--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a lot of these terms…" description: "\"I think a lot of these terms, nationalistic things, somebody is an American, or somebody is a Frenchman, or somebody is a Jew, I don't know, it doesn't..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ben-katchor-20692_ancient_i-think-a-lot-of-these-terms-nationalist_1568676.png" --- # I think a lot of these terms, nationalistic things… ![“I think a lot of these terms, nationalistic things, somebody is an American, or somebody is a Frenchman, or somebody is a Jew, I don't know, it doesn't mean anything to me. You really should start augmenting these words, saying what kind. If you want to say somebody is a Jew, what do you mean by…” quote by Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ben-katchor-20692_ancient_i-think-a-lot-of-these-terms-nationalist_1568676.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ben-katchor-20692_ancient_i-think-a-lot-of-these-terms-nationalist_1568676.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ben-katchor-20692_ancient_i-think-a-lot-of-these-terms-nationalist_1568676.png) > “I think a lot of these terms, nationalistic things, somebody is an American, or somebody is a Frenchman, or somebody is a Jew, I don't know, it doesn't mean anything to me. You really should start augmenting these words, saying what kind. If you want to say somebody is a Jew, what do you mean by that? Does he have blonde hair? I think a lot of these ancient nationalistic and ethnic terms have kind of lost their meaning, or their meaning is so broad, it's nothing. It's like he's connected to the ancient world. Everybody is.” [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labels like nationality or ethnicity have become vague; they need precise definitions to be meaningful. **In simple terms:** Broad labels lose meaning; define them clearly. Key Takeaway Clarify terms before using them. Themes identity language meaning Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Cultural discussions - political debates - media reporting - education curricula Key Concepts Sociolinguistics semantic drift Questions to Reflect On - What defines a meaningful label? - How can we balance specificity with inclusivity? A Different Perspective Over‑specifying can cause division or exclusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-world/) [Blonde hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blonde-hair/) [Frenchmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frenchmen/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Nationalistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalistic/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody is somebody's Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/everybody-is-somebody-s-jew/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [Everybody is somebody's Jew. And today the Palestinians are the Jews of the Israelis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/everybody-is-somebody-s-jew-and-today-the-palestinians-are-the-jews/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [I am just a plain Jew; I mean have no training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-just-a-plain-jew-i-mean-have-no-training/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “\[F\]or me, being a Jew means feeling the tragedy of yesterday as an inner oppression. On my left forearm I bear the Auschwitz number;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-am-ry/f-or-me-being-a-jew-means-feeling-the-tragedy-of-yesterday-as-an/) [Jean Amery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-am-ry/) > [If one harbours anywhere in one's mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, although in a sense known to be true, are inadmissible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-one-harbours-anywhere-in-one-s-mind-a-nationalistic-loyalty-or/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [The view of the Earth from the Moon fascinated me -- a small disk, 240,000 miles away. . . . Raging nationalistic interests, famines,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-borman/the-view-of-the-earth-from-the-moon-fascinated-me-a-small-disk-240/) [Frank Borman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-borman/) > [The people of America are red, white, black, yellow, and all the shades in between. Their eyes are blue, black, and brown, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/the-people-of-america-are-red-white-black-yellow-and-all-the-shades/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [I remember when the Cold War ended, how quickly the United States was swept by a nationalistic fervor and turned against Saddam Hussein. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-zweig/i-remember-when-the-cold-war-ended-how-quickly-the-united-states-was/) [Connie Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-zweig/) > [If one harbors anywhere in one's mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, though in a sense known to be true, are inadmissable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-one-harbors-anywhere-in-one-s-mind-a-nationalistic-loyalty-or/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [All nationalistic distinctions - all claims to be better than somebody else because you have a different-shaped skull or speak a different dialect -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-nationalistic-distinctions-all-claims-to-be-better-than-somebody/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I don't feel like I have to be nationalistic French because I'm afraid of losing whatever. No, no, no, no. And also I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-reno/i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-to-be-nationalistic-french-because-i-m/) [Jean Reno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-reno/) > [“Goethe had long since remarked that nationalistic feelings ‘are at their strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/goethe-had-long-since-remarked-that-nationalistic-feelings-are-at/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [The holiness of the kingdom of God must be preserved. If Jesus refused to acknowledge and fight for Israel as God's favored nation- even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-a-boyd/the-holiness-of-the-kingdom-of-god-must-be-preserved-if-jesus-refused/) [Gregory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-a-boyd/) > [I've always been really nationalistic, and I had a brother killed in Korea. And I think the 'Star Spangled Banner,' even today - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-west/i-ve-always-been-really-nationalistic-and-i-had-a-brother-killed-in/) [Jerry West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-west/) > [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) ## More by Ben Katchor > [I remember as a child going to an exhibit about the Soviet Union, and every paper had this alien smell. The paper and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/i-remember-as-a-child-going-to-an-exhibit-about-the-soviet-union-and/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [In America, there's a very long tradition of a comic strip that comes in newspapers, which is not true all over the world. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/in-america-there-s-a-very-long-tradition-of-a-comic-strip-that-comes/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [There's a real connection between the history of print in Europe and nationalism, and how those two things could be formed. I think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/there-s-a-real-connection-between-the-history-of-print-in-europe-and/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [I never wore a watch. I always depend on public clocks, and stores have clocks, but that is strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/i-never-wore-a-watch-i-always-depend-on-public-clocks-and-stores-have/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [I was born Moishe Ketzelbourd but the Indians call me Maurice Cougar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/i-was-born-moishe-ketzelbourd-but-the-indians-call-me-maurice-cougar/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [The basis of national identity is to say, "This is authentic to me or my forebears," and is there even such a thing? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/the-basis-of-national-identity-is-to-say-this-is-authentic-to-me-or/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [I live in an apartment building built in 1925, and it hasn't been heavily renovated, so I feel very much connected to that time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/i-live-in-an-apartment-building-built-in-1925-and-it-hasn-t-been/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [You can have your own watch and always doubt it. If I had a watch I'd probably always be doubting it or the batteries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/you-can-have-your-own-watch-and-always-doubt-it-if-i-had-a-watch-i-d/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [The funny thing is, nationalism only could have come about in Europe after the invention of printing. You could have this thing that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/the-funny-thing-is-nationalism-only-could-have-come-about-in-europe/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [You know how misleading an image is. You see an image in the newspaper, if they left the caption off, good luck knowing what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/you-know-how-misleading-an-image-is-you-see-an-image-in-the-newspaper/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [ The click \[of a light switch\] is the modern triumphal clarion proceeding us through life, announcing our entry into every lightless room. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/the-click-of-a-light-switch-is-the-modern-triumphal-clarion/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [“You see these unsold goods taking up space in busy stores and ask yourself, 'Who would ever buy such a thing? To whose antiquated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/you-see-these-unsold-goods-taking-up-space-in-busy-stores-and-ask/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [A picture story just doesn't run like a film. It doesn't have 24 frames per second. It doesn't deal with this illusion of movement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/a-picture-story-just-doesn-t-run-like-a-film-it-doesn-t-have-24/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [The publishing industry has always wanted to make books as cheaply and as ephemerally as they could; it's nothing new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/the-publishing-industry-has-always-wanted-to-make-books-as-cheaply/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) > [I think Jewish history did away with a priesthood when the Temple was destroyed, and it became, supposedly, a religion of scholars. A rabbi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-katchor/i-think-jewish-history-did-away-with-a-priesthood-when-the-temple-was/) [Ben Katchor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) [Explore all 30 Ben Katchor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-katchor/) ## More Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think a lot of these terms, nationalistic things, somebody is an American, or somebody is a Frenchman, or somebody is a Jew, I don't know, it doesn't mean anything to me. You really should start augmenting these words, saying what kind. 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