--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are defining the boundaries of…" description: "\"“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”\" — Jon Ronson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png" --- # We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing… ![“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png) > ““We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal norms are shaped by marginalizing those who differ, reinforcing a narrow definition of normal. **In simple terms:** Exclusion defines normality. Key Takeaway Othering narrows acceptance. Themes social control identity othering normativity power dynamics Mood critical reflective concerned Type observation social critique philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates - media representation - community building - education curricula - cultural criticism Key Concepts boundary construction social exclusion conformity Practical Applications - diversity training - inclusive policy design Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling 'other' affect collective identity? - What mechanisms sustain the boundary of normality? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality by tearing apart people who are outside of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“Look! We're saying. "We're normal! This is the average!" We're defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/look-we-re-saying-we-re-normal-this-is-the-average-we-re-defining-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“In all aspects of shipboard life, “guides, tables, reports, logs, books, inspection provisions and other methods of supervision were developed, mostly in the 1860s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/in-all-aspects-of-shipboard-life-guides-tables-reports-logs-books/) [Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/) > [I will fight with all my power against the divisions that undermine us and which are tearing us apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-macron/i-will-fight-with-all-my-power-against-the-divisions-that-undermine/) [Emmanuel Macron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-macron/) > [Theres a way about it: tearing people down, but not tearing them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/theres-a-way-about-it-tearing-people-down-but-not-tearing-them-apart/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [You're tearing me apart!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/you-re-tearing-me-apart/) [James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/) > [“Her eyes on my eyes. I was tearing apart, inside and outside. Her life. My life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/her-eyes-on-my-eyes-i-was-tearing-apart-inside-and-outside-her-life/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I can't take, seeing you with him, cause I know exactly what youll be, in his gallery, Its just not fair, and its tearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-take-seeing-you-with-him-cause-i-know-exactly-what-youll-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [President Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/president-trump-is-tearing-apart-the-moral-fabric-of-this-country/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [I can't carry this in my heart ... for it's tearing me apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-carry-this-in-my-heart-for-it-s-tearing-me-apart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can either think about what is tearing you apart or what is keeping you together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-either-think-about-what-is-tearing-you-apart-or-what-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thank God that you know the art of tearing yourself apart - I mean the way to humble yourself truly by recognizing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-thank-god-that-you-know-the-art-of-tearing-yourself-apart-i-mean/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“While tearing apart a bird with fat fingers,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/while-tearing-apart-a-bird-with-fat-fingers/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Reading nice stuff about you is lovely, but I know it's going to be soul-destroying when you do something that everyone is tearing apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mackay/reading-nice-stuff-about-you-is-lovely-but-i-know-it-s-going-to-be/) [George MacKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mackay/) > [Its tearing me apart cause I knw I can love the way yu need it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa/its-tearing-me-apart-cause-i-knw-i-can-love-the-way-yu-need-it/) [Melissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa/) ## More by Jon Ronson > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It may very well be that the frotteurist is a helpless victim in the clutches of his obsession, but it’s equally possible that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-may-very-well-be-that-the-frotteurist-is-a-helpless-victim-in-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. Imagine what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-worryingly-paradoxical-thought-process-could-be-summarized-thus/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Friends are the fruitcake of life - some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/friends-are-the-fruitcake-of-life-some-nutty-some-soaked-in-alcohol/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“The consensus from the beginning was that only 1 percent of humans had it, but the chaos they caused was so far-reaching it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-consensus-from-the-beginning-was-that-only-1-percent-of-humans/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“That's an incredibly depressing thought," I said "that if you're in a room and at one end lies madness and at the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/that-s-an-incredibly-depressing-thought-i-said-that-if-you-re-in-a/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [The world outside Twitter was great. I read books. I reconnected with people I knew from real life and met them for drinks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-world-outside-twitter-was-great-i-read-books-i-reconnected-with/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My paranoia never ends, but I haven't been paranoid about being spied on my shadowy forces for some time now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-paranoia-never-ends-but-i-haven-t-been-paranoid-about-being-spied/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-an-awful-lot-harder-tony-told-me-to-convince-people-you-re-sane/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [It is slightly chilling to realize there are rational, functional people up there employed to spot, nurture, and exploit those down here among us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-slightly-chilling-to-realize-there-are-rational-functional/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > ['Okja' I don't think would have been made if Netflix hadn't made it. That, to me, is a much bigger thing than whether someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/okja-i-don-t-think-would-have-been-made-if-netflix-hadn-t-made-it/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) [Explore all 209 Jon Ronson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More Tearing quotes > [What I was concerned about when I wrote the 'Downward Spiral' record was being a self-centred destructive force. The point was tearing down everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/what-i-was-concerned-about-when-i-wrote-the-downward-spiral-record/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?" "If you wanted me to rip my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/is-this-the-part-where-you-start-tearing-off-strips-of-your-shirt-to/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [You cannot help the small men, by tearing down the big men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/you-cannot-help-the-small-men-by-tearing-down-the-big-men/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) > [“But if you don’t ride me hard enough, I’m flipping you over and tearing that ass up. Got it?” “That sounds fair.” I nod…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kennedy-ryan/but-if-you-don-t-ride-me-hard-enough-i-m-flipping-you-over-and/) [Kennedy Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kennedy-ryan/) > [“Limb by limb and tooth by tooth, Tearing up inside of me, Every day, every hour, just wish that I... Was bulletproof”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radiohead/limb-by-limb-and-tooth-by-tooth-tearing-up-inside-of-me-every-day/) [Radiohead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radiohead/) > [“She rolled over and sat up as he bent, tearing off his boots. "Whatcha doing?" "Getting naked." "I like that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurann-dohner/she-rolled-over-and-sat-up-as-he-bent-tearing-off-his-boots-whatcha/) [Laurann Dohner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurann-dohner/) > [“Tearing money is an impiety, like throwing away bread.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/tearing-money-is-an-impiety-like-throwing-away-bread/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [By the end of the time I'm writing a book, I'm tearing my hair out and I want to go do stand-up. And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/by-the-end-of-the-time-i-m-writing-a-book-i-m-tearing-my-hair-out-and/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [This feeling's tearing me up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trace-cyrus/this-feeling-s-tearing-me-up/) [Trace Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trace-cyrus/) > [Just the circumstances of being in D.C., people give you books, and there are issues you want to learn more about, so you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/just-the-circumstances-of-being-in-d-c-people-give-you-books-and/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Its tearing me apart cause I knw I can love the way yu need it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa/its-tearing-me-apart-cause-i-knw-i-can-love-the-way-yu-need-it/) [Melissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa/) > [“The worst type of crying wasn’t the kind everyone could see—the wailing on street corners, the tearing at clothes. No, the worst kind happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/the-worst-type-of-crying-wasn-t-the-kind-everyone-could-see-the/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [Limb by limb and tooth by tooth, tearing up inside of you, every day, every hour, just wish that you...were bulletproof?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/limb-by-limb-and-tooth-by-tooth-tearing-up-inside-of-you-every-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Reading nice stuff about you is lovely, but I know it's going to be soul-destroying when you do something that everyone is tearing apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mackay/reading-nice-stuff-about-you-is-lovely-but-i-know-it-s-going-to-be/) [George MacKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mackay/) > [I think we're very quick to rip other women apart when they don't fit our mold, which, quite frankly, is just as bad as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iliza-shlesinger/i-think-we-re-very-quick-to-rip-other-women-apart-when-they-don-t-fit/) [Iliza Shlesinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iliza-shlesinger/) Browse all 142 Tearing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Ronson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Tearing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/jon-ronson-1772_tearing_we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normal_61910.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.” — Jon Ronson", "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": "Jon Ronson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We are defining the boundaries of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/#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 } } ] } ```