--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do believe, separate and apart from any…" description: "\"I do believe, separate and apart from any particular election or movement, that we are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of nationa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg" --- # I do believe, separate and apart from any particular… ![“I do believe, separate and apart from any particular election or movement, that we are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of nationalism or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an us and a them.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg) > “I do believe, separate and apart from any particular election or movement, that we are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of nationalism or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an us and a them.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warning against rising tribalism and nationalism that divides societies into us versus them. **In simple terms:** Beware of divisive identity politics. Key Takeaway Promote inclusive dialogue. Themes politics identity social cohesion Mood cautious reflective Type political inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - community outreach - education curricula Key Concepts nationalism tribalism political discourse Questions to Reflect On - What policies can reduce tribal divisions? - How can individuals foster unity? A Different Perspective Complex issues may resist simple solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Ethnic identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnic-identity/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism/) [Tribalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribalism/) ## Related quotes > [Part of the core information that I've been purveying is that identity politics is a sick game. You don't play racial, ethnic, and gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/part-of-the-core-information-that-i-ve-been-purveying-is-that/) [Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/) > [My potential is more than can be expressed within the bounds of my race or ethnic identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ashe/my-potential-is-more-than-can-be-expressed-within-the-bounds-of-my/) [Arthur Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ashe/) > [There is less pressure on abandoning native communities: what for? There is nothing to be gained by it. On one hand, there are plenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/there-is-less-pressure-on-abandoning-native-communities-what-for/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Recent events in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have reaffirmed for me, however, the complete folly of any Republican strategy to increase black representation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-connerly/recent-events-in-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-katrina-have-reaffirmed/) [Ward Connerly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-connerly/) > [I try to find the core values that are so fundamental that they transcend ethnic identity. That doesn't mean I run from it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-try-to-find-the-core-values-that-are-so-fundamental-that-they/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [ There was \[ in New York\] - some of it was this perception of the Midwest that I realized in this multicultural city that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/there-was-in-new-york-some-of-it-was-this-perception-of-the-midwest/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [“Have you ever considered that some of the things we're proudest of, such as our nationality, religion, or ethnic identity, are also the foundations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/have-you-ever-considered-that-some-of-the-things-we-re-proudest-of/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [Most Jews, like most rational persons, know that their personal identity and their ethnic identity are not one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-novak/most-jews-like-most-rational-persons-know-that-their-personal/) [David Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-novak/) > [All over the world today people have a very strong desire to find a sense of identity, and at the same time that's coupled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/all-over-the-world-today-people-have-a-very-strong-desire-to-find-a/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“A man's ethnic identity has more to do with a personal awareness than with geography.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/a-man-s-ethnic-identity-has-more-to-do-with-a-personal-awareness-than/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [ “The state does not oppose the freedom of people to express their particular cultural attachments, but nor does it nurture such expression—rather \[...\] it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-kymlicka/the-state-does-not-oppose-the-freedom-of-people-to-express-their/) Will Kymlicka > [I find myself increasingly forced to think of my ethnic identity instead of the national identity I adopted as a boy in 1976. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-boot/i-find-myself-increasingly-forced-to-think-of-my-ethnic-identity/) [Max Boot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-boot/) > [Start where you are, use what you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ashe/start-where-you-are-use-what-you-have/) [Arthur Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ashe/) > [I started asking friends, my white friends around, I said, "What's something that you think all Asians have in common?" They almost always immediately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-tam/i-started-asking-friends-my-white-friends-around-i-said-what-s/) [Simon Tam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-tam/) > [I was confident about America and the idea that in America people can become American without masking their ethnic identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/i-was-confident-about-america-and-the-idea-that-in-america-people-can/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do believe, separate and apart from any particular election or movement, that we are going to have to guard against a rise in a crude sort of nationalism or ethnic identity or tribalism that is built around an us and a them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any-particular-election-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any-particular-election-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d95/barack-obama-17_believe_i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any_658152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do believe, separate and apart from any particular election or movement, that we are going to have to…” — Barack Obama", "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": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do believe, separate and apart...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any-particular-election-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-do-believe-separate-and-apart-from-any-particular-election-or/#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 } } ] } ```