62 Black and White Quotes for Color and Contrast Appreciation

Black and white is a powerful combination that applies to various aspects of our existence. We understand this as a color mix that’s often art-related at face value. For instance, before the invention of the color television, people enjoyed the film and television world through a black and white lens. 

Even today, many people still appreciate black and white films for their aesthetic value. These films have the power to convey an emotional story and emotions profoundly. They also allow us to use our imaginations to fill the colors in. Many photographers, in the past and today, many photographers embrace the art of neutral-colored photography. They photograph people in black and white, capturing emotions via this medium. 

Apart from the artistic value, black and white also directly affects our mode of thinking. We often hear the saying, black and white thinking. People who embody this mode of thought see the world as either this or that. It represents viewing something in its natural state without leaving room for areas in-between. 

Frequently, having a black-white perspective can be a limiting way to view life. However, there may be situations where you might need to embrace this viewpoint. Regardless, there’s no denying that black and white is a powerful duo that we can experience in life. Together, they breathe tranquility into life. Let’s explore some powerful and inspirational black and white quotes that touch on various aspects of life. 

Related: Click here for more color meanings or for more white check our inspiring color white quotes.

Best black and white quotes

Quotes can profoundly affect us, so here are some black and white quotes that can keep you inspired. Black and white can enlighten us as both colors exist naturally yet hold so much value. These quotes will inspire you to appreciate the significance of black and white while examining how you view life. 

As colors, we can often find black and white used as the base of many projects. However, embracing a black and white mode of thinking can be limiting in life. It reduces the capacity to see the multiple dimensions of situations and leaves us fixed in a box. We can learn from the natural, tranquil nature of these colors. At the same time, we can reflect on our lives to embrace multiple dimensions and see multiple colors in situations. Here are some general inspirational black and white quotes to reflect on.

"Black and white creates a strange dreamscape that color never can. "
- Jack Antonoff

"I generally don't think most situations can be labeled as black or white."
- Heath Ledger

"We are all somewhere or the other a little grey, not black and white. We have our imperfections."
- Kriti Sanon

"Nothing is black or white, nothing's 'us or them.' But then there are magical, beautiful things in the world. There's incredible acts of kindness and bravery, and in the most unlikely places, and it gives you hope."
- Dave Matthews

"The most colorful thing in the world is black and white, it contains all colors and at the same time excludes all. "
- Vikrmn

Black and white quotes about how we see life and the world

Things are not always as they seem. For this reason, we need to embrace putting on multiple thinking caps in situations we find ourselves in. On the one hand, limiting yourself to viewing things as either black or white, this or that, can prove limiting. It prevents you from embracing the many other possibilities and explanations that might exist. However, there are also certain situations where black and white thinking can help you see things clearly. 

The human experience is full of contradictions and complexities. As a result, it’s necessary to know when to break out of viewing everything as two categories or mingled opposites. At the same time, black and white perspectives can show you certain truths. It’s all about balance, and these black and white quotes can inspire the way we view life and the world.

Related read: Perspective Quotes.

"Things are not quite so simple always as black and white."
- Doris Lessing

"I'm seeing the world partially through the eyes of a kid. Not all the time. There's no black and white to it. But sometimes I'm seeing it like I'm 4."
- Steven Wright

"Freedom would be not to choose between black and white but to abjure such prescribed choices."
- Theodor W. Adorno

"I see the world in black and white, and I don't like compromising."
- Greta Thunburg

"The natural response of the old-timers is to build a strong moral wall against the outside. This is where the world starts to be painted in black and white, saints inside, and sinners outside the wall."
- Mary Douglas

"Black and white thinking limits understanding and feedback, two necessary ingredients for successful resolution in creative conflict and successful understanding."
- David W. Earle

"The great thing about getting older is that you become more mellow. Things aren't as black and white, and you become much more tolerant. You can see the good in things much more easily rather than getting enraged as you used to do when you were young."
- Maeve Binchy

"The way I was brought up by my parents and guided through my football life by the influences of various managers means that in some ways I am black and white."
- Stuart Pearce

"Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash."
- Louis Aragon

"I don't see the world completely in black and white. Sometimes I do."
- Benicio Del Toro

Black and white quotes about the grey areas in between

Compassion, curiosity, and openness are important values to uphold as we navigate life. For each of these values, we need to step out of our comfort zones sometimes. 

By exploring these black and white quotes about gray areas, you can get insight into the limitations of polarized thinking. These quotes inspire us to embrace those in-between areas. The same way children explore the world with curiosity and compassion is the same way we can as well. We only need to break free from thinking everything is “all or nothing.” By doing so, we can begin to find comfort in those in-between areas that hold so much color. It can be such a delight for the soul as you start to see a million shades that exist.

Related read: Gray Quotes.

"Life is about the gray areas. Things are seldom black and white, even when we wish they were and think they should be, and I like exploring this nuanced terrain."
- Emily Giffin

"No person is completely wicked, just as no person is perfect. We are all grey"
- Sweety Shinde

"When you're the victim of the behavior, it's black and white; when you're the perpetrator, there are a million shades of gray."
- Laura Schlessinger

"Life isn't black and white. It's a million gray areas, don't you find?"
- Ridley Scott

"I really see food as subjective. It's a creative outlet. It's something that you do for fun. It's a gray area. It's not black and white or right and wrong."
- Graham Elliot

"Life is not black and white; there is some gray nuance to it."
- Pilou Asbaek

Loo, life is black and white. You don't know what's good for you, because you don't see the black and white! You don't see where the black lines end and where the white lines begin! You're going to grow up to be no good if you keep on that way. It's impractical. I only have one child, and I won't have her growing up to be impractical. I can't think of a worse thing to be than impractical!

~ C. JoyBell C.

I believe very strongly that when it comes to desire, when it comes to attraction, that things are never black and white, things are very much shades of grey.

~ Brian Molko

Things are always either black or white. The grey in between is only a confusion.

~ Ljupka Cvetanova

Black and white color quotes

We see black and white colors in almost everything we perceive. They are universal. These colors tell stories and convey emotions that can serve as a delight for the soul. As Vikram said, “black and white is a mix of toughest simplicity and easiest complexity.” Looking at the hues of black and white photography or art will give you profound insight into this. Here are more black and white color quotes exploring the black and white perspective.

"Although humans see reality in colour, for me, black and white has always been connected to the image's deeper truth, to its most hidden meaning."
- Peter Lindbergh

"I think it's because it was an emotional story, and emotions come through much stronger in black and white. Colour is distracting in a way, it pleases the eye but it doesn't necessarily reach the heart."
- Kim Hunter

"It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice."
- Deng Xiaoping

"Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world."
- Joel Sternfeld

Black and white quotes related to music

Human beings generally appreciate many art forms, music included. The term “black and white” also shows up in music-making. Additionally, many famous musicians have shared their views on the black-white perspective and its application to their lives. 

These music-related black and white quotes show us the various ways music and musicians apply this duo. On the one hand, coordinating the black and white notes together makes beautiful music. However, this doesn’t take away the fact that music isn’t simply black and white.

"Did you know that the human voice is the only pure instrument? That it has notes no other instrument has? It's like being between the keys of a piano. The notes are there, you can sing them, but they can't be found on any instrument. That's like me. I live in between this. I live in both worlds, the black and white world."
- Nina Simone

"I never saw music in terms of men and women or black and white. There was just cool and uncool."
- Bonnie Raitt

"It's not hard to get your way when it's your way or the highway. People either follow suit or they're not around. I don't really like the sound of that, 'cause that sounds like a temper tantrum. I'm just very black and white when it comes to my business. There's really no gray area."
- Nicki Minaj

"Everything is very black and white for me. I don't really like playing mind games"
- Zayn Malik

"If you want to make beautiful music, you must play the black and the white notes together."
- Richard M. Nixon

Black and white quotes about fashion

If you’re a fashion enthusiast, then you’ll know the power of a classic black and white outfit. This combination is easy to mix and match and can save you on those days when unsure of what to wear. 

Many fashion experts and magazines have written about why the black and white combination is always right. Apart from the color combination as a statement, you can also embody the strength of this duo. Here are some black and whites quotes about fashion.

"I love black and white and very simple and classic clothes."
- Vogue Williams

"Being glamorous is about strength and confidence. It's black and white - dramatic. You have to be strong."
- Catherine Zeta-Jones

Black and white quotes about racial equality

Many people struggle with racial identity when they are mixed. This often creates a sense of isolation and loneliness. Here are some black and white quotes embracing being mixed blood.

"I want to be known for what I am, black and white, because I'm proud of both."
- Logic

"I'm light-skinned. I'm mixed with black and white."
- Trae Young

Black and white quotes about art and photography

Black and white photos have been around for ages. Apart from their old aesthetic look, the black and white clash has a way of conveying certain emotions. 

Like Ted Grant said, “when you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls”. Although we can’t deny the power of other colors, black and white just have a way of allowing a story and emotions to come through. 

For this reason, some artists work exclusively in black and white. Explore some interesting quotes navigating black and white art and photography.

"Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected."
- Robert Frank

"I work in colour sometimes, but I guess the images I most connect to, historically speaking, are in black and white. I see more in black and white - I like the abstraction of it."
- Mary Ellen Mark

"Design in black and white. Add color for emphasis, when your design is complete."
- Diane Wilson

"When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!"
- Ted Grant

"It is not that Shakespeare's art is in technicolor and fancy, and that real life is black and white and tedious. The life that Shakespeare was living was the only life he had, and he had to use it to create what he was doing."
- Stephen Greenblatt

"I believe that the essence of photography is black and white. Color is but a deviance."
- Sarah Moon

"Books bring alluring colors to our mundane black and white world."
- Caleb Reese

"I prefer black and white and portrait photography. I like old, you know, interesting faces, so I think black and white brings out the contrast."
- Brooklyn Beckham

"Admiring black and white photos is often what first starts people out on their own road to becoming keen photographers."
- John Beardsworth

"It's really rare in life that a situation is as black and white as we tend to paint it."
- Aesop Rock

Take your time with your composition; black and white images need to be strong to work well. With my black and white images I am always looking for bold textures, contrast between layers and lines in the composition to draw my viewers through the image.

~ Helen Rushton

One very important difference between color and monochromatic photography is this: in black and white you suggest; in color you state. Much can be implied by suggestion, but statement demands certainty… absolute certainty.

~ Paul Outerbridge

There's something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.

~ Stefan Kanfer

Black and white pictures create a surreal magic!

~ Avijeet Das

The black and white photographer is a musician, transposing notes on the fly, visualizing a final print from the world of color.

~ Ted Dillard

There are some locations I go to and they scream black and white to me because of the ambience. For me, great black and white images fall into two categories: very dramatic with stormy skies and bold compositions and at the other end of the spectrum a calm and minimalist composition.

~ Helen Rushton

For black and white landscapes I concentrate on the graphic elements of a scene, and the nature of the environment, whether it is stormy or tranquil.

~ Antonia Deutsch

Black and white photography erases time from the equation.

~ Jason Peterson

While the absence of color may contribute to our appreciation, at the same time it is important to assert that black and white is not photography minus color. Not at all. It's much more subtle than turning down the color saturation on your television.

~ John Beardsworth

Color tends to corrupt photography and absolute color corrupts it absolutely. Consider the way color film usually renders blue sky, green foliage, lipstick red, and the kiddies' playsuit. These are four simple words which must be whispered: color photography is vulgar.

~ Walker Evans

Black and white quotes about film and television

Filmmakers often use black and white to highlight specific contrasts. They also use this color technique to draw your attention to the characters' emotions. Even today, we still have people producing films in black and white. Read below if you’re looking to understand how some filmmakers and actors feel about the black and white technique.

"I like the way Quentin Tarantino creates a scene using a series of close-ups or showing very cool images of a person or people walking on some ordinary street in slow motion. I wish I could achieve that kind of slow-motion effect in manga, but it's rather difficult to draw; the only things we can play with are tones of black and white."
- Masashi Kishimoto

"Which is probably the reason why I work exclusively in black and white… to highlight that contrast."
- Leonard Nimoy

"I like to take a nap while falling asleep to black and white movies. It feels less lonely. There is a comfort in hearing their voices, like when you're a child and your mother tells you a story before bedtime."
- Jordi Molla

"Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but black and white films still hold an affectionate place in my heart; they have an incomparable mystique and mood."
- Ginger Rogers

"Color television! Bah, I won't believe it until I see it in black and white."
- Samuel Goldwyn