Hidden Figures Quotes

“Their goal wasn't to stand out because of their differences; it was to fit in because of their talents. Like the men they worked for, and the men they sent hurtling off into the atmosphere, they were just doing their jobs.”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“A tiny error in judgment or a second of delay could mean disaster.”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“Should African Americans fight for freedom overseas when they did not experience it for themselves at home?”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“As a test pilot, Glenn knew that the only way to remove all risk was to cancel the mission. He understood that he was likely to encounter som unforeseen problems, so he did his best to be ready for them. (pg. 174)”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“Black newspapers spoke out on the issue. “Help us to get some of the blessings of democracy here at home first before you jump on the ‘free other peoples’ bandwagon and tell us to go forth and die in a foreign land,” said P. B. Young, the owner of the Norfolk Journal and Guide, in a 1942 editorial”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“How could black Americans learn about the way the Jews were treated without comparing some of these experiences to some of their own struggles against slavery, unfair treatment, and violence at home?”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden loved math. As children, they showed special skill in arithmetic, and they went on to study mathematics in college. After graduation they worked as teachers before going to work as “computers,” or mathematicians, for the government’s air and space program.”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures

“While Mary Jackson was busy at work helping the NACA build supersonic airplanes, girls in high school were beginning to imagine different possibilities for themselves. Even though teaching was still the best option available, there were now more career choices.”
― Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures