--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our cultural capital has changed…" description: "\"Our cultural capital has changed tremendously on its way into the twenty-first century. Manhattan has been secured and sanitized; it's smoke- and trans..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/madison-smartt-bell-23168_been_our-cultural-capital-has-changed-tremend_935553.jpg" --- # Our cultural capital has changed tremendously on its way… ![“Our cultural capital has changed tremendously on its way into the twenty-first century. Manhattan has been secured and sanitized; it's smoke- and trans-fat-free. In the boroughs, many of the old jungles have been cleared as well.” quote by Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/madison-smartt-bell-23168_been_our-cultural-capital-has-changed-tremend_935553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/madison-smartt-bell-23168_been_our-cultural-capital-has-changed-tremend_935553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/madison-smartt-bell-23168_been_our-cultural-capital-has-changed-tremend_935553.jpg) > “Our cultural capital has changed tremendously on its way into the twenty-first century. Manhattan has been secured and sanitized; it's smoke- and trans-fat-free. In the boroughs, many of the old jungles have been cleared as well.” [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote observes that Manhattan’s cultural landscape has become sanitized, while outer boroughs lose their historic, gritty character. **In simple terms:** City culture is being cleaned up. Key Takeaway Preserve authentic cultural heritage. Themes urbanization gentrification heritage Mood critical analytical Type observational thought‑provoking When to use this quote - city planning - community identity - tourism development Key Concepts cultural loss sanitization modernity Questions to Reflect On - What is the cost of sanitizing culture? - How can cities balance progress and tradition? A Different Perspective May romanticize past without addressing present needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital/) [Cleared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleared/) [Manhattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manhattan/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/) ## Related quotes > [The great white advantage has been living inside history, adapting to its constant demands, nurturing the values and the habits of life that allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/the-great-white-advantage-has-been-living-inside-history-adapting-to/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [“The cultural capital American Christianity has amassed simply cannot be leveraged where it matters most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-davison-hunter/the-cultural-capital-american-christianity-has-amassed-simply-cannot/) [James Davison Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-davison-hunter/) > [These days, the media is defining what cultural capital is, and it's easily learned. 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I only wish such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/jeremy-popkin-s-collection-of-first-person-narratives-of-the-haitian/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [“Here, when you looked into darkness, there was God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/here-when-you-looked-into-darkness-there-was-god/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [Since the 1960s, exile for Haitians is a condition that ends only to begin again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/since-the-1960s-exile-for-haitians-is-a-condition-that-ends-only-to/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [“Nothing could have been prevented. But still you know that somehow something wasn't watching. 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There is no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/haiti-was-founded-by-african-slaves-who-rose-against-their-european/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [Edwidge Danticat's prose has a Chekhovian simplicity--an ability to state the most urgent truths in a measured and patiently plain style that gathers a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/edwidge-danticat-s-prose-has-a-chekhovian-simplicity-an-ability-to/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [I have always had a mystical attitude toward inspiration. That's my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/i-have-always-had-a-mystical-attitude-toward-inspiration-that-s-my/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [“We don't kill for no reason. 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