--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were trying to rebuild people in our…" description: "\"“We were trying to rebuild people in our image, convincing them that our way of doing things was superior to their way, that they should put down their..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg" --- # We were trying to rebuild people in our image, convincing… ![“We were trying to rebuild people in our image, convincing them that our way of doing things was superior to their way, that they should put down their tea and pick up our Coke.” quote by Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg) > ““We were trying to rebuild people in our image, convincing them that our way of doing things was superior to their way, that they should put down their tea and pick up our Coke.”” [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imposing one culture’s products as superior reflects cultural arrogance and consumerism. **In simple terms:** Cultural dominance through branding is arrogant. Key Takeaway Respect local traditions. Themes cultural imperialism consumerism globalization Mood critical thoughtful Type sociopolitical commentary When to use this quote - product launches - advertising campaigns - international trade negotiations Key Concepts Western influence marketing ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can brands honor local cultures? - What are alternatives to cultural imposition? A Different Perspective Assuming superiority can alienate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Growing up, the major institutions were school and church. We were taught our culture was no good. We didn't have sundances. The last ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-bellegarde/growing-up-the-major-institutions-were-school-and-church-we-were/) [Perry Bellegarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-bellegarde/) > [People have an image of Italians. When I go somewhere in the world, I don't care where it is, when they look at me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-aiello/people-have-an-image-of-italians-when-i-go-somewhere-in-the-world-i/) [Danny Aiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-aiello/) > [People sometimes see an image and without knowing the surrounding patterns draw false conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/people-sometimes-see-an-image-and-without-knowing-the-surrounding/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Many people have this image of me. For a long time, I cared about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/many-people-have-this-image-of-me-for-a-long-time-i-cared-about-that/) [Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/) > [“Words present us with little pictures, clear and familiar, like those that are hung on the walls of schools to give children an example…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/words-present-us-with-little-pictures-clear-and-familiar-like-those/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I think that, like anything, people take their image and what they want somebody else to be and then people just run with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hudson/i-think-that-like-anything-people-take-their-image-and-what-they-want/) [Kate Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hudson/) > [You should never aim for popularity you will end up in a place you never wanna be at. You should always be yourself,cause you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbie-morrison/you-should-never-aim-for-popularity-you-will-end-up-in-a-place-you/) Abbie Morrison > [People have their image of you or their ideas about who you are, and it can be frustrating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-geiger/people-have-their-image-of-you-or-their-ideas-about-who-you-are-and/) [Teddy Geiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-geiger/) > [Fake people have an image to maintain, real people just don't care... .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fake-people-have-an-image-to-maintain-real-people-just-don-t-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We're not trying to shock people with our image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/we-re-not-trying-to-shock-people-with-our-image/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [You approach the Mullahs as if they are normal people. They are not. You see them in your own image; you should not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/you-approach-the-mullahs-as-if-they-are-normal-people-they-are-not/) [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/) > [Whenever people get to see you, it's a great thing. Once people see an image and see the character, they can get into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-cabrera/whenever-people-get-to-see-you-it-s-a-great-thing-once-people-see-an/) [Ryan Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-cabrera/) > [Fake people have an image to maintain..Real people just don't give a shit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu/fake-people-have-an-image-to-maintain-real-people-just-don-t-give-a/) [Ritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu/) > [It doesn't surprise me that people can't see beyond my image. It's amazing, but I can understand it. That's what image is for. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/it-doesn-t-surprise-me-that-people-can-t-see-beyond-my-image-it-s/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [“First comes Coke, then asphalt, then power lines, then maybe education, justice, and human rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/first-comes-coke-then-asphalt-then-power-lines-then-maybe-education/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) ## More by Jeffrey Gettleman > [“First comes Coke, then asphalt, then power lines, then maybe education, justice, and human rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/first-comes-coke-then-asphalt-then-power-lines-then-maybe-education/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“The Oxford dons had accomplished the impossible. They made Africa boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/the-oxford-dons-had-accomplished-the-impossible-they-made-africa/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“The news of suffering takes a new shape when you’re a parent. Fatherhood peels back a layer of skin, exposing a network of nerves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/the-news-of-suffering-takes-a-new-shape-when-you-re-a-parent/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“We were about to undertake the most physical challenge of our lives on a diet the equivalent of s’mores.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/we-were-about-to-undertake-the-most-physical-challenge-of-our-lives/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“I can’t remember any time the Americans have delivered a worse mess than this. You know what they’re doing?” He bent forward and dropped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/i-can-t-remember-any-time-the-americans-have-delivered-a-worse-mess/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“Once I heard a remark made about a certain New York television reporter to the effect that he was the type who would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/once-i-heard-a-remark-made-about-a-certain-new-york-television/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“it takes no more than ten grown men to prevent a stationary car from getting away—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/it-takes-no-more-than-ten-grown-men-to-prevent-a-stationary-car-from/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“you know everything you need to know about a guy by seeing how he treats waiters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/you-know-everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-guy-by-seeing-how-he/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“That’s how the Islamists are,” Louis went on. “They keep changing and changing, but they’ll never give up on their goal to rule the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/that-s-how-the-islamists-are-louis-went-on-they-keep-changing-and/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“The Soviet Union had just said dasvidaniya to itself, the Cold War had suddenly ended, the United States was embarking on the longest-running economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/the-soviet-union-had-just-said-dasvidaniya-to-itself-the-cold-war-had/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“The more war you get, the more war you want. It’s an addiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/the-more-war-you-get-the-more-war-you-want-it-s-an-addiction/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“as soon as the Berlin Wall came crumbling down, the Mobutus became an embarrassment. There was suddenly no reason to prop them up. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/as-soon-as-the-berlin-wall-came-crumbling-down-the-mobutus-became-an/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“if you’re wondering if we were absolutely insane to march out into the middle of the desert and place our lives in the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/if-you-re-wondering-if-we-were-absolutely-insane-to-march-out-into/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“There’s this notion, lived just about every day out here, that nothing’s easy but anything’s possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/there-s-this-notion-lived-just-about-every-day-out-here-that-nothing/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [“There’s always that thrill of learning something new, feeling your brain grow inside your head, no matter what that something is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/there-s-always-that-thrill-of-learning-something-new-feeling-your/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) [Explore all 44 Jeffrey Gettleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) ## More Coke quotes > [I hate things that are diluted- -I mean, you don't mix Jack Daniels with Coke. That's a sin!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/motley-crue/i-hate-things-that-are-diluted-i-mean-you-don-t-mix-jack-daniels-with/) [Motley Crue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/motley-crue/) > [It ended suddenly for Brenda, more slowly for me. My runs began getting shorter and less pleasurable. I'd feel bad after only one day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/it-ended-suddenly-for-brenda-more-slowly-for-me-my-runs-began-getting/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“The number of individuals who know how to make a can of Coke is zero. The number of individual nations that could produce a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-number-of-individuals-who-know-how-to-make-a-can-of-coke-is-zero/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/) [Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/) > [Everybody likes to drink a Coke once in a while; it's when we run out of everything else to drink and we're only left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-alexander/everybody-likes-to-drink-a-coke-once-in-a-while-it-s-when-we-run-out/) [Lexi Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-alexander/) > [Everyone knows I drink a lot of Diet Coke, so...I drink chocolate milk after races as my recovery drink, and you won't ever find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/everyone-knows-i-drink-a-lot-of-diet-coke-so-i-drink-chocolate-milk/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [Man! I'll suck dick for coke! By suck dick, I mean I'll do whatever it takes, and by coke, I mean cash cause I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/man-i-ll-suck-dick-for-coke-by-suck-dick-i-mean-i-ll-do-whatever-it/) [Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/) > [The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-waiter-brought-fresh-baked-bread-and-cheese-a-bottle-of-sparkling/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“That was the first time I did coke. My body, it was electric. For the first time in my life I felt as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/that-was-the-first-time-i-did-coke-my-body-it-was-electric-for-the/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“First comes Coke, then asphalt, then power lines, then maybe education, justice, and human rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/first-comes-coke-then-asphalt-then-power-lines-then-maybe-education/) [Jeffrey Gettleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/) > [I don't even drink Coke. It tastes like robot sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rees/i-don-t-even-drink-coke-it-tastes-like-robot-sweat/) [David Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rees/) > [You can't snort a line of coke off a womans ass and not wonder about her hopes and dreams, it's not gentlemanly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-moody/you-can-t-snort-a-line-of-coke-off-a-womans-ass-and-not-wonder-about/) [Hank Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-moody/) > [Passion is something you really don't miss, after it has cooled. It is like looking at an empty bottle on the side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bragg/passion-is-something-you-really-don-t-miss-after-it-has-cooled-it-is/) [Rick Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bragg/) > [As Trotsky didn't exactly say, you may not be interested in electronic snoops, but snoops are interested in you, whether or not you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/as-trotsky-didn-t-exactly-say-you-may-not-be-interested-in-electronic/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [There really isn't anything more refreshing then iced Coke out of the old-school glass bottles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zupan/there-really-isn-t-anything-more-refreshing-then-iced-coke-out-of-the/) [Mark Zupan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zupan/) Browse all 338 Coke quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We were trying to rebuild people in our image, convincing them that our way of doing things was superior to their way, that they should put down their tea and pick up our Coke.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeffrey Gettleman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our-image-convincing-them-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coke" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our-image-convincing-them-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/jeffrey-gettleman-15142_coke_we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our_2312110.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We were trying to rebuild people in our image, convincing them that our way of doing things was superior to…” — Jeffrey Gettleman", "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": "Jeffrey Gettleman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gettleman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We were trying to rebuild people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our-image-convincing-them-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gettleman/we-were-trying-to-rebuild-people-in-our-image-convincing-them-that/#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 } } ] } ```