--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Growing up in Texas, I was already…" description: "\"Growing up in Texas, I was already dealing with the fact that I didn't even know I was Asian until a certain age. I just was informed about it in a som..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg" --- # Growing up in Texas, I was already dealing with the fact… ![“Growing up in Texas, I was already dealing with the fact that I didn't even know I was Asian until a certain age. I just was informed about it in a somewhat negative way by my peers. And that immediately put me into that mindset where I felt very othered. My safety always felt like it wasn't…” quote by Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg) > “Growing up in Texas, I was already dealing with the fact that I didn't even know I was Asian until a certain age. I just was informed about it in a somewhat negative way by my peers. And that immediately put me into that mindset where I felt very othered. My safety always felt like it wasn't something that I could consider a given.” [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He realized his Asian heritage later, feeling othered and unsafe due to peer reactions. **In simple terms:** Late awareness of ethnicity caused alienation. Key Takeaway Seek supportive communities and self‑acceptance. Themes identity belonging culture Mood vulnerable thoughtful Type personal social‑commentary When to use this quote - school environment - family discussions - media representation - peer groups Key Concepts racial awareness self‑esteem social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How did that moment shape your self‑image? - What can allies do to foster inclusion? A Different Perspective Some may find empowerment in delayed discovery; not all experiences are negative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Asian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asian/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) ## Related quotes > [I wasn't sure if I wanted to put that out there so blatantly, so that before you listen to me you know that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-ahn/i-wasn-t-sure-if-i-wanted-to-put-that-out-there-so-blatantly-so-that/) [Priscilla Ahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-ahn/) > [I am of the opinion, and have been for a long time, that any kind of big technological move is almost always positive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-am-of-the-opinion-and-have-been-for-a-long-time-that-any-kind-of/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Growing up, I was heavily influenced by this eurocentric idea of what beauty is and so I always felt 'othered.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/growing-up-i-was-heavily-influenced-by-this-eurocentric-idea-of-what/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) > [It's very hard, you know, for an Asian actor to be in a prime-time television series.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/it-s-very-hard-you-know-for-an-asian-actor-to-be-in-a-prime-time/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [The only thing I know about being Asian is that my hair is black and my eyelashes are straight and I have strange eyebrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/the-only-thing-i-know-about-being-asian-is-that-my-hair-is-black-and/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [Some people just yell 'Asian BuzzFeed guy!' and I turn around and distinctly yell back 'Eugene!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/some-people-just-yell-asian-buzzfeed-guy-and-i-turn-around-and/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [There's a reason we all cried when Gina Rodriguez won that Golden Globe. It didn't matter if we're Latina. We get it. We're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/there-s-a-reason-we-all-cried-when-gina-rodriguez-won-that-golden/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [A lot of times I go to a comedy show, I sit there and wait for the comedian to run out of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/a-lot-of-times-i-go-to-a-comedy-show-i-sit-there-and-wait-for-the/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. 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I just want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-o-yang/when-you-are-in-america-at-least-for-me-as-an-immigrant-i-try-to-be/) [Jimmy O. Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/) [Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/) ## More by Eugene Lee Yang > [We have to express ourselves in the most true and authentic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/we-have-to-express-ourselves-in-the-most-true-and-authentic-way/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [YouTube opened up the types of voices and alternative ways of viewing ourselves that would never have been greenlit by a Hollywood studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/youtube-opened-up-the-types-of-voices-and-alternative-ways-of-viewing/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [A lot of times I go to a comedy show, I sit there and wait for the comedian to run out of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/a-lot-of-times-i-go-to-a-comedy-show-i-sit-there-and-wait-for-the/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [Some people just yell 'Asian BuzzFeed guy!' and I turn around and distinctly yell back 'Eugene!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/some-people-just-yell-asian-buzzfeed-guy-and-i-turn-around-and/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [There's a reason we all cried when Gina Rodriguez won that Golden Globe. It didn't matter if we're Latina. We get it. We're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/there-s-a-reason-we-all-cried-when-gina-rodriguez-won-that-golden/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [I think that there's a lot of different factors that played into the coming out process I've had with the public. You know, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/i-think-that-there-s-a-lot-of-different-factors-that-played-into-the/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [Even before BuzzFeed, Asian-American faces and voices were so prevalent online as huge YouTubers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/even-before-buzzfeed-asian-american-faces-and-voices-were-so/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [Digital content is it's own industry that is going through it's own growing pains as with any other industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/digital-content-is-it-s-own-industry-that-is-going-through-it-s-own/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [I think as you become a more open person and let others in, just in your regular life, you'll be surprised by how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/i-think-as-you-become-a-more-open-person-and-let-others-in-just-in/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [I really did hate who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/i-really-did-hate-who-i-was/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [I'm most concerned with committing to characters that contribute to more complex, modern and dynamic Asian-American representation on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/i-m-most-concerned-with-committing-to-characters-that-contribute-to/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [We have the right to be angry about our representation in the media. It's just not a reflection of how we live our daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/we-have-the-right-to-be-angry-about-our-representation-in-the-media/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [Content isn't just a brand or message that you develop yourself and then throw out into the echo chamber. It's a mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/content-isn-t-just-a-brand-or-message-that-you-develop-yourself-and/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [My job is literally clapping back every day online as a comedian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/my-job-is-literally-clapping-back-every-day-online-as-a-comedian/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [The strength of the platform that I am privileged to have is that I reach a massive group of diverse people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/the-strength-of-the-platform-that-i-am-privileged-to-have-is-that-i/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) [Explore all 31 Eugene Lee Yang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Growing up in Texas, I was already dealing with the fact that I didn't even know I was Asian until a certain age. I just was informed about it in a somewhat negative way by my peers. And that immediately put me into that mindset where I felt very othered. My safety always felt like it wasn't something that I could consider a given.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eugene Lee Yang" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealing-with-the-fact-that-i-didn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealing-with-the-fact-that-i-didn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/eugene-lee-yang-19999_age_growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealin_1174319.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Growing up in Texas, I was already dealing with the fact that I didn't even know I was Asian until a certain…” — Eugene Lee Yang", "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": "Eugene Lee Yang", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Growing up in Texas, I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealing-with-the-fact-that-i-didn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/growing-up-in-texas-i-was-already-dealing-with-the-fact-that-i-didn-t/#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 } } ] } ```