of my duty: to avoid attracting notice and to keep my name out of newspapers, because I find the pain of a little censure, even when unfounded, is more acute than the pleasure of much praise.
As a culture, working-class white Americans like myself had no heroes. We loved the military but had no George S. Patton figure in the modern army. I doubt my neighbours could even name a high-ranking military officer.
I'd reached the point at West Brom where I'd play well, score goals, set up goals and nothing would come from it. I'd go home, come back the next day and everything would be the same. No reward, no response.
Apparently, the things I do outside of the football are not taken as positives. I don't care, but sometimes it amazes me.
Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.
Men's fame is like their hair, which grows after they are dead, and with just as little use to them.
The world doesn't realise I have a regular job!
I've been on a lot of shows that nobody cared about.
Almost always being among the reserves was the worst thing for me and for my confidence.
My life was not useless; I gave important truths to the world, and it was only for want of understanding that they were disregarded. I have been ahead of my time.
True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doing before all the world.
I've been in the shadows my whole career.
I have a huge chip on my shoulder.
I think sometimes when I go to make a move on something, people try to disqualify any talent that I have or any hard work that I've done.
I am the most senior actor in 'Devdas,' yet I was not invited to Cannes. I guess these things happen in the industry.
I feel that I have not got my due in films. However, I did a lot of good work on television and that's why I never got typecast.
Always, I seemed to just miss out. Why, I wasn't even the most valuable senior athlete in my high school in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
So many people of color who made major contributions to American history have been trapped in the purgatory of history.
