--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm just an American citizen like…" description: "\"I'm just an American citizen like everyone else and I'm not sitting at the power table in the room where it all happens.\" — Hasan Minhaj" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg" --- # I'm just an American citizen like everyone else and I'm… ![“I'm just an American citizen like everyone else and I'm not sitting at the power table in the room where it all happens.” quote by Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg) > “I'm just an American citizen like everyone else and I'm not sitting at the power table in the room where it all happens.” [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) ## 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 emphasizes ordinary citizenship without direct power, urging awareness of influence limits. **In simple terms:** Ordinary people lack direct power. Key Takeaway Recognize limits, seek collective action. Themes citizenship power responsibility Mood reflective determined Type motivational political When to use this quote - community organizing - voting - public advocacy - grassroots movements Key Concepts democracy political agency Questions to Reflect On - How can you amplify your voice? - What collective actions can shift decisions? A Different Perspective Power can be exercised indirectly through collective effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-citizen/) [Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [I could not become an American citizen. I would not like to become a citizen of a country that has capital punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-could-not-become-an-american-citizen-i-would-not-like-to-become-a/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [After 9/11, I had just become an American citizen, and I remember sitting in front of my TV set watching the news of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/after-9-11-i-had-just-become-an-american-citizen-and-i-remember/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [The typical American citizen is the business man. The typical business man is a bad citizen; he is busy. If he is a 'big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-typical-american-citizen-is-the-business-man-the-typical-business/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [I'm a writer. In Latin America, they say I'm a Latin-American writer because I also write in Spanish and my books are translated, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-m-a-writer-in-latin-america-they-say-i-m-a-latin-american-writer/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [It was a really big deal to become an American citizen the right way. You have to work really hard, and it is such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camila-alves/it-was-a-really-big-deal-to-become-an-american-citizen-the-right-way/) [Camila Alves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camila-alves/) > [We as Americans of Latin descent are just as American as anyone else of any other descent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/we-as-americans-of-latin-descent-are-just-as-american-as-anyone-else/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [In America, you're just an American. You're accepted. It doesn't matter that you're of whatever race. If anything, I'm British, and that's it. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-wong/in-america-you-re-just-an-american-you-re-accepted-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Benedict Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-wong/) > [If money, education, and honesty will not bring to me as much privilege, as much equality as they bring to any American citizen, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hope/if-money-education-and-honesty-will-not-bring-to-me-as-much-privilege/) [John Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hope/) > [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/) > [The first duty of an American citizen, then, is that he shall work in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-first-duty-of-an-american-citizen-then-is-that-he-shall-work-in/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It takes more than just walking across the border to become an American citizen. It's what's in our souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-d-hunter/it-takes-more-than-just-walking-across-the-border-to-become-an/) [Duncan D. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-d-hunter/) > [I'm a proud American - becoming a citizen in 1988 was one of the most profoundly moving occasions in my life; I'm a former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-m-a-proud-american-becoming-a-citizen-in-1988-was-one-of-the-most/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [If you call yourself an American that means that you have embraced the constitution, because that is what an American is. A citizen of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-ritter/if-you-call-yourself-an-american-that-means-that-you-have-embraced/) [Scott Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-ritter/) > [I'm not an American citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/i-m-not-an-american-citizen/) [Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/) > [I did become American citizen in order to vote. I lived in this country for a very long time and I finally reached the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-redgrave/i-did-become-american-citizen-in-order-to-vote-i-lived-in-this/) [Lynn Redgrave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-redgrave/) ## More by Hasan Minhaj > [I've found the 90-10 rule to be pretty true: 90 percent of what I come up with and write down is kinda 'eh,' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-ve-found-the-90-10-rule-to-be-pretty-true-90-percent-of-what-i-come/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [When you immerse yourself in a community, you tend to rise in that community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/when-you-immerse-yourself-in-a-community-you-tend-to-rise-in-that/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [Aditi is a comedy superstar over in India. She's only one of three female English-speaking comedians in India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/aditi-is-a-comedy-superstar-over-in-india-she-s-only-one-of-three/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [A lot of times, especially when it comes to political debates, people get caught up in esoteric statistics. So the realest thing I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/a-lot-of-times-especially-when-it-comes-to-political-debates-people/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [A lot of people in the media say that Donald Trump goes golfing too much, which raises a very important question: Why do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/a-lot-of-people-in-the-media-say-that-donald-trump-goes-golfing-too/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [As satirists, we get to stand on the sidelines of life and comment on what's happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/as-satirists-we-get-to-stand-on-the-sidelines-of-life-and-comment-on/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [My dad was the only son from his entire family to come to America, and I was his only son. We had come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/my-dad-was-the-only-son-from-his-entire-family-to-come-to-america-and/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [When you can tailor your act, you want it to be about yourself but also about the people in the room and the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/when-you-can-tailor-your-act-you-want-it-to-be-about-yourself-but/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [I think perspective is a necessary, amazing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-think-perspective-is-a-necessary-amazing-thing/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [I like to have straight-up black coffee, but when you get it, sometimes you'll burn your tongue, or it spills on your hands, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-like-to-have-straight-up-black-coffee-but-when-you-get-it-sometimes/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [I just started the way most comics start, doing open mic shows around Sacramento and San Francisco, and eventually, I moved to L.A. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-just-started-the-way-most-comics-start-doing-open-mic-shows-around/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [Jokes for jokes' sake are kind of meaningless to me. I understand the value of them, but it doesn't speak to me as much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/jokes-for-jokes-sake-are-kind-of-meaningless-to-me-i-understand-the/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [I'm not a Larry David. I don't have a 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and a 'Seinfeld' in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-not-a-larry-david-i-don-t-have-a-curb-your-enthusiasm-and-a/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [Your courage to do what's right has to be greater than your fear of getting hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/your-courage-to-do-what-s-right-has-to-be-greater-than-your-fear-of/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) > [I'm a huge fan of Beverly Cleary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-beverly-cleary/) [Hasan Minhaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) [Explore all 129 Hasan Minhaj quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm just an American citizen like everyone else and I'm not sitting at the power table in the room where it all happens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hasan Minhaj" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyone-else-and-i-m-not-sitting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyone-else-and-i-m-not-sitting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/hasan-minhaj-3513_american_i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyo_1054364.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm just an American citizen like everyone else and I'm not sitting at the power table in the room where it…” — Hasan Minhaj", "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": "Hasan Minhaj", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasan-minhaj/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm just an American citizen like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyone-else-and-i-m-not-sitting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasan-minhaj/i-m-just-an-american-citizen-like-everyone-else-and-i-m-not-sitting/#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 } } ] } ```