---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we call people so often distances us…"
description: "\"What we call people so often distances us from them, and makes them little.\" — Jacqueline Novogratz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png"
---

#  What we call people so often distances us from them, and…

![“What we call people so often distances us from them, and makes them little.” quote by Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png)

> “What we call people so often distances us from them, and makes them little.”

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Seeing people as categories creates distance and diminishes their humanity.

**In simple terms:** Labeling others reduces empathy.

Key Takeaway

Avoid labeling; see individuals fully.

Themes

empathy humanity relationships

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- team building
- customer service
- community outreach
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

social psychology identity dehumanization

Questions to Reflect On

- How does labeling affect your perception of others?
- What steps can you take to see people beyond categories?

A Different Perspective

Labels can be useful shorthand but risk oversimplification.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thought provoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-provoking/)

## Related quotes

> [We are connected to each other not only as humans, but to every living thing on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/we-are-connected-to-each-other-not-only-as-humans-but-to-every-living/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [All people deserve access to health at prices they can afford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/all-people-deserve-access-to-health-at-prices-they-can-afford/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [The poor also are willing to make, and do make, smart decisions, if you give them that opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/the-poor-also-are-willing-to-make-and-do-make-smart-decisions-if-you/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Being poor doesn't mean being ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/being-poor-doesn-t-mean-being-ordinary/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [What we really yearn for as human beings is to be visible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/what-we-really-yearn-for-as-human-beings-is-to-be-visible/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Your job is not to be perfect, your job is only to be human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/your-job-is-not-to-be-perfect-your-job-is-only-to-be-human/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Things are always harder than you think they're going to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/things-are-always-harder-than-you-think-they-re-going-to-be/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Every day we have a choice. We can take the easier road, the more cynical road, which is a road sometimes based on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/every-day-we-have-a-choice-we-can-take-the-easier-road-the-more/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [We often don't realize what our action &amp; our inaction do to people we think we will never see &amp; never know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/we-often-don-t-realize-what-our-action-our-inaction-do-to-people-we/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Nothing important happens in life without a cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/nothing-important-happens-in-life-without-a-cost/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Traditional charity and aid are never going to solve the problems of poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/traditional-charity-and-aid-are-never-going-to-solve-the-problems-of/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [I have also been touched by the dark side of power and leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/i-have-also-been-touched-by-the-dark-side-of-power-and-leadership/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Honour what is most beautiful about the past and build it into the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/honour-what-is-most-beautiful-about-the-past-and-build-it-into-the/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [After all this atrocity, this is how human beings really pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/after-all-this-atrocity-this-is-how-human-beings-really-pray/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Four billion people on Earth make less than four dollars a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/four-billion-people-on-earth-make-less-than-four-dollars-a-day/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

## More by Jacqueline Novogratz

> [“If you move through the world with only your compassion, then you walk on only one leg. But if you move through the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/if-you-move-through-the-world-with-only-your-compassion-then-you-walk/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Malaria is a disease that kills one to three million people a year. 300 to 500 million cases are reported. It's estimated that Africa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/malaria-is-a-disease-that-kills-one-to-three-million-people-a-year/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Grief releases love and it also instills a profound sense of connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/grief-releases-love-and-it-also-instills-a-profound-sense-of/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [What we yearn for as human beings is to be visible to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/what-we-yearn-for-as-human-beings-is-to-be-visible-to-each-other/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [“We are connected, but the weave is sometimes fragile. (192)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/we-are-connected-but-the-weave-is-sometimes-fragile-192/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [We are connected to each other not only as humans, but to every living thing on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/we-are-connected-to-each-other-not-only-as-humans-but-to-every-living/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Impact investing has become a broad umbrella that includes all investing with a focus on both financial return and social impact, but in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/impact-investing-has-become-a-broad-umbrella-that-includes-all/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [The older I get, the more determined I feel to do whatever I can to help release that human potential somehow. Not in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/the-older-i-get-the-more-determined-i-feel-to-do-whatever-i-can-to/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [After all this atrocity, this is how human beings really pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/after-all-this-atrocity-this-is-how-human-beings-really-pray/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [“Honorata's story reminds me of the extraordinary power of the human spirit to withstand almost anything. Her story also speaks to the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/honorata-s-story-reminds-me-of-the-extraordinary-power-of-the-human/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [I feel like I'm a relentless, pragmatic, determined optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/i-feel-like-i-m-a-relentless-pragmatic-determined-optimist/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [Monsters will always exist. There's one inside each of us. But an angel lives there, too. There is no more important agenda than figuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/monsters-will-always-exist-there-s-one-inside-each-of-us-but-an-angel/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [“If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/if-you-don-t-like-the-way-the-world-is-you-change-it-you-have-an/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [“If we have learned anything, it is the horror that can happen when people don't think for themselves, but instead follow authority blindly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/if-we-have-learned-anything-it-is-the-horror-that-can-happen-when/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [“Don't wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you. No one expects you to get it right in the beginning, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/don-t-wait-for-perfection-just-start-and-let-the-work-teach-you-no/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

[Explore all 169 Jacqueline Novogratz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

## More Distance quotes

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/)

[Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

> [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/)

[Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/)

> [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/)

Frank H. T. Rhodes

> [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/)

Toshihiko Seko

> [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/)

[Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/)

> [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/)

[Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/)

Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What we call people so often distances us from them, and makes them little.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jacqueline Novogratz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-us-from-them-and-makes-them/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Distance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-us-from-them-and-makes-them/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/jacqueline-novogratz-2383_distance_what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-u_668618.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What we call people so often distances us from them, and makes them little.” — Jacqueline Novogratz",
                "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": "Jacqueline Novogratz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What we call people so often...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-us-from-them-and-makes-them/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/what-we-call-people-so-often-distances-us-from-them-and-makes-them/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
