--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After spending over 15 years reporting in…" description: "\"After spending over 15 years reporting in these worlds and getting to meet these traffickers, drug dealers, and other people that are really stereotype..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg" --- # After spending over 15 years reporting in these worlds and… ![“After spending over 15 years reporting in these worlds and getting to meet these traffickers, drug dealers, and other people that are really stereotyped in our society, I've come to realize the uncomfortable truth that most are not very different from us.” quote by Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg) > “After spending over 15 years reporting in these worlds and getting to meet these traffickers, drug dealers, and other people that are really stereotyped in our society, I've come to realize the uncomfortable truth that most are not very different from us.” [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights shared humanity between marginalized criminals and mainstream society **In simple terms:** People often similar despite stereotypes Key Takeaway Recognize common humanity Themes empathy stereotypes humanity Mood thoughtful reflective Type sociological documentary When to use this quote - crime reporting - community outreach - policy discussions Key Concepts social perception bias commonality Questions to Reflect On - How can we see beyond labels? - What steps reduce bias in reporting? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can oversimplify complex individuals ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [Crime, horror, and satire each aim to reveal an ugly or uncomfortable truth: one that, after the reveal, will ensure we'll never be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g-tremblay/crime-horror-and-satire-each-aim-to-reveal-an-ugly-or-uncomfortable/) [Paul G. Tremblay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-g-tremblay/) > [“And what they find is when they bring their pain or their doubt or their uncomfortable truth to church, someone immediately grabs it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/and-what-they-find-is-when-they-bring-their-pain-or-their-doubt-or/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“I rather live my life with an uncomfortable truth than live it with a pleasant lie...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-acevedo/i-rather-live-my-life-with-an-uncomfortable-truth-than-live-it-with-a/) [Pedro Acevedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-acevedo/) > [“This is the uncomfortable truth: everything is a trigger for someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/this-is-the-uncomfortable-truth-everything-is-a-trigger-for-someone/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“What is better: uncomfortable truth or comfortable lies? Every truth is a kindness, even if it makes others uncomfortable. Every untruth is an unkindness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle/what-is-better-uncomfortable-truth-or-comfortable-lies-every-truth-is/) [Glennon Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle/) > [Deep down, if we really accept that their lives - African lives - are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-sachs/deep-down-if-we-really-accept-that-their-lives-african-lives-are/) [Jeffrey Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-sachs/) > [“I rather live the rest of my life with uncomfortable truth than live my live with a pleasant lie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-acevedo/i-rather-live-the-rest-of-my-life-with-uncomfortable-truth-than-live/) [Pedro Acevedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-acevedo/) > [The uncomfortable truth seems to be that the amount of talk by women has been measured less against the amount of men's talk than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-uncomfortable-truth-seems-to-be-that-the-amount-of-talk-by-women/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I'm a bit uncomfortable, truth be told, with being seen as an expert, because there is always so much more to learn. I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-monaghan/i-m-a-bit-uncomfortable-truth-be-told-with-being-seen-as-an-expert/) [Patricia Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-monaghan/) > [I would rather be uncomfortable with the truth than to be lied to in comfort. That's just my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-would-rather-be-uncomfortable-with-the-truth-than-to-be-lied-to-in/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [Feminism doesn't need re-branding. It names a problem and it is an uncomfortable truth for many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-criado-perez/feminism-doesn-t-need-re-branding-it-names-a-problem-and-it-is-an/) [Caroline Criado-Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-criado-perez/) > [We seem to prefer a comfortable lie to the uncomfortable truth. We punish those who point out reality, and reward those who provide us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/we-seem-to-prefer-a-comfortable-lie-to-the-uncomfortable-truth-we/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [“It’s naive for us to think that we can end all violence,abuse,hatred and racism...when as a nation many consider just talking about the subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/it-s-naive-for-us-to-think-that-we-can-end-all-violence-abuse-hatred/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [The insistence on complete certainty about the full details of global warming-the most serious threat we have ever faced-is actually an effort to avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-insistence-on-complete-certainty-about-the-full-details-of-global/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The Maccabean War is the symbol of the triumph of the weak over the mighty, of the few over the many, of light over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/the-maccabean-war-is-the-symbol-of-the-triumph-of-the-weak-over-the/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) ## More by Mariana van Zeller > [There's whole television stations, magazines, organizations devoted to analyzing every up-and-down twist and turn, IPO, everything that happens in the formal economy. And yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/there-s-whole-television-stations-magazines-organizations-devoted-to/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [I watched the Portuguese TV anchors talking about what was happening all over the world and I just thought they were so knowledgeable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/i-watched-the-portuguese-tv-anchors-talking-about-what-was-happening/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [I'm obsessed with trying new and different food. Always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/i-m-obsessed-with-trying-new-and-different-food-always-have-been/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [It's part of my DNA as a Portuguese. Like many of my ancestors, there's that need to discover the world - exploration is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/it-s-part-of-my-dna-as-a-portuguese-like-many-of-my-ancestors-there-s/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [I don't really take no for an answer. Giving up isn't an option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/i-don-t-really-take-no-for-an-answer-giving-up-isn-t-an-option/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [All conflicts are different, and yet the victims are always the same. They are people, just like you and me, but whose lives are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/all-conflicts-are-different-and-yet-the-victims-are-always-the-same/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [Breaking Borders' is about, more than anything, communication and conversation. The best lesson I've learned from doing this show is that when there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/breaking-borders-is-about-more-than-anything-communication-and/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [Soon after I graduated from Columbia University grad school, the war in Iraq started. I was a young freelance journalist with no experience in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/soon-after-i-graduated-from-columbia-university-grad-school-the-war/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [I'm more sort of attracted to these worlds that are very hard to gain access to. I think those are the most interesting stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/i-m-more-sort-of-attracted-to-these-worlds-that-are-very-hard-to-gain/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [There is not a lot known about the informal economy, and yet it makes over 60% of the global economy. And these black markets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/there-is-not-a-lot-known-about-the-informal-economy-and-yet-it-makes/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [You'd be surprised how many doors flattery can open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/you-d-be-surprised-how-many-doors-flattery-can-open/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [My husband is a journalist as well, and while we love beaches, we can't sit for that long. If we go to a beach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/my-husband-is-a-journalist-as-well-and-while-we-love-beaches-we-can-t/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [No story is worth a life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/no-story-is-worth-a-life/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [I always tell young journalists to leverage what you have. If you have a particular language skill or access to a particular place or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/i-always-tell-young-journalists-to-leverage-what-you-have-if-you-have/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) > [I truly believe the importance of shining the light on the dark corners of our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/i-truly-believe-the-importance-of-shining-the-light-on-the-dark/) [Mariana van Zeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) [Explore all 22 Mariana van Zeller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/) ## More Alike quotes > [I'm a humanist at heart: at the end of the day, we are all human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chet-faker/i-m-a-humanist-at-heart-at-the-end-of-the-day-we-are-all-human-beings/) [Chet Faker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chet-faker/) > [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [We all are different. Our lives are different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-jedrzejczyk/we-all-are-different-our-lives-are-different/) [Joanna Jedrzejczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-jedrzejczyk/) > [“Everyone has their own path, their own story through which they go at their own pace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/everyone-has-their-own-path-their-own-story-through-which-they-go-at/) [Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/) > [We are all a unique person with everyone we meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/we-are-all-a-unique-person-with-everyone-we-meet/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [Everyone is their own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-is-their-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The real death of America will come when everyone is alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-death-of-america-will-come-when-everyone-is-alike/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Wise men think and speak alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/wise-men-think-and-speak-alike/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [We're all equally important at the end of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-staples/we-re-all-equally-important-at-the-end-of-the-day/) [Vince Staples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-staples/) > [We all know one C:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/we-all-know-one-c/) Patience > [I think everybody has their own journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athiya-shetty/i-think-everybody-has-their-own-journey/) [Athiya Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athiya-shetty/) > [“It is not a simple thing to decide where we fit, for at one time or another in our lives we manage to organize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/it-is-not-a-simple-thing-to-decide-where-we-fit-for-at-one-time-or/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Everybody brings their personality to any position, and that's true for presidents like anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/everybody-brings-their-personality-to-any-position-and-that-s-true/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [But then, after all, we are all alike, for we are all derived from the monkey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/but-then-after-all-we-are-all-alike-for-we-are-all-derived-from-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Understanding languages and other cultures builds bridges. It is the fastest way to bring the world closer together and to Truth. Through understanding, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/understanding-languages-and-other-cultures-builds-bridges-it-is-the/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) Browse all 1,104 Alike quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "After spending over 15 years reporting in these worlds and getting to meet these traffickers, drug dealers, and other people that are really stereotyped in our society, I've come to realize the uncomfortable truth that most are not very different from us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mariana van Zeller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-in-these-worlds-and-getting-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alike" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-in-these-worlds-and-getting-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/922/mariana-van-zeller-25852_come_after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-i_1563008.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“After spending over 15 years reporting in these worlds and getting to meet these traffickers, drug dealers…” — Mariana van Zeller", "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": "Mariana van Zeller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-van-zeller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "After spending over 15 years reporting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-in-these-worlds-and-getting-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-van-zeller/after-spending-over-15-years-reporting-in-these-worlds-and-getting-to/#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 } } ] } ```