The consciousness of race acts as a handicap to and throttles their ambitions and suffocates much that is good in them, but, on the other hand, to others it acts as a spur and develops ambition. Why does he continue, for the years of life left him, to put up with the annoyances of being despised by one neighbour and rejected by the other? If people place so much value, on a man's colour and so little on his character, if the mere accident of birth--and he has to be born somewhere, unfortunately!--is to be the sole criterion of one's value without regard to personality or soul, then the quicker he shakes off the dust of this place the better. Why does he tolerate such stupidity? Why not go to some country where there is less or no colour prejudice?
-- Notebooks Category 13: Human Experience > Chapter 2 : Living in The World > # 377
