--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The pursuit of otherness, the sense that…" description: "\"The pursuit of otherness, the sense that we are somehow different than our brothers and sisters, no matter where we find them, allows for all the other..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png" --- # The pursuit of otherness, the sense that we are somehow… ![“The pursuit of otherness, the sense that we are somehow different than our brothers and sisters, no matter where we find them, allows for all the other great evils: racism, sexism, homophobia, violence against gay people and against women.” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png) > “The pursuit of otherness, the sense that we are somehow different than our brothers and sisters, no matter where we find them, allows for all the other great evils: racism, sexism, homophobia, violence against gay people and against women.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing others as fundamentally different fuels prejudice, leading to various forms of discrimination and violence. **In simple terms:** Seeing difference breeds prejudice. Key Takeaway Recognize shared humanity to reduce bias. Themes prejudice otherness social division racism sexism homophobia violence Mood concerned thoughtful Type social commentary ethical. When to use this quote - education - community building - policy making - conflict resolution Key Concepts social psychology identity theory empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster genuine empathy across differences? - What role does education play in dismantling otherness? A Different Perspective Addressing otherness alone may not change deep‑seated biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brothers and sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-people/) [Homophobia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homophobia/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Otherness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/otherness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Sexism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexism/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [Like my father, I believe that nonviolence is the antidote to what he called 'the triple evils of racism, poverty and militarism.' These three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-king/like-my-father-i-believe-that-nonviolence-is-the-antidote-to-what-he/) [Bernice King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-king/) > [The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-evils-of-capitalism-are-as-real-as-the-evils-of-militarism-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ever since the Evil Empire turned out to be a collection of third-world countries, Americans aligned on the far right have tried to cast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/ever-since-the-evil-empire-turned-out-to-be-a-collection-of-third/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Our love of lockstep is our greatest curse, the source of all that bedevils us. It is the source of homophobia, xenophobia, racism, sexism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/our-love-of-lockstep-is-our-greatest-curse-the-source-of-all-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Predictions that unit cohesion could not survive honesty about sexual orientation were simply wrong. What does threaten morale arethe prolonged investigations, the questioning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/predictions-that-unit-cohesion-could-not-survive-honesty-about-sexual/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Stereotypes fall in the face of humanity. You toodle along, thinking that all gay men wear leather after dark and should never, ever be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/stereotypes-fall-in-the-face-of-humanity-you-toodle-along-thinking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [We are fascinated, all of us, by the implacable otherness of others. And we wish to penetrate by hypothesis, by daydream, by scientific investigation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/we-are-fascinated-all-of-us-by-the-implacable-otherness-of-others-and/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“When I think of what I already lived through it seems to me I was shedding my bodies along the paths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/when-i-think-of-what-i-already-lived-through-it-seems-to-me-i-was/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“Beyond thought I reach a state. I refuse to divide it up into words - and what I cannot and do not want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/beyond-thought-i-reach-a-state-i-refuse-to-divide-it-up-into-words/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“Love is a challenge with an illusion emanating an aura of otherness. Through their unrelenting attention, two smitten people can arouse a to and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/love-is-a-challenge-with-an-illusion-emanating-an-aura-of-otherness/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“There are other people of other worlds and you should get to know those other people because what will teach you something different or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-are-other-people-of-other-worlds-and-you-should-get-to-know/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Literature is and should continue to be a vehicle that dispels 'otherness' or the 'outsider”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mala-naidoo/literature-is-and-should-continue-to-be-a-vehicle-that-dispels/) [Mala Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mala-naidoo/) > [Maturity implies otherness... The art of living is the art of living with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-gordon/maturity-implies-otherness-the-art-of-living-is-the-art-of-living-with/) Julius Gordon > [To be enlightened is to be aware, always, of total reality in its immanent otherness - to be aware of it and yet remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/to-be-enlightened-is-to-be-aware-always-of-total-reality-in-its/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [When I'm creating art or music, when something is resonating or a scene is going well, that almost feels religious to me... there's this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thatcher/when-i-m-creating-art-or-music-when-something-is-resonating-or-a/) [Sophie Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thatcher/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More Brother quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/) Spencer Moody > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) [Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The pursuit of otherness, the sense that we are somehow different than our brothers and sisters, no matter where we find them, allows for all the other great evils: racism, sexism, homophobia, violence against gay people and against women.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anna Quindlen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that-we-are-somehow-different-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brother" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that-we-are-somehow-different-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/anna-quindlen-467_brother_the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that_2554574.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The pursuit of otherness, the sense that we are somehow different than our brothers and sisters, no matter…” — Anna Quindlen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anna Quindlen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The pursuit of otherness, the sense...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that-we-are-somehow-different-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/the-pursuit-of-otherness-the-sense-that-we-are-somehow-different-than/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```