"The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice."
This line is an inspiring, uplifting statement to darker-skinned black women. The "berry" is signifying the black woman; Thurman uses this metaphor to indicate that a darker-skinned woman is richer and more vibrant in personality, combatting the attitudes among whites and other African-Americans that lighter-skinned women were more attractive.
“Perhaps if she were to live with a homey type of family they could introduce her to “the right sort of people.”
This quote reveals Emma Lou's own prejudice– her focus on associating with the "right people". This is indicated by her reluctance to be friends with Hazel Mason, a girl she deems lower-class and definitely not the right sort.
"People in large cities are broad. They do not have time to think of petty things. The people in Boise are fifty years behind the times, but you will find that Los Angeles is one of the world's greatest and most modern cities, and you will be happy there."
Uncle Joe is the one who encourages Emma Lou to go to school in California, saying that discrimination is less in large cities than in Los Angeles. His statement however, is proven false throughout the book. Emma Lou still experiences prejudice and racism at USC, still unable to find her crowd.
