The Sneetches and Other Stories Prejudice Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Story.Line)

Quote #1

Those stars weren't so big. They were really so small / You might think such a thing wouldn't matter at all. (Sneetches.5-6)

People say, "It's the small things in life that matter most." Too bad they never point out how this isn't always a good thing. Prejudice, it seems, can revolve around the smallest of small things.

Quote #2

They never invited the Plain-Belly Sneetches. / They left them out cold, in the dark of the beaches. (Sneetches. 19-20)

Weak, Star-belly Sneetches. Super weak. Interesting how it isn't enough to just feel superior to the Plain-Belly Sneetches; they have to rub it in, too.

Quote #3

"We know who is who! Now there isn't a doubt. / The best kind of Sneetches are Sneetches without!" (Sneetches.67-68)

It isn't the thing itself that matters with prejudice. It's the ability to go, "Nyah, nyah, nyah, I'm better than you" in as whiny and childish a voice as you can muster. For some reason, this makes some people feel better.

Quote #4

They kept paying money. They kept running through / Until neither the Plain nor Star-Bellies knew / Whether this one was that one… or that one was this one. (Sneetches.81-83)

It's one thing to be prejudiced. It's another to pay money to stay in a group just so you can remain prejudiced. Thank goodness people would never do something so… oh, nevermind.

Quote #5

The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches / And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches. (Sneetches.95-96)

Good for the Sneetches. They've learned to get along despite their differences. Here's hoping they don't discover Internet forums anytime soon.