--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being human means learning to see the…" description: "\"“Being human means learning to see the common humanity in us all.”\" — George Takei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg" --- # Being human means learning to see the common humanity in… ![“Being human means learning to see the common humanity in us all.” quote by George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg) > ““Being human means learning to see the common humanity in us all.”” [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing shared humanity fosters empathy and unity across differences. **In simple terms:** See the humanity in everyone. Key Takeaway Practice empathy daily. Themes empathy unity diversity Mood compassionate inspiring Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - teamwork - conflict resolution - community building - education - volunteering Key Concepts humanism social connection Questions to Reflect On - How can you notice common humanity in a challenging person? - What actions show respect for shared humanity? A Different Perspective May overlook individual experiences in favor of broad sameness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-humanity/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [Individual lives remind us that there is something called a common humanity and that, over the centuries, there have been people who have lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/individual-lives-remind-us-that-there-is-something-called-a-common/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“I long for the day when people embrace our common humanity and respect diversity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-m-wiemer/i-long-for-the-day-when-people-embrace-our-common-humanity-and/) [Liza M. Wiemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-m-wiemer/) > [Being a human means waking up in this world, where we all have to work and slog to put food on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/being-a-human-means-waking-up-in-this-world-where-we-all-have-to-work/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [To become fully human means learning to turn my gratitude for being alive into some concrete common good. It means growing gentler toward human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/to-become-fully-human-means-learning-to-turn-my-gratitude-for-being/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [What does it mean to be human? It means we are created in the image of God for the glorious reality of being in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/what-does-it-mean-to-be-human-it-means-we-are-created-in-the-image-of/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [We must laugh and cry, enjoy and suffer, in a word, vibrate to our full capacity … I think that’s what being really human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/we-must-laugh-and-cry-enjoy-and-suffer-in-a-word-vibrate-to-our-full/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [When you always want the next thing, every human being becomes a means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-always-want-the-next-thing-every-human-being-becomes-a-means/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Being human means nothing if we cannot be humane. This cannot happen until we learn through science or spirituality that fundamentally, in life substratum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fakeer-ishavardas/being-human-means-nothing-if-we-cannot-be-humane-this-cannot-happen/) [Fakeer Ishavardas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fakeer-ishavardas/) > [Being human means losing everything we love best in the world," she murmured as she released me. "But would you ask to be anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/being-human-means-losing-everything-we-love-best-in-the-world-she/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [To be a human being means to possess a feeling of inferiority which constantly presses towards its own conquest. The greater the feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/to-be-a-human-being-means-to-possess-a-feeling-of-inferiority-which/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) > [“You know what Human means? HUMAN means Harmonious across Hate, Undivided through Diversity, Mindful amidst Mindlessness, Amiable amidst Apathy, and Neighborly amidst Nonchalance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/you-know-what-human-means-human-means-harmonious-across-hate/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Life is supposed to be messy. Being human means you will get our heart broken and your fingernails dirty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-jane-mauro/life-is-supposed-to-be-messy-being-human-means-you-will-get-our-heart/) Kaitlyn Jane Mauro > [Being human means you will make mistakes. And you will make mistakes, because failure is God's way of moving you in another direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/being-human-means-you-will-make-mistakes-and-you-will-make-mistakes/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“But for them—as for anyone—survival isn’t enough. So what began as a last-ditch effort has become a battle cry for something greater. Being human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bruder/but-for-them-as-for-anyone-survival-isn-t-enough-so-what-began-as-a/) [Jessica Bruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bruder/) > [Being human means asking the questions of one's own being and living under the impact of the answers given to this question. And, conversely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/being-human-means-asking-the-questions-of-one-s-own-being-and-living/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) ## More by George Takei > [“Sharing is an act of trust, for ridicule is an ever-present risk on the Internet today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/sharing-is-an-act-of-trust-for-ridicule-is-an-ever-present-risk-on/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“If leadership requires a fired-up sense of purpose and imagination, it also demands a profound connection to the society to be led. Like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/if-leadership-requires-a-fired-up-sense-of-purpose-and-imagination-it/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“As with the douchebags of the world, calling an asshole an asshole sometimes is exactly what needs to happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/as-with-the-douchebags-of-the-world-calling-an-asshole-an-asshole/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“But as Stephen Fry has so eloquently noted, all great atrocities and genocides first begin with marginalizing then dehumanizing a specific group of people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/but-as-stephen-fry-has-so-eloquently-noted-all-great-atrocities-and/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [A man who layeth with another man must be stoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/a-man-who-layeth-with-another-man-must-be-stoned/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Well, the whole history of Star Trek is the market demand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/well-the-whole-history-of-star-trek-is-the-market-demand/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Today we have the economic collapse that the whole planet is suffering, but there is hope, and that's what's going to keep us moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/today-we-have-the-economic-collapse-that-the-whole-planet-is/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [You know, I grew up in two American internment camps, and at that time I was very young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/you-know-i-grew-up-in-two-american-internment-camps-and-at-that-time/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“I began to wonder, what accounts for our collective affinity for the apocalypse? What is it about “the end” that makes it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-began-to-wonder-what-accounts-for-our-collective-affinity-for-the/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“If Grumpy Cat could bring herself to actually support something, it should be a no-brainer for mere humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/if-grumpy-cat-could-bring-herself-to-actually-support-something-it/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“And anyway, as they will say in the distant future, “Replication is the sincerest form of flattery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/and-anyway-as-they-will-say-in-the-distant-future-replication-is-the/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“I call this phenomenon “hipsterization”—when those who fancy themselves on the cutting edge dismiss the very items they had touted as cool until they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-call-this-phenomenon-hipsterization-when-those-who-fancy-themselves/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“Cultural icons help people define who they are today because they shaped who they were as children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/cultural-icons-help-people-define-who-they-are-today-because-they/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Do your duty as an American, and as a citizen of the galaxy... Vote!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/do-your-duty-as-an-american-and-as-a-citizen-of-the-galaxy-vote/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“I’ve recently suggested that Betty and I should do a TV series about two seniors living together in an unlikely pairing of a widow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-recently-suggested-that-betty-and-i-should-do-a-tv-series-about/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) [Explore all 115 George Takei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) ## More Common humanity quotes > [Individual lives remind us that there is something called a common humanity and that, over the centuries, there have been people who have lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/individual-lives-remind-us-that-there-is-something-called-a-common/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [“I long for the day when people embrace our common humanity and respect diversity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-m-wiemer/i-long-for-the-day-when-people-embrace-our-common-humanity-and/) [Liza M. Wiemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-m-wiemer/) > [As an anthropologist, I believe strongly in our common humanity. We can rise above the tribal divisions that have caused so much anguish and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/as-an-anthropologist-i-believe-strongly-in-our-common-humanity-we-can/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [We will only begin to forgive when we can look upon the wrongdoers as ourselves, neither better nor worse. We need to remember that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/we-will-only-begin-to-forgive-when-we-can-look-upon-the-wrongdoers-as/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded in the belief that this is but an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/since-i-move-about-with-you-eat-like-you-and-talk-with-you-you-are/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [The asking and the answering which history provides may help us to understand, even to frame, the logic of experience to which we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-asking-and-the-answering-which-history-provides-may-help-us-to/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/but-who-prays-for-satan-who-in-eighteen-centuries-has-had-the-common/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [That is a true sentiment which makes us feel that we do not love our country less, but more, because we have laid up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-penrhyn-stanley/that-is-a-true-sentiment-which-makes-us-feel-that-we-do-not-love-our/) [Arthur Penrhyn Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-penrhyn-stanley/) > [“You are carrying the future of America in your heart and your mind. So live your dreams and remember, whatever you choose to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/you-are-carrying-the-future-of-america-in-your-heart-and-your-mind-so/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [“Patriotic duty and the disease of nationalism lure us to deny our common humanity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/patriotic-duty-and-the-disease-of-nationalism-lure-us-to-deny-our/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Dignity does not come from avenging insults, especially from violence that can never be justified. It comes from taking responsibility and advancing our common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/dignity-does-not-come-from-avenging-insults-especially-from-violence/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/but-who-prays-for-satan-who-in-eighteen-centuries-has-had-the-common-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When we put our trust in diplomacy, it is not because it is an inspiring or uplifting discourse or because it helps us see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/when-we-put-our-trust-in-diplomacy-it-is-not-because-it-is-an/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [There are large numbers of people who simply don't have the values and vision necessary to be part of an inter-dependent world. They think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/there-are-large-numbers-of-people-who-simply-don-t-have-the-values/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [Self-compassion encourages mindfulness, or noticing your feelings without judgment; self-kindness, or talking to yourself in a soothing way; and common humanity, or thinking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/self-compassion-encourages-mindfulness-or-noticing-your-feelings/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) [Browse all 127 Common humanity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-humanity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being human means learning to see the common humanity in us all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Takei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-common-humanity-in-us-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common humanity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-common-humanity-in-us-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/george-takei-4192_common-humanity_being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-co_2255335.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being human means learning to see the common humanity in us all.” — George Takei", "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": "George Takei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Being human means learning to see...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-common-humanity-in-us-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/being-human-means-learning-to-see-the-common-humanity-in-us-all/#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 } } ] } ```