--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a culture. It's - I mean, people…" description: "\"It's a culture. It's - I mean, people obsess over this. And people create subcultures that identify - and there are people in the streets who will reco..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/kehinde-wiley-1194_certain_it-s-a-culture-it-s-i-mean-people-obsess_695493.jpg" --- # It's a culture. It's - I mean, people obsess over this… ![“It's a culture. It's - I mean, people obsess over this. And people create subcultures that identify - and there are people in the streets who will recognize certain patterns and signifiers.” quote by Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/kehinde-wiley-1194_certain_it-s-a-culture-it-s-i-mean-people-obsess_695493.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/kehinde-wiley-1194_certain_it-s-a-culture-it-s-i-mean-people-obsess_695493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c15/kehinde-wiley-1194_certain_it-s-a-culture-it-s-i-mean-people-obsess_695493.jpg) > “It's a culture. It's - I mean, people obsess over this. And people create subcultures that identify - and there are people in the streets who will recognize certain patterns and signifiers.” [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People form subcultures around shared symbols, creating identity and community through recognizable patterns. **In simple terms:** Subcultures arise from shared symbols and identity. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect cultural symbols. Themes culture identity symbolism Mood reflective analytical Type sociological artistic When to use this quote - urban communities - fashion trends - online fandoms Key Concepts sociology art theory Questions to Reflect On - How do symbols shape group identity? - When do symbols become barriers? A Different Perspective Symbols can be exclusionary or misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Mean people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-people/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Subculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subculture/) ## Related quotes > [What I find on the Internet is fascinating because whole subcultures are developing. And they really are cultures. They have their art forms, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/what-i-find-on-the-internet-is-fascinating-because-whole-subcultures/) [Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/) > [Every culture, or subculture, is defined by a set of common values, that is, generally agreed upon preferences. Without a core of common values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/every-culture-or-subculture-is-defined-by-a-set-of-common-values-that/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Basically the subcultures formed in the U.K. because the mainstream was not satisfying the needs of certain people like myself. So through music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-letts/basically-the-subcultures-formed-in-the-u-k-because-the-mainstream/) [Don Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-letts/) > [I feel like kids that grew up in New York City or in L.A. were exposed to all these subcultures and subgenres, whereas I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/i-feel-like-kids-that-grew-up-in-new-york-city-or-in-l-a-were-exposed/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I am one of the writers who wish to create serious works of literature which dissociate themselves from those novels which are mere reflections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzaburo-oe/i-am-one-of-the-writers-who-wish-to-create-serious-works-of/) [Kenzaburo Oe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzaburo-oe/) > [I've always been into subcultures. In the '50s and '60s, what Pierre Molinier was doing was super subculture - he was taking self-portraits, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/i-ve-always-been-into-subcultures-in-the-50s-and-60s-what-pierre/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [“Why did I obsess over people like this? Was it normal to fixate on strangers in this particular vivid, fevered way? I didn’t think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/why-did-i-obsess-over-people-like-this-was-it-normal-to-fixate-on/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [It's pretty unhealthy to obsess over what people think about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/it-s-pretty-unhealthy-to-obsess-over-what-people-think-about-you/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The tiger people, the reptile people, they all have sort of unique subcultures. Kind of like 'Best in Show.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-goode/the-tiger-people-the-reptile-people-they-all-have-sort-of-unique/) [Eric Goode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-goode/) > [I feel all of the archetypes in Silicon Valley probably exist in some other form in other subcultures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-woods/i-feel-all-of-the-archetypes-in-silicon-valley-probably-exist-in-some/) [Zach Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-woods/) > [I was born in San Francisco. I was raised in Oakland, so I'm, like, super Bay Area born, and, you know, it's just really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kreayshawn/i-was-born-in-san-francisco-i-was-raised-in-oakland-so-i-m-like-super/) [Kreayshawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kreayshawn/) > [“The uncomfortable, omnipresent reality within any conversation about representation is that the most underrepresented subcultures are the ones that don’t even enter into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-uncomfortable-omnipresent-reality-within-any-conversation-about/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Subcultures gave me a space to fully express myself, and find like-minded friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-carmina/subcultures-gave-me-a-space-to-fully-express-myself-and-find-like/) La Carmina > [It's very easy to co-opt subcultures, and I think that scene was very easily coopted, not just on a feminist level but on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-zeisler/it-s-very-easy-to-co-opt-subcultures-and-i-think-that-scene-was-very/) [Andi Zeisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-zeisler/) > [I think in Japan I think there is a lot of style and a lot of subcultures, but it will be interesting to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-schuman/i-think-in-japan-i-think-there-is-a-lot-of-style-and-a-lot-of/) [Scott Schuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-schuman/) ## More by Kehinde Wiley > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The erotic and the art historical imagination is something that gets very little play when people talk about my work, and when they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/the-erotic-and-the-art-historical-imagination-is-something-that-gets/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [One of the weirdest things that happened to artists and art criticism was this moment when everyone got cynical and stopped believing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-weirdest-things-that-happened-to-artists-and-art-criticism/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [At its best, what art does is, it points to who we as human beings and what we as human beings value. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/at-its-best-what-art-does-is-it-points-to-who-we-as-human-beings-and/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [My style is in the 21st century. If you look at the process, it goes from photography through Photoshop, where certain features are heightened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/my-style-is-in-the-21st-century-if-you-look-at-the-process-it-goes/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I think the world that I grew up in was like being in this sort of magical artistic garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-the-world-that-i-grew-up-in-was-like-being-in-this-sort-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [It was something that came sort of matter-of-factually. Because there - it's like really - real honest engagement with the people around me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/it-was-something-that-came-sort-of-matter-of-factually-because-there/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [We're wired to be empathetic and to care about the needs of others, but also to be curious about others. And I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/we-re-wired-to-be-empathetic-and-to-care-about-the-needs-of-others/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Painting is situational. And my particular situation exists within gender, race, class, sexuality, nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/painting-is-situational-and-my-particular-situation-exists-within/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [There were certain expectations that were assumed of me as a young black American 20th-century - then 20th-century artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/there-were-certain-expectations-that-were-assumed-of-me-as-a-young/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I think, something that you might be able to locate in the work that I'm creating today: the ability to look at a black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-think-something-that-you-might-be-able-to-locate-in-the-work-that-i/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I remember the first time I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and saw a Kerry James Marshall painting with black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-the-los-angeles-county-museum-of/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I believe that artists should be part of the culture. I think that my work clearly bears that out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-believe-that-artists-should-be-part-of-the-culture-i-think-that-my/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [I guess art is in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/i-guess-art-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Just physically, if you looked at the house that I grew up in, my mother created this greenhouse. And surrounded the entire property. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/just-physically-if-you-looked-at-the-house-that-i-grew-up-in-my/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) [Explore all 275 Kehinde Wiley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. 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