--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Long before the idea of multiculturalism…" description: "\"Long before the idea of multiculturalism, in public people could say almost anything to you and get away with it.\" — Junot Diaz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg" --- # Long before the idea of multiculturalism, in public people… ![“Long before the idea of multiculturalism, in public people could say almost anything to you and get away with it.” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg) > “Long before the idea of multiculturalism, in public people could say almost anything to you and get away with it.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Earlier societies tolerated blunt speech, reflecting looser social norms and fewer expectations of political correctness. **In simple terms:** People used to speak freely without backlash. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of words on others. Themes speech political correctness social norms Mood critical reflective Type sociological commentary When to use this quote - media commentary - social media - public speaking Key Concepts censorship public discourse cultural change Questions to Reflect On - What balance should be struck between honesty and respect? - How does cultural context shape acceptable speech? A Different Perspective Modern contexts demand more sensitivity, limiting frankness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) [Could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/could/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Idea Multiculturalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-multiculturalism-681737/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Multiculturalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multiculturalism/) [Multiculturalism Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multiculturalism-public-910306/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-say/) [Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public/) [Public People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-people-783265/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Rural America's not coming back. That idea was lost with the Industrial Revolution. And yet with more than 80 percent of Americans living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/rural-america-s-not-coming-back-that-idea-was-lost-with-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [In my thirties, I have felt a greater urgency to make art that highlights what it feels like to be racialized, likely due to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-shraya/in-my-thirties-i-have-felt-a-greater-urgency-to-make-art-that/) [Vivek Shraya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-shraya/) > [With more than 80 percent of Americans living in metropolitan areas, there are still demagogues who want to run down the idea of multiculturalism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/with-more-than-80-percent-of-americans-living-in-metropolitan-areas/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [What works in a relationship of very public people is not making the relationship public - keeping it as personal as it can be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/what-works-in-a-relationship-of-very-public-people-is-not-making-the/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) > [Architecture is an imposed art in some ways, imposed upon the public, so people must be sure about what you're doing. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-piano/architecture-is-an-imposed-art-in-some-ways-imposed-upon-the-public/) [Renzo Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-piano/) > [Public people are definitely captives. It wasn't really my ambition, but that's what happened. If I could find another word that would be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-bruni/public-people-are-definitely-captives-it-wasn-t-really-my-ambition/) [Carla Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-bruni/) > [A lot of people are very sacred with their ideas, and there is something to protecting yourself in that way, but there's also something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/a-lot-of-people-are-very-sacred-with-their-ideas-and-there-is/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [One of the wonderful things about this glorious holiday trip I'm on is that I'm in public with people. It hasn't been inclined... I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-brett/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-this-glorious-holiday-trip-i-m-on/) [Jeremy Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-brett/) > [I work for the public, for the people who are paying to go to the cinema, rather than for the critics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-work-for-the-public-for-the-people-who-are-paying-to-go-to-the/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [I think in public, people are much more sane than on the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/i-think-in-public-people-are-much-more-sane-than-on-the-internet/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [Today, there's an expectation that you get to know public people. In the past, it was much more what you did and how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/today-there-s-an-expectation-that-you-get-to-know-public-people-in/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [The education of the common people requires, perhaps, in a civilized and commercial society, the attention of the public more than that of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/the-education-of-the-common-people-requires-perhaps-in-a-civilized/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [With acting, there is a level of anonymity which is conducive to your profession. There are examples of very public people who are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sienna-miller/with-acting-there-is-a-level-of-anonymity-which-is-conducive-to-your/) [Sienna Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sienna-miller/) > [Friends told me that the latest trend, at least in Europe, is public sex. They showed me some clips, and they're terrifying. A couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/friends-told-me-that-the-latest-trend-at-least-in-europe-is-public/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [The Internet is the new public space. And because women are out in public, people don't like that in much the same way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-internet-is-the-new-public-space-and-because-women-are-out-in/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) ## More by Junot Diaz > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Long before the idea of multiculturalism, in public people could say almost anything to you and get away with it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Junot Diaz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism-in-public-people-could-say/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism-in-public-people-could-say/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/junot-diaz-531_almost_long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism_2485566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Long before the idea of multiculturalism, in public people could say almost anything to you and get away…” — Junot Diaz", "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": "Junot Diaz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Long before the idea of multiculturalism,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism-in-public-people-could-say/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/long-before-the-idea-of-multiculturalism-in-public-people-could-say/#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 } } ] } ```