--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But when we came out of camp, that's when…" description: "\"But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American, was something shameful.\" — George Takei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg" --- # But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized… ![“But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American, was something shameful.” quote by George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg) > “But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American, was something shameful.” [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. He reflects on the shame felt as a Japanese-American in internment camps, highlighting internalized stigma. **In simple terms:** Internment caused personal shame for identity. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and heal historical trauma. Themes history identity trauma Mood reflective hopeful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - education curricula - community healing - policy advocacy - family storytelling Key Concepts internment cultural shame civil rights memory Questions to Reflect On - How can communities reclaim dignity after oppression? - What role does storytelling play in healing? A Different Perspective Shame may be compounded by external prejudice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Shameful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-shameful-4662063/) [Camp Japanese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camp-japanese-4662062/) [Camp Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camp-realized-4662061/) [Camping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camping/) [Camps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camps/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Japanese American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/japanese-american-847943/) [Shameful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shameful/) ## Related quotes > [I have two passions in my life. One is to raise the awareness of the internment of Japanese-American citizens. My other passion is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-have-two-passions-in-my-life-one-is-to-raise-the-awareness-of-the/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [If anyone should do any pardoning. I should be the one pardoning the government for what they did to the Japanese-American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-korematsu/if-anyone-should-do-any-pardoning-i-should-be-the-one-pardoning-the/) [Fred Korematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-korematsu/) > [I was born in Okinawa, but on a U.S. Army base. And my father is Japanese-American which means that he is second generation, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/i-was-born-in-okinawa-but-on-a-u-s-army-base-and-my-father-is/) [Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/) > [My parents are super excited that they've produced an Olympian. I don't think they ever would have imagined this would happen in a million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirai-nagasu/my-parents-are-super-excited-that-they-ve-produced-an-olympian-i-don/) [Mirai Nagasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirai-nagasu/) > [As a kid living in an isolated desert town, the most diversity I saw in my media was Claudia Kishi, the Japanese American girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/as-a-kid-living-in-an-isolated-desert-town-the-most-diversity-i-saw/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [I pride myself on being Japanese American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirai-nagasu/i-pride-myself-on-being-japanese-american/) [Mirai Nagasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirai-nagasu/) > [I no longer identify myself as Japanese or American but a 'citizen of the universe.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-asawa/i-no-longer-identify-myself-as-japanese-or-american-but-a-citizen-of/) [Ruth Asawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-asawa/) > [I grew up in a unique environment where I was immersed in both Japanese and American cultures equally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-fukuhara/i-grew-up-in-a-unique-environment-where-i-was-immersed-in-both/) [Karen Fukuhara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-fukuhara/) > [We know that there were so many Japanese American soldiers in World War II who were fighting in Europe despite the fact that their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/we-know-that-there-were-so-many-japanese-american-soldiers-in-world/) [Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/) > [My father is a Japanese-American and my mother is a Caucasian. So obviously, New Year's Day is big for our family, you know, oshogatsu.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fujita/my-father-is-a-japanese-american-and-my-mother-is-a-caucasian-so/) [Scott Fujita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-fujita/) > [It's so shameful of me: I like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-so-shameful-of-me-i-like-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I found myself compelled - like this weird, shameful compulsion - to draw cute animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-found-myself-compelled-like-this-weird-shameful-compulsion-to-draw/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [So few men are really worth knowing, that it seems a shameful waste to let an anthropoid prejudice stand in the way of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/so-few-men-are-really-worth-knowing-that-it-seems-a-shameful-waste-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## 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 Camping quotes > [“I'm surprised when I walk right into yet another abandoned hunters' camp. Tattered plastic sheeting still hangs askew here and there. Blackened aerosol cans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bass/i-m-surprised-when-i-walk-right-into-yet-another-abandoned-hunters/) [Rick Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bass/) > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [The ultimate camping trip was the Lewis and Clark expedition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-ultimate-camping-trip-was-the-lewis-and-clark-expedition/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [I might not be very approachable because through my whole life, from when I was eight years old, I had people camping behind my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasper-schmeichel/i-might-not-be-very-approachable-because-through-my-whole-life-from/) [Kasper Schmeichel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasper-schmeichel/) > [I am a big fan of the night shoots, as tough as they are, because they have almost a camping trip feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-roy/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-night-shoots-as-tough-as-they-are-because-they/) [Drew Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-roy/) > [Do not collaborate with someone you would not go camping with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-poynter/do-not-collaborate-with-someone-you-would-not-go-camping-with/) [Dan Poynter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-poynter/) > [My training camp has always been been something I have looked forward to every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-race/my-training-camp-has-always-been-been-something-i-have-looked-forward/) [Harley Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-race/) > [“As they say in camp: I sell it to you for what I paid for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solschenizyn/as-they-say-in-camp-i-sell-it-to-you-for-what-i-paid-for-it/) [Alexander Solschenizyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solschenizyn/) > [As parents, we need to send our kids back to 'old-fashioned' outdoor summer camps, which have been on the decline as the demand for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darell-hammond/as-parents-we-need-to-send-our-kids-back-to-old-fashioned-outdoor/) [Darell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darell-hammond/) > [Yeah, I like going away for camp. It brings out the savagery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashad-evans/yeah-i-like-going-away-for-camp-it-brings-out-the-savagery/) [Rashad Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashad-evans/) > [“I will go with you, and when you make your camp, I will cook your meat, and when you wish to sleep, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-will-go-with-you-and-when-you-make-your-camp-i-will-cook-your-meat/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Over the tops of it, beginning to dusk under a young white moon, trailed a wavering ghost of smoke, and at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/over-the-tops-of-it-beginning-to-dusk-under-a-young-white-moon/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [The reading I did do that stuck with me was usually somewhat breathless and brittle - I suppose camp. 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I'm obsessed with technology, be it synthesizers and speakers or tents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shura/i-love-camping-everything-about-it-tents-the-camping-stove-sleeping/) [Shura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shura/) [Browse all 367 Camping quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camping/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American, was something shameful.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Takei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when-i-first-realized-that-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Camping" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when-i-first-realized-that-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/george-takei-4192_camping_but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when_2173215.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But when we came out of camp, that's when I first realized that being in camp, that being Japanese-American…” — 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": "But when we came out of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when-i-first-realized-that-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/but-when-we-came-out-of-camp-that-s-when-i-first-realized-that-being/#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 } } ] } ```