Staples Quote

On page 260 Staples states a quote from Norman Podhoretz's essay "My Negro Problem-And Ours".  The quote is, "were tougher than we were, more ruthless".  Staples integrates this quote into his writing effortlessly.  The quote flows well with the rest of the sentence.  However, Staples does not explain the quote.  The quote kind of explains itself so any other explanation would not be needed.  I would not make any changes to this quote.  I think the location is great and it fits with the material that comes before and after it.