--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For it is often the way we look at other…" description: "\"For it is often the way we look at other people that imprisons them within their own narrowest allegiances. And it is also the way we look at them that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/amin-maalouf-3987_allegiance_for-it-is-often-the-way-we-look-at-other_2842709.jpg" --- # For it is often the way we look at other people that… ![“For it is often the way we look at other people that imprisons them within their own narrowest allegiances. And it is also the way we look at them that may set them free.” quote by Amin Maalouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/amin-maalouf-3987_allegiance_for-it-is-often-the-way-we-look-at-other_2842709.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/amin-maalouf-3987_allegiance_for-it-is-often-the-way-we-look-at-other_2842709.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d70/amin-maalouf-3987_allegiance_for-it-is-often-the-way-we-look-at-other_2842709.jpg) > “For it is often the way we look at other people that imprisons them within their own narrowest allegiances. And it is also the way we look at them that may set them free.” [Amin Maalouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amin-maalouf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our perceptions imprison others, yet the same gaze can also liberate them. **In simple terms:** Seeing others can trap or free them. Key Takeaway Choose empathy over judgment. Themes perception freedom judgment empathy Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - interpersonal conflict - counseling - leadership - education Key Concepts psychology social conditioning identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How can you view others without bias? - What actions free someone from narrow loyalties? A Different Perspective Changing perspective is hard and may meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allegiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegiance/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Every individual is a meeting ground for many different allegiances, and sometimes these loyalties conflict with one another and confront the person who harbors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amin-maalouf/every-individual-is-a-meeting-ground-for-many-different-allegiances/) [Amin Maalouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amin-maalouf/) > [Men made wagers with their judgment, their allegiances, their resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/men-made-wagers-with-their-judgment-their-allegiances-their-resources/) [Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/) > [In this life, no matter what anyone promises you, what allegiances of love or fealty they swear or what gods they pray to, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/in-this-life-no-matter-what-anyone-promises-you-what-allegiances-of/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [We must shift our allegiances from fear to curiosity, from attachment to letting go, from control to trust, and from entitlement to humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angeles-arrien/we-must-shift-our-allegiances-from-fear-to-curiosity-from-attachment/) [Angeles Arrien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angeles-arrien/) > [“How exactly does a steam-powered gun turret differentiate between friend and foe? I wasn't aware that boiled water could form allegiances.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/how-exactly-does-a-steam-powered-gun-turret-differentiate-between/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) > [Writers, especially those of us with roots in other countries, are rarely left to ourselves. 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The United States imprisons a larger percentage of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/no-other-country-in-the-world-imprisons-so-many-of-its-racial-or/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Where the truth remains hidden from the outside, the inside imprisons the hidden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chess-desalls/where-the-truth-remains-hidden-from-the-outside-the-inside-imprisons/) Chess Desalls ## More by Amin Maalouf > [“Yes indeed, both Muslim and Jewish!I, her father, am Muslim, at least on paper; her mother is Jewish, at least in theory. 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