--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's funny, everywhere I go some people…" description: "\"It's funny, everywhere I go some people ask me whether it's going to be a Latino breakthrough, some people ask me whether it's going to be a female bre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg" --- # It's funny, everywhere I go some people ask me whether… ![“It's funny, everywhere I go some people ask me whether it's going to be a Latino breakthrough, some people ask me whether it's going to be a female breakthrough, and then I'm reminded that five years ago we didn't even know Barack Obama's name.” quote by Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg) > “It's funny, everywhere I go some people ask me whether it's going to be a Latino breakthrough, some people ask me whether it's going to be a female breakthrough, and then I'm reminded that five years ago we didn't even know Barack Obama's name.” [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Breakthroughs are not defined by ethnicity or gender; progress often outpaces expectations. **In simple terms:** Breakthroughs transcend identity. Key Takeaway Focus on merit. Themes diversity innovation media Mood thoughtful encouraging Type journalistic motivational When to use this quote - tech startups - political leadership - academic research - creative arts - community organizing Key Concepts social change representation Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize bias? - What defines a true breakthrough? A Different Perspective Identity politics can still affect opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breakthrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakthrough/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Latino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latino/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don't know that. But I do know this: that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/i-don-t-know-whether-barack-obama-was-born-in-the-united-states-of/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/many-of-you-know-that-i-got-my-name-barack-from-my-father-what-you/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ \[People\] felt good even though they didn't really know much about \[Barack Obama\] and may have had some doubts. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/people-felt-good-even-though-they-didn-t-really-know-much-about/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I'm not really much into politics, because it's rarely discussed in my line of work, but I know that Barack Obama is trying his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-m-not-really-much-into-politics-because-it-s-rarely-discussed-in-my-2/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [The realities are that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/the-realities-are-that-you-know-as-a-black-man-you-know-barack-can/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [ You know what the \[Barack\] Obama administration keeps getting wrong is whenever anything bad happens they focus on law-abiding citizens instead of focusing on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/you-know-what-the-barack-obama-administration-keeps-getting-wrong-is/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I don't think this is rocket science. I think we have some common interests, like dismantling our nuclear weapons, dealing with terrorism and, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-don-t-think-this-is-rocket-science-i-think-we-have-some-common/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [I know Barack Obama. And I believe that as president, he'll pursue the common good by seeking common ground rather than trying to divide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-casey-jr/i-know-barack-obama-and-i-believe-that-as-president-he-ll-pursue-the/) [Bob Casey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-casey-jr/) > [I think that it's important that the American people know that Barack Obama didn't have a mild association with Bill Ayers, he had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/i-think-that-it-s-important-that-the-american-people-know-that-barack/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [Who is Barack Obama? Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/who-is-barack-obama-contrary-to-the-rumors-you-have-heard-i-was-not/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We all know by now that Barack Obama is not a patriot. After all, he doesn't always wear a flag pin, and he objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-thomas/we-all-know-by-now-that-barack-obama-is-not-a-patriot-after-all-he/) [Will Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-thomas/) > [We know this much about how Barack Obama plans to govern: He will deploy the fattest checkbook ever at the disposal of an incoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-easton/we-know-this-much-about-how-barack-obama-plans-to-govern-he-will/) [Nina Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-easton/) > [ We're \[President Barack Obama and I\] clear on the fact that we have to stay humble and prayerful. We have to dig down deep… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/we-re-president-barack-obama-and-i-clear-on-the-fact-that-we-have-to/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [You know, Barack Obama is a man of great dignity. And I could tell how much it bothered him and annoyed him that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/you-know-barack-obama-is-a-man-of-great-dignity-and-i-could-tell-how/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Millions of Americans who know that Barack understands their dreams; that Barack will fight for people like them; and that Barack will finally bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/millions-of-americans-who-know-that-barack-understands-their-dreams/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) ## More by Gwen Ifill > [I'm not quite certain how you can force a candidate to stick by the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-m-not-quite-certain-how-you-can-force-a-candidate-to-stick-by-the/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I'm not in love. I'm not out of love. I'm just trying to find some version of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-m-not-in-love-i-m-not-out-of-love-i-m-just-trying-to-find-some/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [Change comes from listening, learning, caring and conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/change-comes-from-listening-learning-caring-and-conversation/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [Did I say that the President's entire job is image management? Of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/did-i-say-that-the-president-s-entire-job-is-image-management-of/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [If you take the conflicts we are used to dealing with, race over the years in America, and you combine that with the desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/if-you-take-the-conflicts-we-are-used-to-dealing-with-race-over-the/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [In the media universe we're in, where there are people screaming on one end, there is no problem at all with having a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/in-the-media-universe-we-re-in-where-there-are-people-screaming-on/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [Aspiring black leaders are often asked to transcend race, even though no one ever asked, say, Hillary Clinton to transcend gender. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/aspiring-black-leaders-are-often-asked-to-transcend-race-even-though/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I actually think agendas are more often found in State of the Union speeches than in inaugural speeches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-actually-think-agendas-are-more-often-found-in-state-of-the-union/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [Poor children in Baltimore face even worse odds than low-income kids elsewhere, mostly because they remain in impoverished neighborhoods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/poor-children-in-baltimore-face-even-worse-odds-than-low-income-kids/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [There's five factors or characteristics of places where kids from poor backgrounds don't do very well. And those are places that have more economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/there-s-five-factors-or-characteristics-of-places-where-kids-from/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I knew early on that I wanted to be a reporter, but I didn't know I was a political journalist until my first job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-knew-early-on-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-reporter-but-i-didn-t-know-i/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I don't think that Donald Trump represents the traditional Republican values and heritage of my party. That's one reason that I don't support him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-don-t-think-that-donald-trump-represents-the-traditional-republican/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [If you start to catalog Hillary Clinton's positions between now and 2008, we're going to have a lot of conversations because there are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/if-you-start-to-catalog-hillary-clinton-s-positions-between-now-and/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [I just think we as consumers of information media must be very clear what it is we are consuming. Whether we are choosing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/i-just-think-we-as-consumers-of-information-media-must-be-very-clear/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [Folks who are getting their strokes in the South are not as unhappy with Howard Dean. You don't see anybody starting any movement to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/folks-who-are-getting-their-strokes-in-the-south-are-not-as-unhappy/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) [Explore all 67 Gwen Ifill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) ## More Ask me quotes > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [I am a conservative type of person, so sometimes when I'm chilling with myself, people always come ask me, 'What's wrong with you? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-wonder/i-am-a-conservative-type-of-person-so-sometimes-when-i-m-chilling/) [Wayne Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-wonder/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [When a young artist asks me a question, I want to do what I can to give them an answer if I have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tait/when-a-young-artist-asks-me-a-question-i-want-to-do-what-i-can-to/) [Michael Tait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tait/) > [I've never asked a girl out in my life, they have to ask me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-ve-never-asked-a-girl-out-in-my-life-they-have-to-ask-me/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I would do almost anything Tina Fey asks me to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/i-would-do-almost-anything-tina-fey-asks-me-to-do/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Space Jam is my favorite movie. Don't ask me why, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/space-jam-is-my-favorite-movie-don-t-ask-me-why-it-just-is/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) Browse all 1,282 Ask me quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's funny, everywhere I go some people ask me whether it's going to be a Latino breakthrough, some people ask me whether it's going to be a female breakthrough, and then I'm reminded that five years ago we didn't even know Barack Obama's name.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gwen Ifill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-ask-me-whether-it-s-going-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ask me" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-ask-me-whether-it-s-going-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/gwen-ifill-10218_ask-me_it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-a_2855141.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's funny, everywhere I go some people ask me whether it's going to be a Latino breakthrough, some people…” — Gwen Ifill", "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": "Gwen Ifill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's funny, everywhere I go some...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-ask-me-whether-it-s-going-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/it-s-funny-everywhere-i-go-some-people-ask-me-whether-it-s-going-to/#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 } } ] } ```