--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wonder what it's like to be from a…" description: "\"I wonder what it's like to be from a state that is spread across a few islands way out in the Pacific Ocean, only added to the United States in 1959. N..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/henry-rollins-170_america_i-wonder-what-it-s-like-to-be-from-a-sta_565157.png" --- # I wonder what it's like to be from a state that is spread… ![“I wonder what it's like to be from a state that is spread across a few islands way out in the Pacific Ocean, only added to the United States in 1959. Not only that but to be the birthplace of America's first black president? Pretty cool, I bet.” quote by Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/henry-rollins-170_america_i-wonder-what-it-s-like-to-be-from-a-sta_565157.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/henry-rollins-170_america_i-wonder-what-it-s-like-to-be-from-a-sta_565157.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30b/henry-rollins-170_america_i-wonder-what-it-s-like-to-be-from-a-sta_565157.png) > “I wonder what it's like to be from a state that is spread across a few islands way out in the Pacific Ocean, only added to the United States in 1959. Not only that but to be the birthplace of America's first black president? Pretty cool, I bet.” [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## 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 reflects on the unique geography and history of a U.S. state that joined in 1959 and produced a notable political figure, expressing curiosity and pride. **In simple terms:** A state made of islands joined the U.S. in 1959 and produced a historic president. Key Takeaway Appreciate diverse origins and achievements. Themes geography history identity pride curiosity Mood thoughtful proud inquisitive Type personal cultural observational When to use this quote - travel writing - personal reflection - cultural commentary - education - political discourse Key Concepts American politics regional culture migration colonial legacy Questions to Reflect On - How does geography shape identity? - What impact does a historic figure have on a region? A Different Perspective May overlook challenges faced by island communities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1959 Birthplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1959-birthplace-4676299/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-black-639942/) [Birthplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthplace/) [Birthplace America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthplace-america-4676298/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Cool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cool/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Like State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-state-3706027/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Pacific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacific/) [Pacific ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacific-ocean/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [States 1959](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-1959-3206121/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Cuba was in some ways a de facto state of the United States before 1959, given its proximity and given its neocolonial status.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-horne/cuba-was-in-some-ways-a-de-facto-state-of-the-united-states-before/) [Gerald Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-horne/) > [I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-like-a-state-of-continual-becoming-with-a-goal-in-front-and-not/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Washington would be much better off if it looked more like a state legislature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-szeliga/washington-would-be-much-better-off-if-it-looked-more-like-a-state/) [Kathy Szeliga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-szeliga/) > [Every little pocket of Los Angeles County is almost like its own state. It has its own way of being and own way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-clark/every-little-pocket-of-los-angeles-county-is-almost-like-its-own/) [Marcia Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-clark/) > [Yeah, I had a tremendous time shooting in Nebraska. I like that state a lot, all over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/yeah-i-had-a-tremendous-time-shooting-in-nebraska-i-like-that-state-a/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [If you're born in America with a black skin, you're born in prison, and the masses of black people in America today are beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/if-you-re-born-in-america-with-a-black-skin-you-re-born-in-prison-and/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [As much as I'm a black person from America, I'm a black person from Africa, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-hussle/as-much-as-i-m-a-black-person-from-america-i-m-a-black-person-from/) [Nipsey Hussle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-hussle/) > [Fox News reported Thursday that Bill Clinton can't get into any of New York's better golf and country clubs. Not one member has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/argus-hamilton/fox-news-reported-thursday-that-bill-clinton-can-t-get-into-any-of/) [Argus Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/argus-hamilton/) > [Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I'm Jamaican or I'm Ghanaian.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/dear-non-american-black-when-you-make-the-choice-to-come-to-america/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [You can do pretty much anything you want to do in America as a black, including become president. Still, the legacy of our victimization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/you-can-do-pretty-much-anything-you-want-to-do-in-america-as-a-black/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [While I might not have a specific experience that is fully American, there is still a knowledge, something that I logically understand as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-turner-smith/while-i-might-not-have-a-specific-experience-that-is-fully-american/) [Jodie Turner-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-turner-smith/) > [The whole future of America's black community is at risk. One out of every three young black men in Washington, D.C., is under one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/the-whole-future-of-america-s-black-community-is-at-risk-one-out-of/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/wherever-you-go-in-the-history-of-america-there-have-been-black/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [This the American Black man knows: his fight is a fight to the finish. Either he dies or he wins. He will enter modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/this-the-american-black-man-knows-his-fight-is-a-fight-to-the-finish/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Marvel Comics announced that the next Captain America will be black. He has the same powers as white Captain America, except he has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/marvel-comics-announced-that-the-next-captain-america-will-be-black/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## More by Henry Rollins > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the summer of '84, you just couldn't escape the Born in the USA record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/in-the-summer-of-84-you-just-couldn-t-escape-the-born-in-the-usa/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Sleep is for squares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/sleep-is-for-squares/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. I grew up with violence. My introduction to music was violent. The years I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-raised-in-washington-dc-very-violent-place-i-grew-up-with/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel close to people like Jimi Hendrix because I connect with his music. Not the man but what he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-close-to-people-like-jimi-hendrix-because-i-connect-with-his/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Young, gay and stuck in Arkansas? Sounds like a horror flick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/young-gay-and-stuck-in-arkansas-sounds-like-a-horror-flick/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was never told to "Get up, get out there, get a job." It was never a thing either parent ever said I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-never-told-to-get-up-get-out-there-get-a-job-it-was-never-a/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's no retirement, there's just a few years of non-work by the fire with someone bringing you some tea and relative peace and playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-no-retirement-there-s-just-a-few-years-of-non-work-by-the/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I love being a storyteller. I love telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-love-being-a-storyteller-i-love-telling-stories/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) [Explore all 1,006 Henry Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [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/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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