--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a freshman at Stanford University…" description: "\"I was a freshman at Stanford University the first time someone called me a 'bama.' One of my new friends from D.C. said it, laughing, and even though I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/jesmyn-ward-1426_country_i-was-a-freshman-at-stanford-university_2183149.jpg" --- # I was a freshman at Stanford University the first time… ![“I was a freshman at Stanford University the first time someone called me a 'bama.' One of my new friends from D.C. said it, laughing, and even though I didn't know what it meant, exactly, I got that it was some kind of insult. I must have smirked or shrugged, which made him laugh harder, and then…” quote by Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/jesmyn-ward-1426_country_i-was-a-freshman-at-stanford-university_2183149.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/jesmyn-ward-1426_country_i-was-a-freshman-at-stanford-university_2183149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/jesmyn-ward-1426_country_i-was-a-freshman-at-stanford-university_2183149.jpg) > “I was a freshman at Stanford University the first time someone called me a 'bama.' One of my new friends from D.C. said it, laughing, and even though I didn't know what it meant, exactly, I got that it was some kind of insult. I must have smirked or shrugged, which made him laugh harder, and then he called me 'country,' too.” [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalls early experience of being labeled, highlighting how language can marginalize and shape identity. **In simple terms:** Names can marginalize and shape identity. Key Takeaway Be mindful of language’s impact. Themes identity bullying social labeling college life Mood thoughtful empathetic Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - education - workplace - online communities - personal relationships Key Concepts power of language self‑esteem cultural sensitivity Questions to Reflect On - How do labels affect personal growth? - What strategies counteract harmful labeling? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Bama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-bama-4725484/) [Called Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-country-1294065/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Freshman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freshman/) [Freshman Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freshman-stanford-4725485/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Insult Smirked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insult-smirked-4725486/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-friends/) [Stanford university](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stanford-university/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I was at Stanford University up in the West Coast Bay Area, so the biggest song of my freshman year was 'I Got 5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-was-at-stanford-university-up-in-the-west-coast-bay-area-so-the/) [Sterling K. 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I think that's where… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/europe-has-this-tradition-of-self-revelation-in-popular-music-we-have/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Country music has changed tremendously, so what now is considered country was not considered country at that time. We were doing stuff that probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/country-music-has-changed-tremendously-so-what-now-is-considered/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [“Research has linked such feelings of powerlessness to the kinds of health problems plaguing Bayview and many other communities around the world. This research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-a-smith/research-has-linked-such-feelings-of-powerlessness-to-the-kinds-of/) [Jeremy A. 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My time was occupied with the required reading and the extracurricular duties of managing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/at-17-i-went-to-stanford-university-to-study-engineering-my-time-was/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, explains that private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/rob-reich-a-professor-of-political-science-at-stanford-university-and/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [When I was nine, we moved to Stanford University in San Francisco so that my father could do a Ph.D. I went to Terman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lawrence/when-i-was-nine-we-moved-to-stanford-university-in-san-francisco-so/) [Caroline Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lawrence/) > [You're already naked. 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I wanted to write against that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-think-that-voodoo-as-a-spiritual-tradition-has-been-demonized-for/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [There's so much I love about home, but then there's a lot that I can acknowledge that I dislike about home. And acknowledging that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/there-s-so-much-i-love-about-home-but-then-there-s-a-lot-that-i-can/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“The dream of her was the glow of a spent fire on a cold night: warm and welcoming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/the-dream-of-her-was-the-glow-of-a-spent-fire-on-a-cold-night-warm/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [The first writer that I think of immediately that I studied with at Michigan is Peter Ho Davies. 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It's often stereotyped as backwards and close-minded and dogmatic, and all of those things have been true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/people-give-the-south-a-bad-rap-it-s-often-stereotyped-as-backwards/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [By the time I wrote my memoir, 'Men We Reaped,' I had been running from writing it for a long time. When the events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/by-the-time-i-wrote-my-memoir-men-we-reaped-i-had-been-running-from/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I was a teenager, I was the only black girl at a small, private Episcopal school, where my tuition was paid by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-the-only-black-girl-at-a-small-private/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [She was the murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive, left us naked and bewildered as wrinkled newborn babies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/she-was-the-murderous-mother-who-cut-us-to-the-bone-but-left-us-alive/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I hope people who read my books feel empathy for us and really see us as complicated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-hope-people-who-read-my-books-feel-empathy-for-us-and-really-see-us/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When I was writing my first novel, 'Where the Line Bleeds,' which had young black men as its main characters, I was very invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-was-writing-my-first-novel-where-the-line-bleeds-which-had/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“Lot of folks was in there for stealing food because everybody was poor and starving, and even though White people couldn’t get your work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/lot-of-folks-was-in-there-for-stealing-food-because-everybody-was/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) [Explore all 242 Jesmyn Ward quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## More Country quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [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/) > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [That's what this country is. 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