--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are so defined by how people see us…" description: "\"We are so defined by how people see us. We're a very materialistic culture. We're a very image-driven culture. What if that goes away and you are left ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png" --- # We are so defined by how people see us. We're a very… ![“We are so defined by how people see us. We're a very materialistic culture. We're a very image-driven culture. What if that goes away and you are left with, God help us, what, indeed, is your essential self?” quote by Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png) > “We are so defined by how people see us. We're a very materialistic culture. We're a very image-driven culture. What if that goes away and you are left with, God help us, what, indeed, is your essential self?” [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society defines identity by external images; losing that reveals true self. **In simple terms:** Image defines us; loss reveals essence. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity beyond appearances. Themes identity image materialism Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - social media - career - personal relationships Key Concepts self‑concept cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What would you value if image pressure vanished? - How does materialism shape self‑worth? A Different Perspective Self‑image may be fragile and hard to reclaim. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-image-486918/) [Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/) [Defined People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined-people-468996/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Essential Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essential-self-486916/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [God help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-help/) [God help us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-help-us/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Materialistic Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic-culture-486917/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-materialistic-486919/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [What if](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-if/) ## Related quotes > [The genocidal culture's image of woman as object and victim is paralleled by contemporary representations that continually show the Earth as a toy, machine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-caputi/the-genocidal-culture-s-image-of-woman-as-object-and-victim-is/) [Jane Caputi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-caputi/) > [ “In a culture where image is more important than information, style more important than substance it is not enough to possess the truth. \[Christian\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-warner-wallace/in-a-culture-where-image-is-more-important-than-information-style/) [J. Warner Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-warner-wallace/) > [Images are so prevalent that we get most of our information from them. We receive multiple layers of meaning within a very short compact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-shlain/images-are-so-prevalent-that-we-get-most-of-our-information-from-them/) [Leonard Shlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-shlain/) > [You know when you eat too many sweets and get diabetes? Paparazzi are the diabetes of materialistic culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/you-know-when-you-eat-too-many-sweets-and-get-diabetes-paparazzi-are/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [I ask you to write this deeply into your souls . . . the materialistic culture . . . is now on the way to its close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-steiner/i-ask-you-to-write-this-deeply-into-your-souls-the-materialistic/) [Rudolf Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-steiner/) > [We have a largely materialistic lifestyle characterized by a materialistic culture. However, this only provides us with temporary, sensory satisfaction, whereas long-term satisfaction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-have-a-largely-materialistic-lifestyle-characterized-by-a/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The atheist worldview of life is a materialistic culture that frees humanity from superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thompson/the-atheist-worldview-of-life-is-a-materialistic-culture-that-frees/) [Howard Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thompson/) > [I noted that people are happy here in India. When I went back home, people had everything in the materialistic sense and were surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/i-noted-that-people-are-happy-here-in-india-when-i-went-back-home/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [In essence, the Thai people are not materialistic at all. They're not in the least driven by the kind of ambition that drives us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/in-essence-the-thai-people-are-not-materialistic-at-all-they-re-not/) [John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/) > [There's a destiny for everybody. The world is set up - as foreign as that can be to some people who are very materialistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-redfield/there-s-a-destiny-for-everybody-the-world-is-set-up-as-foreign-as/) [James Redfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-redfield/) > [My heart is in helping people and in the less materialistic side of things, but there's the side of me that's more polished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/my-heart-is-in-helping-people-and-in-the-less-materialistic-side-of/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [My dad's side of the family are missionaries who are more comfortable sitting around in sweatpants than they are in a five-star restaurant. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/my-dad-s-side-of-the-family-are-missionaries-who-are-more-comfortable/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [The party is defined by the people that are in it, not necessarily the politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/the-party-is-defined-by-the-people-that-are-in-it-not-necessarily-the/) [Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/) > [“According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a family is defined as two or more people living together who are related by birth, marriage or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/according-to-the-u-s-census-bureau-a-family-is-defined-as-two-or-more/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Really, who you are is defined by the people who you know - not even the people that you know, but the people you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/really-who-you-are-is-defined-by-the-people-who-you-know-not-even-the/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) ## More by Christine Baranski > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [The older I get the more I try not to waste my time on negative energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-try-not-to-waste-my-time-on-negative-energy/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Wait a minute. I don't need to keep proving myself. I don't need to keep showing up at every party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/wait-a-minute-i-don-t-need-to-keep-proving-myself-i-don-t-need-to/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [It's a great time to be an actress at this point in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/it-s-a-great-time-to-be-an-actress-at-this-point-in-my-life/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I often close my eyes because I can't tolerate violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-often-close-my-eyes-because-i-can-t-tolerate-violence/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I got into Julliard on almost a full scholarship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-got-into-julliard-on-almost-a-full-scholarship/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Acting is like a high wire act. Your margin for error is very slim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/acting-is-like-a-high-wire-act-your-margin-for-error-is-very-slim/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [A great need a mother has to know that her daughters will find somebody or will be okay in life. That's very primal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/a-great-need-a-mother-has-to-know-that-her-daughters-will-find/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I adore clothes, I adore drinking. I just don't have the time or the inclination to totally indulge in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-adore-clothes-i-adore-drinking-i-just-don-t-have-the-time-or-the/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I'm a nice, happily married wife and mom and I live in Connecticut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-m-a-nice-happily-married-wife-and-mom-and-i-live-in-connecticut/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I do think funny is like sexy. You're either funny and sexy, or you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-do-think-funny-is-like-sexy-you-re-either-funny-and-sexy-or-you-re/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I have a kind of remarkable ability to, for want of a better phrase, get what I want. I kind of project. I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-have-a-kind-of-remarkable-ability-to-for-want-of-a-better-phrase/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [It's the thing that you do well that brings you to prominence. The very thing that brings you to success can also be like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/it-s-the-thing-that-you-do-well-that-brings-you-to-prominence-the/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Usually, it gets worse and worse as they downsize your character; mine just kept getting better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/usually-it-gets-worse-and-worse-as-they-downsize-your-character-mine/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [You are always damned by things that you do well as an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-are-always-damned-by-things-that-you-do-well-as-an-actor/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) [Explore all 44 Christine Baranski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) ## More Culture quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are so defined by how people see us. We're a very materialistic culture. We're a very image-driven culture. What if that goes away and you are left with, God help us, what, indeed, is your essential self?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christine Baranski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-we-re-a-very-materialistic/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-we-re-a-very-materialistic/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/christine-baranski-14923_culture_we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-w_2440934.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are so defined by how people see us. We're a very materialistic culture. We're a very image-driven…” — Christine Baranski", "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": "Christine Baranski", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are so defined by how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-we-re-a-very-materialistic/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/we-are-so-defined-by-how-people-see-us-we-re-a-very-materialistic/#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 } } ] } ```