--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The South: What is this place? What's…" description: "\"The South: What is this place? What's different about it? Is it different anymore? Good questions. Old ones, too. People have been asking them for deca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/john-shelton-reed-21912_about_the-south-what-is-this-place-what-s-diff_2791436.jpg" --- # The South: What is this place? What's different about it?… ![“The South: What is this place? What's different about it? Is it different anymore? Good questions. Old ones, too. People have been asking them for decades. Some of us even make our living by asking them, but we still don't agree about the answers.” quote by John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/john-shelton-reed-21912_about_the-south-what-is-this-place-what-s-diff_2791436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/john-shelton-reed-21912_about_the-south-what-is-this-place-what-s-diff_2791436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/john-shelton-reed-21912_about_the-south-what-is-this-place-what-s-diff_2791436.jpg) > “The South: What is this place? What's different about it? Is it different anymore? Good questions. Old ones, too. People have been asking them for decades. Some of us even make our living by asking them, but we still don't agree about the answers.” [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores the evolving identity of the American South, questioning its uniqueness and continuity **In simple terms:** The South’s identity is complex and debated over time Key Takeaway Investigate regional narratives and their impact Themes culture identity history regional studies Mood inquisitive analytical nostalgic Type historical cultural When to use this quote - academic lectures - public debates - media commentary Key Concepts southern studies cultural analysis historical continuity Questions to Reflect On - What defines the South today? - How do historical narratives shape current perceptions? A Different Perspective Regional identity may be oversimplified in popular discourse ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-questions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) ## Related quotes > [Her nose wrinkle up cause now she got to remember to say she Mae Mobley Three, when her whole life she can remember, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/her-nose-wrinkle-up-cause-now-she-got-to-remember-to-say-she-mae/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [Ah, the old questions, the old answers, there's nothing like them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/ah-the-old-questions-the-old-answers-there-s-nothing-like-them/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“Kid, some things in life just are what they are because God allows it to be so. 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Sometimes you go to a place where everything is different, and everything you ever know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ockler/what-if-i-come-back-and-i-m-different-anna-sometimes-you-go-to-a/) [Sarah Ockler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ockler/) > [“Five hundred women for one man. Sara Willshire had been right in saying this place was very different from England. She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-drosten/five-hundred-women-for-one-man-sara-willshire-had-been-right-in/) [Julia Drosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-drosten/) > [New York used to be a place where, if you were different, you were celebrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-fox/new-york-used-to-be-a-place-where-if-you-were-different-you-were/) [Julia Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-fox/) > [Suddenly if I shift gears and go from Hyderabad to Bangalore, I might find myself out of place. 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Everyone comes from a different place with different problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-starmer/the-more-time-you-spend-with-someone-the-more-you-realize-they-re-not/) [Aaron Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-starmer/) > [If I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-i-could-wake-up-in-a-different-place-at-a-different-time-could-i/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [So we are astray. There's nothing else to do. In another place I see a different you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koop/so-we-are-astray-there-s-nothing-else-to-do-in-another-place-i-see-a/) [Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koop/) > [“As long as I’ve got a book, it doesn’t matter where I am. I can instantly be a million miles away, in a completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/as-long-as-i-ve-got-a-book-it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-i-can/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [Unglee' has a big heart and it is in the right place. It is very different script. It is not all candy floss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-dhupia/unglee-has-a-big-heart-and-it-is-in-the-right-place-it-is-very/) [Neha Dhupia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-dhupia/) ## More by John Shelton Reed > [Drive a hundred miles and the barbecue changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/drive-a-hundred-miles-and-the-barbecue-changes/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [As long as there are Japanese tourists, there will be a market for the Old South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/as-long-as-there-are-japanese-tourists-there-will-be-a-market-for-the/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [I do believe states' rights was a sound doctrine that got hijacked by some unsavory customers for a while - like, 150 years or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/i-do-believe-states-rights-was-a-sound-doctrine-that-got-hijacked-by/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [We could say that people who eat grits, listen to country music, follow stock-car racing, support corporal punishment in the schools, hunt 'possum, go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/we-could-say-that-people-who-eat-grits-listen-to-country-music-follow/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southerners are also like ethnic groups in that they have a sense of group identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-are-also-like-ethnic-groups-in-that-they-have-a-sense-of/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [The South is like my favorite pair of blue jeans. It's shrunk some, faded a bit, got a few holes in it. it just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/the-south-is-like-my-favorite-pair-of-blue-jeans-it-s-shrunk-some/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [But I still do believe that there are useful things to say about Elvis Presley, including what his own ordinariness as a poor Southerner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/but-i-still-do-believe-that-there-are-useful-things-to-say-about/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Why can I write 'South' with some assurance that you'll know I mean Richmond and don't mean Phoenix? What is it that the South's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/why-can-i-write-south-with-some-assurance-that-you-ll-know-i-mean/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [If you care to define the South as a poor, rural region with lousy race relations, that South survives only in geographical shreds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/if-you-care-to-define-the-south-as-a-poor-rural-region-with-lousy/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [There's an ethic that says: 'You don't run off to the church for the sacraments of salvation, you establish a personal relationship with God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/there-s-an-ethic-that-says-you-don-t-run-off-to-the-church-for-the/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southern barbecue is the closest thing we have in the U.S. to Europe's wines or cheeses; drive a hundred miles and the barbecue changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southern-barbecue-is-the-closest-thing-we-have-in-the-u-s-to-europe-s/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Dixie has just fallen to pieces. There are little patches of Dixie. But even in the heart of Dixie - in Alabama - Dixie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/dixie-has-just-fallen-to-pieces-there-are-little-patches-of-dixie-but/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southerners smile more than other Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-smile-more-than-other-americans/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [Southerners will be polite until they are angry enough to kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/southerners-will-be-polite-until-they-are-angry-enough-to-kill-you/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) > [The nature of the South is changing faster than the stereotypes are. Much of the South now looks like San Jose. Is it still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelton-reed/the-nature-of-the-south-is-changing-faster-than-the-stereotypes-are/) [John Shelton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) [Explore all 28 John Shelton Reed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelton-reed/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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