--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Homelessness is a nationality now." description: "\"“Homelessness is a nationality now.”\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg" --- # Homelessness is a nationality now. ![“Homelessness is a nationality now.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg) > ““Homelessness is a nationality now.”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Homelessness has become a defining social identity, highlighting systemic neglect. **In simple terms:** Being homeless is now a social label. Key Takeaway Address root causes of homelessness. Themes social justice identity poverty Mood concerned urgent Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - social services - advocacy Key Concepts sociology public policy Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce homelessness? - How does labeling affect those without homes? A Different Perspective May ignore individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Homelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homelessness/) [Homelessness Nationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homelessness-nationality-4284676/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Nationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationality/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) ## Related quotes > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [“You yearn to stay in this in-between place, where the beauty of the times you have freshly bade farewell to is still alive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-chew/you-yearn-to-stay-in-this-in-between-place-where-the-beauty-of-the/) [Agnes Chew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-chew/) > [“Moments later, I was climbing nervously into the back of the car. The driver wore the archetypal expression of an antagonist. No words were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-chew/moments-later-i-was-climbing-nervously-into-the-back-of-the-car-the/) [Agnes Chew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-chew/) > [Eating is our earliest metaphor, preceding our consciousness of gender difference, race, nationality, and language. We eat before we talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/eating-is-our-earliest-metaphor-preceding-our-consciousness-of-gender/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Authors have a nationality; books do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/authors-have-a-nationality-books-do-not/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [“From any rational point of view I am absurd; but there are no longer any rational points of view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/from-any-rational-point-of-view-i-am-absurd-but-there-are-no-longer/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“And when Prohibition came along, Dr. Sharpe’s Shakti Tonic took off like a rocket, mostly due to its hefty eighteen percent alcohol content.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/and-when-prohibition-came-along-dr-sharpe-s-shakti-tonic-took-off/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [We have an obligation at the local level to do everything we can with the resources we have. And we do those things. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/we-have-an-obligation-at-the-local-level-to-do-everything-we-can-with/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [As Secretary of Housing, I do have to express alarm, signal the alarm if you will, that the potential for homelessness to grow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cisneros/as-secretary-of-housing-i-do-have-to-express-alarm-signal-the-alarm/) [Henry Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cisneros/) > [It is a special kind of homelessness to be evicted from your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/it-is-a-special-kind-of-homelessness-to-be-evicted-from-your-dreams/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [“They needed someone to hate, a tangible focus for their remorse and disappointment, and I’d been elected, the projection of their own inner hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/they-needed-someone-to-hate-a-tangible-focus-for-their-remorse-and/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [The public thinks that homelessness is about not having any accommodation to go to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/the-public-thinks-that-homelessness-is-about-not-having-any/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [To be honest, busking was a massive part of becoming aware of homelessness. I used to run into a lot of 'Big Issue' sellers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/to-be-honest-busking-was-a-massive-part-of-becoming-aware-of/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) > [“Meditation doesn’t lead to enlightenment because in meditation the ego is trying to destroy the ego.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/meditation-doesn-t-lead-to-enlightenment-because-in-meditation-the/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Homelessness quotes > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [We have an obligation at the local level to do everything we can with the resources we have. And we do those things. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/we-have-an-obligation-at-the-local-level-to-do-everything-we-can-with/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [“They needed someone to hate, a tangible focus for their remorse and disappointment, and I’d been elected, the projection of their own inner hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/they-needed-someone-to-hate-a-tangible-focus-for-their-remorse-and/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“And when Prohibition came along, Dr. Sharpe’s Shakti Tonic took off like a rocket, mostly due to its hefty eighteen percent alcohol content.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/and-when-prohibition-came-along-dr-sharpe-s-shakti-tonic-took-off/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) > [To be honest, busking was a massive part of becoming aware of homelessness. I used to run into a lot of 'Big Issue' sellers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/to-be-honest-busking-was-a-massive-part-of-becoming-aware-of/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [The public thinks that homelessness is about not having any accommodation to go to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/the-public-thinks-that-homelessness-is-about-not-having-any/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [“Meditation doesn’t lead to enlightenment because in meditation the ego is trying to destroy the ego.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/meditation-doesn-t-lead-to-enlightenment-because-in-meditation-the/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [It is a special kind of homelessness to be evicted from your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/it-is-a-special-kind-of-homelessness-to-be-evicted-from-your-dreams/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [As Secretary of Housing, I do have to express alarm, signal the alarm if you will, that the potential for homelessness to grow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cisneros/as-secretary-of-housing-i-do-have-to-express-alarm-signal-the-alarm/) [Henry Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cisneros/) > [“My grandfather was a railroad brakeman, sixty years with the D&H. I'd sit on his lap when I was little, I remember, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/my-grandfather-was-a-railroad-brakeman-sixty-years-with-the-d-h-i-d/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [We want to make it socially, morally, politically and religiously unacceptable to have substandard housing and homelessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-fuller/we-want-to-make-it-socially-morally-politically-and-religiously/) [Millard Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-fuller/) > [I see this rise in rough sleeping and homelessness - in one of the wealthiest cities in the world - as a growing source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-see-this-rise-in-rough-sleeping-and-homelessness-in-one-of-the/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [No one is asking what happened to all the homeless. No one cares, because it's easier to get on the subway and not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/no-one-is-asking-what-happened-to-all-the-homeless-no-one-cares/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) > [It should be obvious that banning begging or criminalising rough sleeping will do little to combat homelessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-foster/it-should-be-obvious-that-banning-begging-or-criminalising-rough/) [Dawn Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-foster/) [Browse all 297 Homelessness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homelessness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Homelessness is a nationality now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/homelessness-is-a-nationality-now/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Homelessness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/homelessness-is-a-nationality-now/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c98/margaret-atwood-40_homelessness_homelessness-is-a-nationality-now-292551_2925514.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Homelessness is a nationality now.” — Margaret Atwood", "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": "Margaret Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Homelessness is a nationality now.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/homelessness-is-a-nationality-now/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/homelessness-is-a-nationality-now/#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 } } ] } ```