--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We often take for granted the notion that…" description: "\"We often take for granted the notion that some people are insiders, while others are outsiders. But such a notion is a social contrivance, that, like v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/jamake-highwater-26282_alike_we-often-take-for-granted-the-notion-tha_2090114.png" --- # We often take for granted the notion that some people are… ![“We often take for granted the notion that some people are insiders, while others are outsiders. But such a notion is a social contrivance, that, like virtually every public construct, is a legacy of a primordial and tribal mentality.” quote by Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/jamake-highwater-26282_alike_we-often-take-for-granted-the-notion-tha_2090114.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/jamake-highwater-26282_alike_we-often-take-for-granted-the-notion-tha_2090114.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/jamake-highwater-26282_alike_we-often-take-for-granted-the-notion-tha_2090114.png) > “We often take for granted the notion that some people are insiders, while others are outsiders. But such a notion is a social contrivance, that, like virtually every public construct, is a legacy of a primordial and tribal mentality.” [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal labels of insider versus outsider are artificial constructs rooted in ancient tribal thinking. **In simple terms:** Labels of insider/outsider are made‑up and old. Key Takeaway Question and dismantle these labels. Themes identity social constructs inclusion exclusion tribalism Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical sociological When to use this quote - team building - diversity training - conflict resolution - community organizing Key Concepts anthropology psychology sociology Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify as insider or outsider? - What benefits arise from breaking these divisions? A Different Perspective These categories can oversimplify complex individual experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alike/) [Constructs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructs/) [Granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granted/) [Insiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insiders/) [Insiders Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insiders-outsiders-2481109/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentality/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [Outsiders Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders-notion-4126742/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Insiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-insiders-323812/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Contrivance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-contrivance-4126743/) [Tribal Mentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribal-mentality-4126741/) ## Related quotes > [Writers are outsiders. Even when we seem like insiders, we're outsiders. We have to be. Our noses pressed to the glass, we notice everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/writers-are-outsiders-even-when-we-seem-like-insiders-we-re-outsiders/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“The wall that separates insiders from outsiders is not born of human nature but methodically built, brick by brick, by tribal convention. The "wall"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/the-wall-that-separates-insiders-from-outsiders-is-not-born-of-human/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [I wrote a lot about Cheney in 'The New Yorker,' but I wrote very little of what I know. The only time I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-wrote-a-lot-about-cheney-in-the-new-yorker-but-i-wrote-very-little/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [“There are two kinds of politicians,’ he said: ‘insiders and outsiders. The outsiders prioritize their freedom to speak their version of the truth. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/there-are-two-kinds-of-politicians-he-said-insiders-and-outsiders-the/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The one thing man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-one-thing-man-fears-is-the-unknown-when-presented-with-this/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Flawless . . . Tightly choreographed . . . Shipstead gains entry into exclusive worlds and trains her opera glasses on private social rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-corrigan/flawless-tightly-choreographed-shipstead-gains-entry-into-exclusive/) [Maureen Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-corrigan/) > [Unlike scandal-monger Ed Klein’s fantastical No. 1 best-selling narrative about the supposed Blood Feud between the Clintons and the Obamas, Halper’s study is juicy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-grove/unlike-scandal-monger-ed-klein-s-fantastical-no-1-best-selling/) [Lloyd Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-grove/) > [“You’re not here for a long time, just a good time and Insiders’ Guides show you how”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-salisbury/you-re-not-here-for-a-long-time-just-a-good-time-and-insiders-guides/) [Yvonne Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-salisbury/) > [Héctor Tobar's accomplished first novel affords a perspective that is overdue and urgently needed in North American literature- -an insider's vision of L.A. as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-dybek/h-ctor-tobar-s-accomplished-first-novel-affords-a-perspective-that-is/) [Stuart Dybek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-dybek/) > [Gossip is certainly one of the things that language is useful for, because it's always handy to know who needs a favor, who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/gossip-is-certainly-one-of-the-things-that-language-is-useful-for/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I will never be an insider. I want to be the champion of people who don't have insiders and lobbyists supporting them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-quinn/i-will-never-be-an-insider-i-want-to-be-the-champion-of-people-who/) [Pat Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-quinn/) > [It is because Jesus Christ experienced cosmic thirst on the cross that you and I can have our spiritual thirst satisfied. It is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/it-is-because-jesus-christ-experienced-cosmic-thirst-on-the-cross/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Though 'Moneyball' had the talents of screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin going for it, they weren't baseball insiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/though-moneyball-had-the-talents-of-screenwriters-steven-zaillian-and/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [In my former life I was in insider, as much as anybody else. And I knew what it's like, and I still know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/in-my-former-life-i-was-in-insider-as-much-as-anybody-else-and-i-knew/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Jamake Highwater > [“I have spent most of my adult life in a ghetto among countless other outsiders who have also learned how to talk through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/i-have-spent-most-of-my-adult-life-in-a-ghetto-among-countless-other/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [The story of dance in the Western world is as much an alternative vision of the events of history as is the folk history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/the-story-of-dance-in-the-western-world-is-as-much-an-alternative/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [“The wall that separates insiders from outsiders is not born of human nature but methodically built, brick by brick, by tribal convention. The "wall"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/the-wall-that-separates-insiders-from-outsiders-is-not-born-of-human/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [Dance in this century has remained primarily a personal ritual operating, like most avant-garde art, as an idiosyncratic form rather than a tribal expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/dance-in-this-century-has-remained-primarily-a-personal-ritual/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [At the root of all the various manifestations of dancing lies the common impulse to resort to movement to externalize emotional states which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/at-the-root-of-all-the-various-manifestations-of-dancing-lies-the/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [What dance achieves, what play and sex achieve are the same thing that poetry achieves. They transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/what-dance-achieves-what-play-and-sex-achieve-are-the-same-thing-that/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [For Indians, images are a means of celebrating mystery and not a manner of explaining it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/for-indians-images-are-a-means-of-celebrating-mystery-and-not-a/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [Some of the most popular discos in America and Europe were started as gay establishments, which began to open their doors to anyone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/some-of-the-most-popular-discos-in-america-and-europe-were-started-as/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [In the New Hebrides, any dancer making a mistake was assaulted, wounded, and possibly killed by bowmen posted to keep careful watch for inaccuracies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/in-the-new-hebrides-any-dancer-making-a-mistake-was-assaulted-wounded/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [The nobility danced for the sake of social grace, to exhibit their finery...peasants danced to make themselves happy, to escape the routine of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/the-nobility-danced-for-the-sake-of-social-grace-to-exhibit-their/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [Art is a staple of mankind... So urgent, so utterly linked with the pulse of feeling that it becomes the singular sign of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/art-is-a-staple-of-mankind-so-urgent-so-utterly-linked-with-the-pulse/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [For the Indian,dance is a personal form of prayer. When the Eagle Dancer puts on his costume,when he begins to dance to the music,he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamake-highwater/for-the-indian-dance-is-a-personal-form-of-prayer-when-the-eagle/) [Jamake Highwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamake-highwater/) > [“Not everyone has a voice. Many outsiders cannot speak through walls, and, as a consequence, they become silent and invisible. 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