---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A minority is only thought of as a…"
description: "\"A minority is only thought of as a minority when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority, real or imaginary. And no threat is ever quite ima..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png"
---

#  A minority is only thought of as a minority when it…

![“A minority is only thought of as a minority when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority, real or imaginary. And no threat is ever quite imaginary.” quote by Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png)

> “A minority is only thought of as a minority when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority, real or imaginary. And no threat is ever quite imaginary.”

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Minorities are labeled as threats when majority feels insecure; perceived threats can be real or imagined

**In simple terms:** Majorities label minorities as threats based on fear

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about threat and majority-minority dynamics

Themes

social psychology minority rights power dynamics

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- community relations
- media framing
- education curricula

Key Concepts

threat perception social identity majority bias

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports or refutes perceived threats?
- How can societies reduce minority‑majority tension?

A Different Perspective

Labeling can exacerbate division and prejudice

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Minority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/)

## Related quotes

> [“...a minority is only thought of as a minority if it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority, real or imaginary. And no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minority-if-it-constitutes-some/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Now, for example, people with freckles aren't thought of as a minority by the non-freckled. They aren't a minority in the sense we're talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/now-for-example-people-with-freckles-aren-t-thought-of-as-a-minority-2/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Now, for example, people with freckles aren’t thought of as a minority by the nonfreckled. They aren’t a minority in the sense we’re talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/now-for-example-people-with-freckles-aren-t-thought-of-as-a-minority/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [We libertarians are not the spokesmen for any ethnic or economic class; we are the spokesmen for all classes, for all of the public;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/we-libertarians-are-not-the-spokesmen-for-any-ethnic-or-economic/)

[Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/)

> [It is not difficult to deprive the great majority of independent thought. But the minority who will retain an inclination to criticize must also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-not-difficult-to-deprive-the-great-majority-of-independent/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [You cannot collectively, as a society, decide that you are only going to represent one part of a minority. It's like saying you've represented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-gavaris/you-cannot-collectively-as-a-society-decide-that-you-are-only-going/)

[Jordan Gavaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-gavaris/)

> [I grew up in that minority. I grew up in the South, in Roswell, Georgia, and it was heavily white, Baptist, conservative. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/i-grew-up-in-that-minority-i-grew-up-in-the-south-in-roswell-georgia/)

[David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/)

> [Trump in particular was such an unpopular candidate, because he's so anti communities of color, and we're a minority majority state, are you kidding?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/trump-in-particular-was-such-an-unpopular-candidate-because-he-s-so/)

[Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/)

> [“There's no perk in being closed-minded as a minority. It's never, ever, ever going to help you, ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baratunde-r-thurston/there-s-no-perk-in-being-closed-minded-as-a-minority-it-s-never-ever/)

Baratunde R. Thurston

> [Even as a kid I remember seeing 'Minority Report' and just crying my eyes out. It was horrible what was happening to her. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esme-creed-miles/even-as-a-kid-i-remember-seeing-minority-report-and-just-crying-my/)

[Esme Creed-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esme-creed-miles/)

> [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/)

[Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/)

> [People are not fundamentally bad. It only takes the smallest of correctives to take care of that tiny minority that wants to disrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/people-are-not-fundamentally-bad-it-only-takes-the-smallest-of/)

[Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/)

> [And one day our grandkids will ask us, 'What was it like to be a minority?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-haubegger/and-one-day-our-grandkids-will-ask-us-what-was-it-like-to-be-a/)

Christy Haubegger

> [When you are what we call a 'minority writer,' a writer of color, a writer of any kind of difference, there is some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/when-you-are-what-we-call-a-minority-writer-a-writer-of-color-a/)

[Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/)

> [In 2008, Barack Obama did a phenomenal job of reaching out to minority groups, to younger people, and a lot of newer voters, Hispanics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/in-2008-barack-obama-did-a-phenomenal-job-of-reaching-out-to-minority/)

[George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/)

## More by Christopher Isherwood

> [“From his angle, the curtain seems to form itself into a shrouded, wavering figure, indescribably terrifying in its very indistinctness. Something waiting, hovering on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/from-his-angle-the-curtain-seems-to-form-itself-into-a-shrouded/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“If you really have talent, you know, you'll go on writing - whatever people say to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/if-you-really-have-talent-you-know-you-ll-go-on-writing-whatever/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [But seriously, I believe I'm a sort of Ideal Woman, if you know what I mean. I'm the sort of woman who can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/but-seriously-i-believe-i-m-a-sort-of-ideal-woman-if-you-know-what-i/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [If it’s going to be a world with no time for sentiment, it’s not a world that I want to live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/if-it-s-going-to-be-a-world-with-no-time-for-sentiment-it-s-not-a/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“By the time it has gotten dressed, it has become he; has become already more or less George — though still not the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/by-the-time-it-has-gotten-dressed-it-has-become-he-has-become-already/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“George feels that, even if all this double talk hasn't brought them any closer to understanding each other, the not-understanding, the readiness to remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/george-feels-that-even-if-all-this-double-talk-hasn-t-brought-them/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Now, for example, people with freckles aren’t thought of as a minority by the nonfreckled. They aren’t a minority in the sense we’re talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/now-for-example-people-with-freckles-aren-t-thought-of-as-a-minority/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Even when they are geniuses in spite of it, their masterpieces are invariably warped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/even-when-they-are-geniuses-in-spite-of-it-their-masterpieces-are/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Here, in their midst, George feels a sort of vertigo. Oh God, what will become of them all? What chance have they? Ought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/here-in-their-midst-george-feels-a-sort-of-vertigo-oh-god-what-will/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“I put my genius into my life, not into my art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/i-put-my-genius-into-my-life-not-into-my-art/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [We must remember that nothing in this world really belongs to us. At best, we are merely borrowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/we-must-remember-that-nothing-in-this-world-really-belongs-to-us-at/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [In the eternal lazy morning of the Pacific, days slip away into months, months into years; the seasons are reduced to the faintest nuance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/in-the-eternal-lazy-morning-of-the-pacific-days-slip-away-into-months/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Waking up begins with am and now. That which has awoken then lies for a while staring up at the ceiling and down into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/waking-up-begins-with-am-and-now-that-which-has-awoken-then-lies-for/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Like a long train which stops at every dingy little station, the winter dragged slowly past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/like-a-long-train-which-stops-at-every-dingy-little-station-the/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [Every writer has certain subjects that they write about again and again, and . . . most people's books are just variations on certain themes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/every-writer-has-certain-subjects-that-they-write-about-again-and/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

[Explore all 169 Christopher Isherwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

## More Imaginary quotes

> [I realized I couldn't be a journalist because I like to take a side, to have an opinion and a point a view; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-realized-i-couldn-t-be-a-journalist-because-i-like-to-take-a-side/)

[Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/)

> [“this route is only one of several imaginary paths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/this-route-is-only-one-of-several-imaginary-paths/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [The hardest thing about being a guy is that women don't accept that you really are just a simple, pathetic, labrador retriever-like creature. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-hardest-thing-about-being-a-guy-is-that-women-don-t-accept-that/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Our real nature is not our imaginary, limited ego. Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/our-real-nature-is-not-our-imaginary-limited-ego-our-true-nature-is/)

[Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/)

> [I was a loner as a child. I had an imaginary friend - I didn't bother with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-a-loner-as-a-child-i-had-an-imaginary-friend-i-didn-t-bother/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [What the nostalgic past and the imaginary future seem to share in common is a form of idealism, perhaps a dream of wholeness. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/what-the-nostalgic-past-and-the-imaginary-future-seem-to-share-in/)

[Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/)

> [The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-more-science-i-studied-the-more-i-saw-that-physics-becomes/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [Dont let the imaginary person in your head keep you from loving the real one right in front of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev/dont-let-the-imaginary-person-in-your-head-keep-you-from-loving-the/)

[Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev/)

> [The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul--our Protestant idea, the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-point-i-wish-plainly-to-bring-before-you-on-this-occasion-is-the/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [Imaginary evils are incurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/imaginary-evils-are-incurable/)

[Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/)

> [When I start writing a new imaginary future, I have no idea what it is. The characters arrive first. They help me figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/when-i-start-writing-a-new-imaginary-future-i-have-no-idea-what-it-is/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [Life is complex. It has real and imaginary components.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-potter/life-is-complex-it-has-real-and-imaginary-components/)

Tom Potter

> [Why all these signs around us that make me doubt language and submerge me in meanings, drowning reality instead of extracting it from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/why-all-these-signs-around-us-that-make-me-doubt-language-and/)

[Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/)

> [“No knowledge comes from the outside world or an imaginary supernatural paradise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/no-knowledge-comes-from-the-outside-world-or-an-imaginary/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

Browse all 902 Imaginary quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A minority is only thought of as a minority when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority, real or imaginary. And no threat is ever quite imaginary.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Isherwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minority-when-it-constitutes-some/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Imaginary"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minority-when-it-constitutes-some/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/christopher-isherwood-2302_imaginary_a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minor_549847.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A minority is only thought of as a minority when it constitutes some kind of threat to the majority, real or…” — Christopher Isherwood",
                "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": "Christopher Isherwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A minority is only thought of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minority-when-it-constitutes-some/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/a-minority-is-only-thought-of-as-a-minority-when-it-constitutes-some/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
