--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Treating people the same is not equal…" description: "\"Treating people the same is not equal treatment if they are not the same.\" — Deborah Tannen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg" --- # Treating people the same is not equal treatment if they… ![“Treating people the same is not equal treatment if they are not the same.” quote by Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg) > “Treating people the same is not equal treatment if they are not the same.” [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treating everyone identically ignores individual differences, leading to inequitable outcomes. **In simple terms:** Equality ≠ sameness. Key Takeaway Adapt treatment to individual needs. Themes equality diversity fairness Mood thoughtful balanced Type nonfiction analytical When to use this quote - education - workplace policy - healthcare - legal systems Key Concepts social dynamics identity politics Questions to Reflect On - When is uniform treatment appropriate? - How can we balance fairness with individuality? A Different Perspective Uniform policies can be efficient but may ignore nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Equal treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-treatment/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) ## Related quotes > [“What I don’t understand is how some people say they can recognize the necessity to provide people with equal treatment under the law but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-perry/what-i-don-t-understand-is-how-some-people-say-they-can-recognize-the/) [Natalie Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-perry/) > [Equal treatment for children in unequal situations is not justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/equal-treatment-for-children-in-unequal-situations-is-not-justice/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [It's sad how much you suck at treating people right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-sad-how-much-you-suck-at-treating-people-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that treating other people well is a lost art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/i-believe-that-treating-other-people-well-is-a-lost-art/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [Treating people right throughout my career has got me moved to the front of the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/treating-people-right-throughout-my-career-has-got-me-moved-to-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The whole concept of treating people with dignity and respect is a concept that isn't a business concept, it's a life concept. It's who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-brenneman/the-whole-concept-of-treating-people-with-dignity-and-respect-is-a/) [Greg Brenneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-brenneman/) > [Outsourcing is inevitable, and I don't think it's necessarily treating people like things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/outsourcing-is-inevitable-and-i-don-t-think-it-s-necessarily-treating/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [I pride myself on treating people right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-pride-myself-on-treating-people-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people don't know the first thing abot treating people right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-don-t-know-the-first-thing-abot-treating-people-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're doing things right and treating people right, they will come to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-doing-things-right-and-treating-people-right-they-will-come/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you start treating people right they'll want to communicate with you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-start-treating-people-right-they-ll-want-to-communicate-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the end, no one can say I didn't give it my best shot when it comes to treating people right...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-no-one-can-say-i-didn-t-give-it-my-best-shot-when-it-comes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is nothing to lose for treating people right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-to-lose-for-treating-people-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Treating people fairly and with civility is not a bad thing... It would be good for our country if political leaders actually took that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/treating-people-fairly-and-with-civility-is-not-a-bad-thing-it-would/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [When I was teaching at an institution that bent over backward for foreign students, I was asked in class one day: "What is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/when-i-was-teaching-at-an-institution-that-bent-over-backward-for/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More by Deborah Tannen > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Communication is a continual balancing act, juggling the conflicting needs for intimacy and independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/communication-is-a-continual-balancing-act-juggling-the-conflicting/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [“A woman will be inclined to repeat a request that doesn't get a response because she is convinced that her husband would do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/a-woman-will-be-inclined-to-repeat-a-request-that-doesn-t-get-a/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Like most men, my father is interested in action. And this is why he disappoints my mother when she tells him she doesn't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/like-most-men-my-father-is-interested-in-action-and-this-is-why-he/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [“...You're so real. That's why we love you." ... Her friend's response reflected the reciprocity of showing vulnerability. It is a gift not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/you-re-so-real-that-s-why-we-love-you-her-friend-s-response-reflected/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [The desire for freedom and independence becomes more of an issue for many men in relationships, whereas interdependence and connection become more of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/the-desire-for-freedom-and-independence-becomes-more-of-an-issue-for/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [To say anything about women and men without marking oneself as either feminist or anti-feminist, male-basher or apologist for men seems as impossible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/to-say-anything-about-women-and-men-without-marking-oneself-as-either/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Communication is a continualbalancing act, juggling the conflicting needs for intimacyand independence. To survivein the world, we have to act in concert with others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/communication-is-a-continualbalancing-act-juggling-the-conflicting/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [“One reason it's so difficult to decide what to say became immediately clear: comments and questions that some appreciated were not appreciated by others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/one-reason-it-s-so-difficult-to-decide-what-to-say-became-immediately/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [All conversation, in addition to whatever else it does, displays, and asks for recognition of, our competence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/all-conversation-in-addition-to-whatever-else-it-does-displays-and/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [When those closest to us respond to events differently than we do, when they seem to see the same scene as part of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/when-those-closest-to-us-respond-to-events-differently-than-we-do/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [For most women, the language of conversation is primarily a language of rapport: a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/for-most-women-the-language-of-conversation-is-primarily-a-language-2/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Life is a matter of dealing with other people, in little matters and cataclysmic ones, and that means a series of conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/life-is-a-matter-of-dealing-with-other-people-in-little-matters-and/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [“So there it is: Boys and girls grow up in different worlds, but we think we're in the same one, so we judge each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/so-there-it-is-boys-and-girls-grow-up-in-different-worlds-but-we/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) [Explore all 71 Deborah Tannen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) ## More Equal quotes > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [My mom and dad had the relationship that I want, and they were teammates. They were always equal 50/50.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/my-mom-and-dad-had-the-relationship-that-i-want-and-they-were/) [Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/) > [Faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers; Unfaith is aught is want of faith in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/faith-and-unfaith-can-ne-er-be-equal-powers-unfaith-is-aught-is-want/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/if-it-is-true-that-there-is-always-more-than-one-way-of-construing-a/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) Browse all 4,126 Equal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Treating people the same is not equal treatment if they are not the same.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deborah Tannen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-treatment-if-they-are-not-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Equal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-treatment-if-they-are-not-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/deborah-tannen-9586_equal_treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-tr_342845.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Treating people the same is not equal treatment if they are not the same.” — Deborah Tannen", "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": "Deborah Tannen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Treating people the same is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-treatment-if-they-are-not-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/treating-people-the-same-is-not-equal-treatment-if-they-are-not-the/#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 } } ] } ```