James A. Garfield, regarding slavery (1862), as quoted in Garfield: A Biography (1978), by Allan Peskin, p. 145.
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We do not even inquire whether a black man is a rebel in arms or not; if he is black, be he friend or foe, he is thought best kept at a distance. It is hardly possible God will let us succeed while such enormities are 'practiced.

— Black people

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "We do not even inquire whether a black man is a rebel in arms or not; if he is black, be he friend or foe, he is thought best kept at a distance. It is hardly possible God will let us succeed while such enormities are 'practiced." in the context of "James A. Garfield, regarding slavery (1862), as quoted in Garfield: A Biography (1978), by Allan Peskin, p. 145." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Black people" (Quotes, A - H) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Black people

About Black people

Black people usually refers to people of relatively recent African descent (see African diaspora), although other usages extend the term to any of the populations characterized by having a dark skin color, a definition that also includes certain populations in Oceania and Southwest Asia.