--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Does assimilation mean that they never…" description: "\"“Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? Does it mean that you understood where the limits of your social world were an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/edmund-de-waal-26190_assimilation_does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-c_285001.jpg" --- # Does assimilation mean that they never came up against… ![“Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? Does it mean that you understood where the limits of your social world were and you stuck to them?” quote by Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/edmund-de-waal-26190_assimilation_does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-c_285001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/edmund-de-waal-26190_assimilation_does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-c_285001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/edmund-de-waal-26190_assimilation_does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-c_285001.jpg) > ““Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? Does it mean that you understood where the limits of your social world were and you stuck to them?”” [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questions whether assimilation erases exposure to prejudice and limits understanding of social boundaries. **In simple terms:** Assimilation may hide bias and restrict growth. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden prejudices. Themes identity assimilation prejudice Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical social When to use this quote - immigrant experiences - educational settings - community interactions Key Concepts social dynamics cultural integration self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What biases remain unnoticed after assimilation? - How can one stay aware of social limits? A Different Perspective Assimilation can also foster inclusion if approached critically. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assimilation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilation/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [With the rise of identity politics, the expression of naked prejudice against members of a supposedly privileged group has become mainstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/with-the-rise-of-identity-politics-the-expression-of-naked-prejudice/) [Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/) > [Prejudice does not mean false ideas, but only ... opinions adopted before examination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/prejudice-does-not-mean-false-ideas-but-only-opinions-adopted-before/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [Body shaming comes from prejudice and it does not hold any importance in my life. All that matters is my hard work, my mission…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajpal-yadav/body-shaming-comes-from-prejudice-and-it-does-not-hold-any-importance/) [Rajpal Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajpal-yadav/) > [The heart of assimilation process of absorbing minorities lies in the self-image of a nation. There are, as you will know, big differences for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-elias/the-heart-of-assimilation-process-of-absorbing-minorities-lies-in-the/) [Norbert Elias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-elias/) > [“It makes me wonder what belonging to a place means. Charles died a Russian in Paris. Viktor called it wrong and was a Russian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/it-makes-me-wonder-what-belonging-to-a-place-means-charles-died-a/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [Knowledge is a free good. The biggest cost in its transmission is not in the production or distribution of knowledge, but in its assimilation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-arrow/knowledge-is-a-free-good-the-biggest-cost-in-its-transmission-is-not/) [Kenneth Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-arrow/) > [Intellectual life requires for its expansion and manifestation the influences and assimilation of the interests and affections of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/intellectual-life-requires-for-its-expansion-and-manifestation-the/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [“It’s a great honor, m’ijo. We know that. I’m sure everyone in Ysleta is proud of you. But this is who you are," she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-troncoso/it-s-a-great-honor-m-ijo-we-know-that-i-m-sure-everyone-in-ysleta-is/) [Sergio Troncoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-troncoso/) > [Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-turns-out-not-to-be-an-either-or-story-as-in-either/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“Fuck I hate fucks Who think they’re so fucking great They know everything about fucking, When they’re just fucking fucks fucking! And no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/fuck-i-hate-fucks-who-think-they-re-so-fucking-great-they-know/) Initially NO > [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [ “\[I\]nclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/great-genius-takes-shape-by-contact-with-another-great-genius-but/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“The Portland school board's policy equated integration and racial assimilation. This policy, Rist explains, is a "means of socializing nonwhite students to act, speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/the-portland-school-board-s-policy-equated-integration-and-racial/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) ## More by Edmund de Waal > [“I do not know where Viktor and Rudolf were taken. I cannot find the records. I never Elisabeth or Iggie. It is possible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/i-do-not-know-where-viktor-and-rudolf-were-taken-i-cannot-find-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“And I'm not entitled to nostalgia about all that lost wealth and glamour from a century ago. And I am not interested in thin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/and-i-m-not-entitled-to-nostalgia-about-all-that-lost-wealth-and/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“And someone turns out the lights in the library, as if being in the dark will make them invisible, but the noise reaches into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/and-someone-turns-out-the-lights-in-the-library-as-if-being-in-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“The house wasn't theirs anymore. It was full of people, some in uniforms and some in suits. People counting rooms, making lists of objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/the-house-wasn-t-theirs-anymore-it-was-full-of-people-some-in/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“It makes me wonder what belonging to a place means. Charles died a Russian in Paris. Viktor called it wrong and was a Russian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/it-makes-me-wonder-what-belonging-to-a-place-means-charles-died-a/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“There is something about that burning of all those letters that gives me pause: why should everything be made clear and be brought into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/there-is-something-about-that-burning-of-all-those-letters-that-gives/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“He stands with his hands in his pockets, well-dressed and self-assured, with his life before him and a plush armchair behind him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/he-stands-with-his-hands-in-his-pockets-well-dressed-and-self-assured/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“You just hope, if you make things as I do, that they can make their way in the world and have some longevity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/you-just-hope-if-you-make-things-as-i-do-that-they-can-make-their-way/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“Stories and objects share something, a patina...Perhaps patina is a process of rubbing back so that the essential is revealed...But it also seems additive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/stories-and-objects-share-something-a-patina-perhaps-patina-is-a/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“Kövecses radiated the sense of self-sufficiency that comes about when there are lots of children in a big house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/k-vecses-radiated-the-sense-of-self-sufficiency-that-comes-about-when/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“The vitrines exist so that you can see objects, but not touch them: they frame things, suspend them, tantalise through distance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/the-vitrines-exist-so-that-you-can-see-objects-but-not-touch-them/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [The problem is that I am in the wrong century to burn things. I am the wrong generation to let it go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/the-problem-is-that-i-am-in-the-wrong-century-to-burn-things-i-am-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“How objects are handed on is all about story-telling. I am giving you this because I love you. Or because it was given to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/how-objects-are-handed-on-is-all-about-story-telling-i-am-giving-you/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“Japanese things - laquers, netsuke, prints - conjure a picture of a place where sensations are always new, where art pours out of daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/japanese-things-laquers-netsuke-prints-conjure-a-picture-of-a-place/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [“House-watching is an art. You have to develop a way of seeing how a building sits in its landscape or streetscape. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/house-watching-is-an-art-you-have-to-develop-a-way-of-seeing-how-a/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) [Explore all 22 Edmund de Waal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) ## More Assimilation quotes > [“The Portland school board's policy equated integration and racial assimilation. This policy, Rist explains, is a "means of socializing nonwhite students to act, speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/the-portland-school-board-s-policy-equated-integration-and-racial/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/great-genius-takes-shape-by-contact-with-another-great-genius-but/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [ “\[I\]nclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“Fuck I hate fucks Who think they’re so fucking great They know everything about fucking, When they’re just fucking fucks fucking! And no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/fuck-i-hate-fucks-who-think-they-re-so-fucking-great-they-know/) Initially NO > [Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-turns-out-not-to-be-an-either-or-story-as-in-either/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“It’s a great honor, m’ijo. We know that. I’m sure everyone in Ysleta is proud of you. But this is who you are," she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-troncoso/it-s-a-great-honor-m-ijo-we-know-that-i-m-sure-everyone-in-ysleta-is/) [Sergio Troncoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-troncoso/) > [Intellectual life requires for its expansion and manifestation the influences and assimilation of the interests and affections of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/intellectual-life-requires-for-its-expansion-and-manifestation-the/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [Knowledge is a free good. The biggest cost in its transmission is not in the production or distribution of knowledge, but in its assimilation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-arrow/knowledge-is-a-free-good-the-biggest-cost-in-its-transmission-is-not/) [Kenneth Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-arrow/) > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Finally it should be the earnest wish and paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckinley/finally-it-should-be-the-earnest-wish-and-paramount-aim-of-the/) [William McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckinley/) > [If you would be a writer, first be a reader. Only through the assimilation of ideas, thoughts and philosophies can one begin to focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-w-eckert/if-you-would-be-a-writer-first-be-a-reader-only-through-the/) Allan W. Eckert > [We must have life building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-have-life-building-man-making-character-making-assimilation/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Chakras are organizational centers for the reception, assimilation, and transmission of life-force energy. They are the stepping stones between heaven and earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anodea-judith/chakras-are-organizational-centers-for-the-reception-assimilation-and/) [Anodea Judith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anodea-judith/) [Browse all 141 Assimilation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? 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