--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They see me as a symbol, and not a human…" description: "\"They see me as a symbol, and not a human being. That way they can kill me, say it’s not murder it’s a metaphor.\" — Ani DiFranco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/281/ani-difranco-813_human-beings_they-see-me-as-a-symbol-and-not-a-human_2551834.png" --- # They see me as a symbol, and not a human being. That way… ![“They see me as a symbol, and not a human being. That way they can kill me, say it’s not murder it’s a metaphor.” quote by Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/281/ani-difranco-813_human-beings_they-see-me-as-a-symbol-and-not-a-human_2551834.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/281/ani-difranco-813_human-beings_they-see-me-as-a-symbol-and-not-a-human_2551834.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/281/ani-difranco-813_human-beings_they-see-me-as-a-symbol-and-not-a-human_2551834.png) > “They see me as a symbol, and not a human being. That way they can kill me, say it’s not murder it’s a metaphor.” [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being reduced to a symbol enables dehumanization and justification of violence. **In simple terms:** Seeing people as symbols enables harm. Key Takeaway Resist dehumanizing labels. Themes identity dehumanization violence Mood defiant empathetic Type musical political When to use this quote - activism - human rights - media representation Key Concepts music social commentary Questions to Reflect On - What symbols have you reclaimed? - How does symbolism affect accountability? A Different Perspective Some symbols can empower, not just harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Symbols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbols/) ## Related quotes > [... geometry became a symbol for human relations, except that it was better, because in geometry things never go bad. If certain things occur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/geometry-became-a-symbol-for-human-relations-except-that-it-was/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [Im a hard worker, and everything with me is, if I work hard, I should get paid for it. Everything with me, I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/birdman/im-a-hard-worker-and-everything-with-me-is-if-i-work-hard-i-should/) Birdman > [Everything I do is a symbol. Everything, has a meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-starck/everything-i-do-is-a-symbol-everything-has-a-meaning/) [Philippe Starck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-starck/) > [Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/well-if-it-s-a-symbol-to-hell-with-it/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [By a symbol I do not mean an allegory or a sign, but an image that describes in the best possible way the dimly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/by-a-symbol-i-do-not-mean-an-allegory-or-a-sign-but-an-image-that/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I know I have sex appeal, but I've never felt like an actual sex symbol. Fans sometimes think I am. The majority of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teena-marie/i-know-i-have-sex-appeal-but-i-ve-never-felt-like-an-actual-sex/) [Teena Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teena-marie/) > [Loyalty to the true, core values and roots of democracy is what makes a true patriot, not loyalty to a symbol of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/loyalty-to-the-true-core-values-and-roots-of-democracy-is-what-makes/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [After the French Revolution, it was not the treason of the king that was in question; it was the existence of the king. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/after-the-french-revolution-it-was-not-the-treason-of-the-king-that/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) > [He was our symbol of baseball at a time when the game meant something to us that perhaps it no longer does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/he-was-our-symbol-of-baseball-at-a-time-when-the-game-meant-something/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [The symbol of all art is the Prism. The goal is unrealism. The method is destructive. To break up the white light of objective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/the-symbol-of-all-art-is-the-prism-the-goal-is-unrealism-the-method/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [An idea, in the highest sense of that word, cannot be conveyed but by a symbol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/an-idea-in-the-highest-sense-of-that-word-cannot-be-conveyed-but-by-a/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I wasn't a sex symbol, I was a sex zombie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-lake/i-wasn-t-a-sex-symbol-i-was-a-sex-zombie/) [Veronica Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-lake/) > [As far as I'm concerned, the sexiness, the sex symbol, it's not a consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-craig/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-sexiness-the-sex-symbol-it-s-not-a/) [Daniel Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-craig/) > [“Symbols are miracles we have recorded into language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/symbols-are-miracles-we-have-recorded-into-language/) [S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/) > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) ## More by Ani DiFranco > [I am getting nowhere with you and I can't let you go and I cant get through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-am-getting-nowhere-with-you-and-i-can-t-let-you-go-and-i-cant-get/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [You've decided to love me for eternity, I'm still deciding who I want to be today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/you-ve-decided-to-love-me-for-eternity-i-m-still-deciding-who-i-want/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I'll walk the plank and I'll jump with a smile, cause if I'm gonna go down I'm gonna do it with style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-ll-walk-the-plank-and-i-ll-jump-with-a-smile-cause-if-i-m-gonna-go/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [Having more exposure is kind of a bittersweet thing for me, honestly, because it's nice to have a little more job security in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/having-more-exposure-is-kind-of-a-bittersweet-thing-for-me-honestly/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I can jump ship and swim-- that the ocean will hold me, that there's got to be more than this boat I'm in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-can-jump-ship-and-swim-that-the-ocean-will-hold-me-that-there-s-got/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [God help you if you are an ugly girl, 'course too pretty is also your doom, 'cause everyone harbors a secret hatred for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/god-help-you-if-you-are-an-ugly-girl-course-too-pretty-is-also-your/) [Ani Difranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I cannot name this, I cannot explain this, and I really don't want to so just call me shameless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-cannot-name-this-i-cannot-explain-this-and-i-really-don-t-want-to/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [Somedays the line I walk turns out to be straight - Other days the line tends to deviate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/somedays-the-line-i-walk-turns-out-to-be-straight-other-days-the-line/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [Taking me seriously is a big mistake. I certainly wouldn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/taking-me-seriously-is-a-big-mistake-i-certainly-wouldn-t/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I am a work in progress Dressed in the fabric of a world unfolding Offering me intricate patterns of questions Rhythms that never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-am-a-work-in-progress-dressed-in-the-fabric-of-a-world-unfolding/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [We have a complete void of progressive politics in this country right now. The will of the people goes ignored and unrealized. I'm searching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/we-have-a-complete-void-of-progressive-politics-in-this-country-right/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I'm home in New Orleans!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-m-home-in-new-orleans/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [I don't take good pictures 'cause I have the kind of beauty that moves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/i-don-t-take-good-pictures-cause-i-have-the-kind-of-beauty-that-moves/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [The scary truth is, you have to scratch some veneer off to gauge where the moral fiber really is in certain pockets of society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/the-scary-truth-is-you-have-to-scratch-some-veneer-off-to-gauge-where/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [Both hands... Now use both hands. Oh no, don't close your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/both-hands-now-use-both-hands-oh-no-don-t-close-your-eyes/) [Ani Difranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) [Explore all 363 Ani DiFranco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) ## More Human beings quotes > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) Kenan Malik > [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/) Hanns Eisler > [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/) Cruce Stark > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Human beings seek community, and permanent openness is hard to sustain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/human-beings-seek-community-and-permanent-openness-is-hard-to-sustain/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) [Browse all 6,948 Human beings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They see me as a symbol, and not a human being. 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