--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been working a lot with identity and…" description: "\"I've been working a lot with identity and roots, being part of your roots. I went into this topic where I was trying to break the stereotype of Arabic ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/el-seed-35457_arabic_i-ve-been-working-a-lot-with-identity-an_232222.jpg" --- # I've been working a lot with identity and roots, being… ![“I've been working a lot with identity and roots, being part of your roots. I went into this topic where I was trying to break the stereotype of Arabic language. The non-translation work, this is where I make the switch, where you don't need to translate.” quote by eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/el-seed-35457_arabic_i-ve-been-working-a-lot-with-identity-an_232222.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/el-seed-35457_arabic_i-ve-been-working-a-lot-with-identity-an_232222.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be7/el-seed-35457_arabic_i-ve-been-working-a-lot-with-identity-an_232222.jpg) > “I've been working a lot with identity and roots, being part of your roots. I went into this topic where I was trying to break the stereotype of Arabic language. The non-translation work, this is where I make the switch, where you don't need to translate.” [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker challenges linguistic stereotypes, urging a shift from translation to direct cultural expression. **In simple terms:** Break stereotypes by embracing original language. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic cultural expression. Themes identity culture language stereotypes Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - education - media production - cross‑cultural communication Key Concepts postcolonial theory cultural authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance authenticity with broader understanding? - What tools help convey cultural nuance without translation? A Different Perspective Translation can still be valuable for accessibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arabic language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabic-language/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Translations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translations/) [Working a lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-a-lot/) ## Related quotes > [“People fear having no self or identity so they need extensions of their identity, or roots, in order to lessen the fear, and thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vd/people-fear-having-no-self-or-identity-so-they-need-extensions-of/) VD > [“My crazy's working a lot better than your sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gini-koch/my-crazy-s-working-a-lot-better-than-your-sanity/) [Gini Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gini-koch/) > [I kind of try to resist working a lot. I'm not a very disciplined worker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-kind-of-try-to-resist-working-a-lot-i-m-not-a-very-disciplined/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [There's something with actors in their 40s, I don't know - there's this tendency with these guys, either they're not where they wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-voss/there-s-something-with-actors-in-their-40s-i-don-t-know-there-s-this/) [Kurt Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-voss/) > [It was always fun for me, I loved baseball so darn much. By the hours I practiced, you'd have to say I was working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-williams/it-was-always-fun-for-me-i-loved-baseball-so-darn-much-by-the-hours-i/) [Ted Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-williams/) > [I've been working a lot on figuring out how to sing differently and better. I want to become a better singer. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-ve-been-working-a-lot-on-figuring-out-how-to-sing-differently-and/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Vocal arrangements are something I'm working a lot with for the new songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-lekman/vocal-arrangements-are-something-i-m-working-a-lot-with-for-the-new/) [Jens Lekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-lekman/) > [I think I'll be working a lot less as I get older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-think-i-ll-be-working-a-lot-less-as-i-get-older/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [To me, art and music inform each other continually, and when I was making more music there was an overall aesthetic that was shared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-farber/to-me-art-and-music-inform-each-other-continually-and-when-i-was/) [Neil Farber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-farber/) > [A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fats-domino/a-lot-of-fellows-nowadays-have-a-b-a-m-d-or-ph-d-unfortunately-they/) [Fats Domino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fats-domino/) > [My mother was working a lot, so she was gone often. I would leave school and hitchhike to the beach. I can't believe I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-derek/my-mother-was-working-a-lot-so-she-was-gone-often-i-would-leave/) [Bo Derek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-derek/) > [“Having good knowledge in Arabic language is a must for everyone who wishes to learn any other Semitic language, especially the Syro-Aramaic one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clemens-joseph-david/having-good-knowledge-in-arabic-language-is-a-must-for-everyone-who/) Clemens Joseph David > [I'm shy, but sometimes my voice is so clear and strong. Your tongue moves, and the Arabic language is so beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakeem-olajuwon/i-m-shy-but-sometimes-my-voice-is-so-clear-and-strong-your-tongue/) [Hakeem Olajuwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakeem-olajuwon/) > [“The Arabic language has had a great history, and in many respects is more remarkable than any other Semitic speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-john-courtenay/the-arabic-language-has-had-a-great-history-and-in-many-respects-is/) [James John Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-john-courtenay/) > [“Yet even when such languages did not face direct official sanction, speakers of older tongues knew that they had little chance of getting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/yet-even-when-such-languages-did-not-face-direct-official-sanction/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) ## More by eL Seed > [ You meet a lot of people \[in Dubai\] coming from a lot of different places. Even me, I'm always in transit. I don't stay… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/you-meet-a-lot-of-people-in-dubai-coming-from-a-lot-of-different/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [In France, they make you feel that you cannot be two things at the same time. You can't be French and Arabic; you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/in-france-they-make-you-feel-that-you-cannot-be-two-things-at-the/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [I'm trying to create artwork that makes people, and myself, think about judgment as a reflex. This is something that must be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/i-m-trying-to-create-artwork-that-makes-people-and-myself-think-about/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [When actually, you have one identity made of different parts. Depending on where you are, at what time in your life, some things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/when-actually-you-have-one-identity-made-of-different-parts-depending/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [I couldn't know about my culture, my history, without learning the language, so I started learning Arabic - reading, writing. I used to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/i-couldn-t-know-about-my-culture-my-history-without-learning-the/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [I'm more into the perception scope of a work; I'm exploring this concept of perception and how people can look at someone, look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/i-m-more-into-the-perception-scope-of-a-work-i-m-exploring-this/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [I've seen it personally that people have a natural sensibility to Arabic script. I don't know it if it's because of the shape, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/i-ve-seen-it-personally-that-people-have-a-natural-sensibility-to/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [It was an identity crisis. I was born and raised in France, but I never really felt French, so I needed to find something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/it-was-an-identity-crisis-i-was-born-and-raised-in-france-but-i-never/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [Art brings people back to their sensibility as human beings. This is the purpose of art: To bring people together and bring back the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/art-brings-people-back-to-their-sensibility-as-human-beings-this-is/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [Sometimes the reading is related to something I do, sometimes it's not. I feel like every time I read something, there's a quote or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/sometimes-the-reading-is-related-to-something-i-do-sometimes-it-s-not/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > ["eL Seed" was inspired by the French play Le Cid by Pierre Corneille. It was seeing "Le Cid" coming from the Arabic name "el…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/el-seed-was-inspired-by-the-french-play-le-cid-by-pierre-corneille-it/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) > [Everywhere I've been, from South Africa to Brazil, people are connected to it. For me, art is a way to bring people together. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-seed/everywhere-i-ve-been-from-south-africa-to-brazil-people-are-connected/) [eL Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) [Explore all 13 eL Seed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-seed/) ## More Arabic quotes > [“Yet even when such languages did not face direct official sanction, speakers of older tongues knew that they had little chance of getting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/yet-even-when-such-languages-did-not-face-direct-official-sanction/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [We were the outliers: my mother was the only Western woman (khawagayya, in Egyptian Arabic) to have married into the family, and during my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shereen-el-feki/we-were-the-outliers-my-mother-was-the-only-western-woman-khawagayya/) [Shereen El Feki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shereen-el-feki/) > [“The Arabic language has had a great history, and in many respects is more remarkable than any other Semitic speech.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-john-courtenay/the-arabic-language-has-had-a-great-history-and-in-many-respects-is/) [James John Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-john-courtenay/) > [World music can be sometimes like the lumber room in which all the non-English singers are dumped. When you are singing in Arabic, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-hamdan/world-music-can-be-sometimes-like-the-lumber-room-in-which-all-the/) [Yasmine Hamdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-hamdan/) > [“In its classical form Arabic is of later date than Hebrew, but in its ancient form akin to Hebrew and Aramaic, certainly as old,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-john-courtenay/in-its-classical-form-arabic-is-of-later-date-than-hebrew-but-in-its/) [James John Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-john-courtenay/) > [It's complicated for my music to be accepted, even in Lebanon and the Arabic world - I sing in Arabic, but there's no lute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-hamdan/it-s-complicated-for-my-music-to-be-accepted-even-in-lebanon-and-the/) [Yasmine Hamdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-hamdan/) > [“By the affirmation of all scholars, Arabic is the most honourable language among all Semitic ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clemens-joseph-david/by-the-affirmation-of-all-scholars-arabic-is-the-most-honourable/) Clemens Joseph David > [All the sciences came to exist in Arabic. The systematic works on them were written in Arabic writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-khaldun/all-the-sciences-came-to-exist-in-arabic-the-systematic-works-on-them/) [Ibn Khaldun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-khaldun/) > [“Assad whistled a few notes of one of his native country's melancholic songs. It sounded as though he was whistling backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jussi-adler-olsen/assad-whistled-a-few-notes-of-one-of-his-native-country-s-melancholic/) [Jussi Adler-Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jussi-adler-olsen/) > [I have never known what is Arabic or English, or which one was really mine beyond any doubt. What I do know, however, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-have-never-known-what-is-arabic-or-english-or-which-one-was-really/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [“Fuck the Bureau! Their entire outfit is half the size of the NYPD. I've got more officers who speak Arabic in one precinct that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/fuck-the-bureau-their-entire-outfit-is-half-the-size-of-the-nypd-i-ve/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [Pomegranate molasses is ubiquitous in Arabic cooking: it's sweet, sour and adds depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/pomegranate-molasses-is-ubiquitous-in-arabic-cooking-it-s-sweet-sour/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) > [“Ancient Arabic may naturally be regarded as the chief source of the Hebrew language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-courtenay-james/ancient-arabic-may-naturally-be-regarded-as-the-chief-source-of-the/) [John Courtenay James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-courtenay-james/) > [Being published in Arabic is a strong and consistent wish I have. I live in the Middle East and want to be in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/being-published-in-arabic-is-a-strong-and-consistent-wish-i-have-i/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [I'm shy, but sometimes my voice is so clear and strong. Your tongue moves, and the Arabic language is so beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakeem-olajuwon/i-m-shy-but-sometimes-my-voice-is-so-clear-and-strong-your-tongue/) [Hakeem Olajuwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakeem-olajuwon/) Browse all 107 Arabic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've been working a lot with identity and roots, being part of your roots. I went into this topic where I was trying to break the stereotype of Arabic language. 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