--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My entire career has been people trying…" description: "\"My entire career has been people trying to put me in boxes.\" — Ariana DeBose" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg" --- # My entire career has been people trying to put me in boxes. ![“My entire career has been people trying to put me in boxes.” quote by Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg) > “My entire career has been people trying to put me in boxes.” [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society often attempts to categorize individuals, limiting their multifaceted identity. **In simple terms:** People try to label you, restricting your true self. Key Takeaway Embrace your complexity, reject limiting labels. Themes identity creativity self‑expression Mood defiant confident Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career development - public speaking - artistic collaboration - personal branding Key Concepts social labeling personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How do you define yourself beyond external expectations? - What steps can you take to showcase your full range? A Different Perspective Labels can be useful for communication but may oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I was blessed throughout my entire career. I had people rooting for me. It started with my parents, but it extended to almost every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/i-was-blessed-throughout-my-entire-career-i-had-people-rooting-for-me-2/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [During my career several people have tried to push me out the door... Nobody has succeeded yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-piech/during-my-career-several-people-have-tried-to-push-me-out-the-door/) Ferdinand Piech > [I have been very inspired and influenced by 'The Little Rascals' my entire career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-baker/i-have-been-very-inspired-and-influenced-by-the-little-rascals-my/) [Sean Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-baker/) > [I haven't spent my entire career playing the guy in the bad hat, although I have to say that the bad guy is frequently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-haven-t-spent-my-entire-career-playing-the-guy-in-the-bad-hat/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [Obviously, there's times in your career when people doubt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/obviously-there-s-times-in-your-career-when-people-doubt-you/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [I want to have the most successful career I can. But the people closest to you are the most important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sock/i-want-to-have-the-most-successful-career-i-can-but-the-people/) [Jack Sock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-sock/) > [Star kids always get an upper hand at the start of their career. People in the industry often know them from the time they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kriti-sanon/star-kids-always-get-an-upper-hand-at-the-start-of-their-career/) [Kriti Sanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kriti-sanon/) > [There's a high point in your career, and then people get bored; they want something else to come along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-temple/there-s-a-high-point-in-your-career-and-then-people-get-bored-they/) [Peter Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-temple/) > [I put my heart into my career, and the people knew that I did that; and I went from being the most hated man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-piper/i-put-my-heart-into-my-career-and-the-people-knew-that-i-did-that-and/) [Roddy Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-piper/) > [We have to make writing a viable career for all the people who get into this skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/we-have-to-make-writing-a-viable-career-for-all-the-people-who-get/) [Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/) > [I wouldn't say there isn't a direct path to a successful career. There are people who knew exactly what they wanted to do from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-m-christensen/i-wouldn-t-say-there-isn-t-a-direct-path-to-a-successful-career-there/) [Clayton M. Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-m-christensen/) > [It's something that I think I'm going to have to fight against for most of my career, for people to take me seriously as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armie-hammer/it-s-something-that-i-think-i-m-going-to-have-to-fight-against-for/) [Armie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armie-hammer/) > [I think there is some concern on the part of the career people that there is not enough communication with the incoming team, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-cressey/i-think-there-is-some-concern-on-the-part-of-the-career-people-that/) Roger Cressey > [That's the whole point of anyone's standup career. It's to get people to listen to their point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/that-s-the-whole-point-of-anyone-s-standup-career-it-s-to-get-people/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [My career is one of people involvement. I'm a promoter of the people, by the people, for the people. My magic lies, my people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/my-career-is-one-of-people-involvement-i-m-a-promoter-of-the-people/) [Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/) ## More by Ariana DeBose > [I would tell any and all young people who are curious about a life in the performing arts to stay curious, stay humbled, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-would-tell-any-and-all-young-people-who-are-curious-about-a-life-in/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [I'm a Broadway girl at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-m-a-broadway-girl-at-heart/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [As a queer woman of colour I've been asked to be more urban, as if my brand of Blackness wasn't quite Black enough. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/as-a-queer-woman-of-colour-i-ve-been-asked-to-be-more-urban-as-if-my/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [When I think of growing up, I see dance, I hear music and I think of teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/when-i-think-of-growing-up-i-see-dance-i-hear-music-and-i-think-of/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [In your formative years what you see really shapes so much of who you're going to become and so many of the things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/in-your-formative-years-what-you-see-really-shapes-so-much-of-who-you/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [The more positive representation and accurate representation we have in the world, the more we can understand ourselves better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/the-more-positive-representation-and-accurate-representation-we-have/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [I was probably seven or eight when I first watched 'West Side Story.' The film - and 'Dance with Me' with Vanessa Williams and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-was-probably-seven-or-eight-when-i-first-watched-west-side-story/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [I'm a woman. I fluctuate, I bloat - one day I'm curvy, one day I'm lean. That doesn't mean that there aren't days where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-m-a-woman-i-fluctuate-i-bloat-one-day-i-m-curvy-one-day-i-m-lean/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [To me colour is part of what makes you 'you,' but it's not your whole thing. I'm very aware of it but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/to-me-colour-is-part-of-what-makes-you-you-but-it-s-not-your-whole/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [When I first started out, I wanted to be Madonna's backup dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/when-i-first-started-out-i-wanted-to-be-madonna-s-backup-dancer/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [I don't like work experiences, period, where I feel like I'm asked to fit a box, because my job is to discover the box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-don-t-like-work-experiences-period-where-i-feel-like-i-m-asked-to/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [When I was 11, I was riding in the car with my mother. We were in the middle of a dance workshop, and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/when-i-was-11-i-was-riding-in-the-car-with-my-mother-we-were-in-the/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [I don't think roles for queer women have to always present in one specific way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-don-t-think-roles-for-queer-women-have-to-always-present-in-one/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [That's really special when you can watch a work of art change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/that-s-really-special-when-you-can-watch-a-work-of-art-change-the/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [I think representation is paramount. It's really important to grow up and see humans moving through the world that show you possibilities, who look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/i-think-representation-is-paramount-it-s-really-important-to-grow-up/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) [Explore all 100 Ariana DeBose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) ## More Boxes quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care. For me, it's really about who I surround myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-could-party-in-a-cardboard-box-with-people-who-are-funny-and-don-t/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A token of love comes in a box because love itself cannot be contained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnie-kirshenbaum/a-token-of-love-comes-in-a-box-because-love-itself-cannot-be-contained/) [Binnie Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnie-kirshenbaum/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) Browse all 2,146 Boxes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My entire career has been people trying to put me in boxes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ariana DeBose" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying-to-put-me-in-boxes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boxes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying-to-put-me-in-boxes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/ariana-debose-5481_boxes_my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying_1017032.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My entire career has been people trying to put me in boxes.” — Ariana DeBose", "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": "Ariana DeBose", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My entire career has been people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying-to-put-me-in-boxes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/my-entire-career-has-been-people-trying-to-put-me-in-boxes/#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 } } ] } ```