--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Actually, have you ever noticed how a…" description: "\"Actually, have you ever noticed how a Negro, in particular down south, where they're pretty close to the soil, personifies MEST? The gatepost and the w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/l-ron-hubbard-881_hats_actually-have-you-ever-noticed-how-a-neg_2409674.jpg" --- # Actually, have you ever noticed how a Negro, in particular… ![“Actually, have you ever noticed how a Negro, in particular down south, where they're pretty close to the soil, personifies MEST? The gatepost and the wagon and the whip and anything around there-a hat. They talk to them, you know. "What'sa mattuh wi' you hat?" They imbue them with personality.” quote by L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/l-ron-hubbard-881_hats_actually-have-you-ever-noticed-how-a-neg_2409674.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/l-ron-hubbard-881_hats_actually-have-you-ever-noticed-how-a-neg_2409674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f79/l-ron-hubbard-881_hats_actually-have-you-ever-noticed-how-a-neg_2409674.jpg) > “Actually, have you ever noticed how a Negro, in particular down south, where they're pretty close to the soil, personifies MEST? The gatepost and the wagon and the whip and anything around there-a hat. They talk to them, you know. "What'sa mattuh wi' you hat?" They imbue them with personality.” [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often personify objects, giving them traits that reflect cultural attitudes. **In simple terms:** Objects become symbols of identity. Key Takeaway Notice how language shapes perception. Themes culture personification identity Mood analytical curious Type observational cultural When to use this quote - urban life - regional dialects - storytelling - marketing campaigns Key Concepts symbolism anthropomorphism social constructs Questions to Reflect On - Why do we assign personalities to inanimate objects? - How does this affect our interactions? A Different Perspective Over‑personification can obscure practical realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Negro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negro/) [Negro Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negro-particular-6062436/) [Noticed Negro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noticed-negro-6062435/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Personifies Mest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personifies-mest-6062437/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil/) [Soil Personifies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil-personifies-6062438/) [South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south/) [Wagons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wagons/) [Whips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whips/) ## Related quotes > [In North Africa they had the Arab with the gun and whip, but he could force people to do things ... and he accomplished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/in-north-africa-they-had-the-arab-with-the-gun-and-whip-but-he-could/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Oh dear, all those words again," thought Milo as he climbed into the wagon with Tock and the cabinet members. "How are you going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/oh-dear-all-those-words-again-thought-milo-as-he-climbed-into-the/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [I am fairly certain that my independent, high-spirited grandmother must have had a childhood similar to Betsy Ray'sAs I read about the School Entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-m-martin/i-am-fairly-certain-that-my-independent-high-spirited-grandmother/) [Ann M. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-m-martin/) > [ My father and mother in 1817 were forty-nine days on the road with their emigrant wagons \[from Vermont\] to Ohio. More than two days… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/my-father-and-mother-in-1817-were-forty-nine-days-on-the-road-with/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Berry Gordy believed in owning the artist for life and controlling everything: the money, the station wagons, everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-pickett/berry-gordy-believed-in-owning-the-artist-for-life-and-controlling/) [Wilson Pickett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-pickett/) > [It's always in the second administration when things start to go sour. They circle the wagons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-quinn/it-s-always-in-the-second-administration-when-things-start-to-go-sour/) [Sally Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-quinn/) > [Leisure is gone,--gone where the spinning-wheels are gone, and the pack-horses, and the slow wagons, and the peddlers, who brought bargains to the door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/leisure-is-gone-gone-where-the-spinning-wheels-are-gone-and-the-pack/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Now, however, I see the folly of attempting to hitch one's wagon to a star with a harness that does not belong to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/now-however-i-see-the-folly-of-attempting-to-hitch-one-s-wagon-to-a/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [We don't have much wisdom about the second half when things really open up and end up looking a lot more progressive. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-don-t-have-much-wisdom-about-the-second-half-when-things-really/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I notice how it takes a lazy man, a man that hates moving, to get set on moving once he does get started off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-notice-how-it-takes-a-lazy-man-a-man-that-hates-moving-to-get-set/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Swingers are all from the suburbs and consequently brain-addled by car pools, shopping malls, and welcome wagons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-heimel/swingers-are-all-from-the-suburbs-and-consequently-brain-addled-by/) [Cynthia Heimel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-heimel/) > [Out here you better have a gun, and a gun in the wagon ain't good for nothin'. I believe what the old Quaker said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/out-here-you-better-have-a-gun-and-a-gun-in-the-wagon-ain-t-good-for/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [Little red wagon, little red bike, I ain’t no monkey but I know what I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/little-red-wagon-little-red-bike-i-ain-t-no-monkey-but-i-know-what-i/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Consider the core of the mind to be a wagon, with will-power to be carried about in it. Push it to a place where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takuan-soho/consider-the-core-of-the-mind-to-be-a-wagon-with-will-power-to-be/) [Takuan Soho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takuan-soho/) > [Sometimes they were together so often that it felt as though they really were a couple; sometimes weeks and months would go by before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-they-were-together-so-often-that-it-felt-as-though-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by L. Ron Hubbard > [Oh yes! The one man in the world who never believes he's mad is the madman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/oh-yes-the-one-man-in-the-world-who-never-believes-he-s-mad-is-the/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [The African tribesman, with his complete contempt for truth and his emphasis on brutality and savagery for others but not for himself, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/the-african-tribesman-with-his-complete-contempt-for-truth-and-his/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [See what you see, not what someone tells you that you see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/see-what-you-see-not-what-someone-tells-you-that-you-see/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Now it's of peculiar interest to an Arab country that there is a company and a certain set of bankers who also finance the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/now-it-s-of-peculiar-interest-to-an-arab-country-that-there-is-a/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [In all the broad Universe there is no other hope for Man than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/in-all-the-broad-universe-there-is-no-other-hope-for-man-than/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Now, get this as a technical fact, not a hopeful idea. Every time we have investigated the background of a critic of Scientology, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/now-get-this-as-a-technical-fact-not-a-hopeful-idea-every-time-we/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [I know no man who has any monopoly upon the wisdom of this universe. It belongs to those who can use it to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/i-know-no-man-who-has-any-monopoly-upon-the-wisdom-of-this-universe/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [One's attitude toward life makes every possible difference in one's living. You know, you don't have to study a thousand ancient books to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/one-s-attitude-toward-life-makes-every-possible-difference-in-one-s/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [“Recently there came a period when I had little to do. This was novel in a life so crammed with busy years, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/recently-there-came-a-period-when-i-had-little-to-do-this-was-novel/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [God was feeling sardonic the day He created the Universe. So it's rather up to at least one man every few centuries to pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/god-was-feeling-sardonic-the-day-he-created-the-universe-so-it-s/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [The way out is the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/the-way-out-is-the-way-through/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/you-don-t-get-rich-writing-science-fiction-if-you-want-to-get-rich/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [One of the ways you learn about life is to associate with people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/one-of-the-ways-you-learn-about-life-is-to-associate-with-people/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [Dianetics is a milestone for man comparable to his discovery of fire and superior to his invention of the wheel and the arch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/dianetics-is-a-milestone-for-man-comparable-to-his-discovery-of-fire/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [You can remember times when you were a kid, when life looked too doggoned deliciously beautiful to be left alone. So you could feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/you-can-remember-times-when-you-were-a-kid-when-life-looked-too/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) [Explore all 342 L. Ron Hubbard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) ## More Hats quotes > [Hats off to starting a franchise younger than we all did in 'Twilight' and keeping your cool. The 'Harry Potter' men and women had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/hats-off-to-starting-a-franchise-younger-than-we-all-did-in-twilight/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) > [What do you think it is to be normal?' Why in the world would you want to be?' she says. I don't know. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-jones/what-do-you-think-it-is-to-be-normal-why-in-the-world-would-you-want/) [Patrick Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-jones/) > [I wear T-shirts and backwards hats and buy my shoes at Payless!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/i-wear-t-shirts-and-backwards-hats-and-buy-my-shoes-at-payless/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [With a project like 'Teachers Lounge,' you're wearing a lot of hats, so it demands hard work and focus if you want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-alexandro/with-a-project-like-teachers-lounge-you-re-wearing-a-lot-of-hats-so/) [Ted Alexandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-alexandro/) > [People think I was born in top hat and tails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-astaire/people-think-i-was-born-in-top-hat-and-tails/) [Fred Astaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-astaire/) > [Strange, isn't it, that no chemical will give a human being the iridescence that illusions have given them? Give me your hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/strange-isn-t-it-that-no-chemical-will-give-a-human-being-the/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [There are lots of real men out there - men who could fall in love with you at the drop of a hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/there-are-lots-of-real-men-out-there-men-who-could-fall-in-love-with/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [The most peaceful thing in the world is plowing a field. Chances are you’ll do your best thinking that way. And that’s why I’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-peaceful-thing-in-the-world-is-plowing-a-field-chances-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any plan where you lose your hat is a bad plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-foglio/any-plan-where-you-lose-your-hat-is-a-bad-plan/) [Phil Foglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-foglio/) > [What I love most about Her Majesty is that she has kept hats alive in people's minds for more than 60 years. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/what-i-love-most-about-her-majesty-is-that-she-has-kept-hats-alive-in/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [With hat in hand, one gets on in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthold-auerbach/with-hat-in-hand-one-gets-on-in-the-world/) [Berthold Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthold-auerbach/) > [I love hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonyaboo/i-love-hats/) [Sonyaboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonyaboo/) > [I always felt so much more comfortable in the Western. The minute I got a horse and a hat and a pair of boots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mccrea/i-always-felt-so-much-more-comfortable-in-the-western-the-minute-i/) [Joel McCrea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mccrea/) [Browse all 1,272 Hats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Actually, have you ever noticed how a Negro, in particular down south, where they're pretty close to the soil, personifies MEST? The gatepost and the wagon and the whip and anything around there-a hat. They talk to them, you know. \"What'sa mattuh wi' you hat?\" They imbue them with personality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "L. 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