--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not native. We have no generations…" description: "\"“We are not native. We have no generations of Americans behind us. We have roots elsewhere. We are looking in from the outside. To me, that seems to be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/don-delillo-294_american-literature_we-are-not-native-we-have-no-generations_1814567.jpg" --- # We are not native. We have no generations of Americans… ![“We are not native. We have no generations of Americans behind us. We have roots elsewhere. We are looking in from the outside. To me, that seems to be perfectly natural.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/don-delillo-294_american-literature_we-are-not-native-we-have-no-generations_1814567.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/don-delillo-294_american-literature_we-are-not-native-we-have-no-generations_1814567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65b/don-delillo-294_american-literature_we-are-not-native-we-have-no-generations_1814567.jpg) > ““We are not native. We have no generations of Americans behind us. We have roots elsewhere. We are looking in from the outside. To me, that seems to be perfectly natural.”” [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Immigrants feel outsider status, seeing themselves as observers rather than natives. **In simple terms:** Being foreign can feel natural, not a flaw. Key Takeaway Embrace outsider perspective as strength. Themes identity migration belonging Mood reflective empathetic Type literary sociological When to use this quote - immigration - community building - personal growth Key Concepts sociology cultural identity Questions to Reflect On - How does being an outsider shape your view? - What can you learn from observing from the outside? A Different Perspective Feeling detached can hinder integration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-literature/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) ## Related quotes > [“Too young for Korea, too old for Vietnam.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/too-young-for-korea-too-old-for-vietnam/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“I was too much of a Bronx kid to read Emerson or Hawthorne.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-was-too-much-of-a-bronx-kid-to-read-emerson-or-hawthorne/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [ “But then it came time for me to make my journey—into America. \[... N\]o coincidence that my first novel is called Americana . 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