--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What sets one Southern town apart from…" description: "\"“What sets one Southern town apart from another, or from a Northern town or hamlet, or city high-rise? The answer must be the experience shared between..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/maya-angelou-104_1970_what-sets-one-southern-town-apart-from-a_492364.jpg" --- # What sets one Southern town apart from another, or from a… ![“What sets one Southern town apart from another, or from a Northern town or hamlet, or city high-rise? The answer must be the experience shared between the unknowing majority (it) and the knowing minority (you). All of childhood's unanswered questions must finally be passed back to the town and…” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/maya-angelou-104_1970_what-sets-one-southern-town-apart-from-a_492364.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/maya-angelou-104_1970_what-sets-one-southern-town-apart-from-a_492364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/maya-angelou-104_1970_what-sets-one-southern-town-apart-from-a_492364.jpg) > ““What sets one Southern town apart from another, or from a Northern town or hamlet, or city high-rise? The answer must be the experience shared between the unknowing majority (it) and the knowing minority (you). All of childhood's unanswered questions must finally be passed back to the town and answered there. Heroes and bogey men, values and dislikes, are first encountered and labeled in that early environment. In later years they change faces, places and maybe races, tactics, intensities and goals, but beneath those penetrable masks they wear forever the stocking-capped faces of childhood.”” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Childhood experiences shape community identity; shared memories create lasting values across generations. **In simple terms:** Early environment molds personal and collective identity. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor the influence of childhood on community. Themes identity community memory generational influence Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - education - urban planning - family traditions - social work Key Concepts sociology psychology culture Questions to Reflect On - How do early experiences shape current values? - What role does community memory play in personal growth? A Different Perspective Changing demographics can alter shared narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1970](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1970-438/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Childhood Unanswered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-unanswered-4210393/) [Faces Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces-childhood-4210395/) [Knowing Minority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-minority-4210396/) [Minority Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minority-childhood-4210394/) [Unanswered questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unanswered-questions/) ## Related quotes > [All of childhood's unanswered questions must finally be passed back to the town and answered there. Heroes and bogey men, values and dislikes, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/all-of-childhood-s-unanswered-questions-must-finally-be-passed-back/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Fafhrd stopped, again wiped right hand on robe, and held it out. "Name's Fafhrd. Ef ay ef aitch ar dee." Again the Mouser shook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/fafhrd-stopped-again-wiped-right-hand-on-robe-and-held-it-out-name-s/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“The rise of Autism coincides with my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-rise-of-autism-coincides-with-my-life/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“None can use black magic without straining the soul to the uttermost—and staining it into the bargain. None can inflict suffering without enduring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/none-can-use-black-magic-without-straining-the-soul-to-the-uttermost/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“Oaths are made to be kept only until their purpose be fulfilled," the fluty voice responded. "Every geas is lifted at last, every self-set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/oaths-are-made-to-be-kept-only-until-their-purpose-be-fulfilled-the/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“It should first be understood that lesbianism, like male homosexuality, is a category of behavior possible only in a sexist society characterized by rigid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radicalesbians/it-should-first-be-understood-that-lesbianism-like-male-homosexuality/) [Radicalesbians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radicalesbians/) > [“The extreme form of power is All against One, the extreme form of violence is One against All. And this latter is never possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-extreme-form-of-power-is-all-against-one-the-extreme-form-of-2/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“None of us laughed at Helen. Maybe because in 1970 we listened more to new ideas, however sentimental or foolish they sound all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lax/none-of-us-laughed-at-helen-maybe-because-in-1970-we-listened-more-to/) [Scott Lax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lax/) > [“South Carolina had thirteen lynchings last year, ten were charged with assault on white women, one with horse stealing and two with being impudent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells-barnett/south-carolina-had-thirteen-lynchings-last-year-ten-were-charged-with/) [Ida B. Wells-Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells-barnett/) > [“The essential point of the preparative nature of psychotherapy in relation to magical practice is again reinforced two years later, in The Eye in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-plaisance/the-essential-point-of-the-preparative-nature-of-psychotherapy-in/) [Christopher A. Plaisance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-plaisance/) > [“Israel's demonstration of its military prowess in 1967 confirmed its status as a 'strategic asset,' as did its moves to prevent Syrian intervention in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/israel-s-demonstration-of-its-military-prowess-in-1967-confirmed-its/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Nothing ever really ends. That’s the horrible part of being in the short-story business—you have to be a real expert on ends. Nothing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nothing-ever-really-ends-that-s-the-horrible-part-of-being-in-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The Mouser made a very small parry in carte so that the thrust of the bravo from the east went past his left side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/the-mouser-made-a-very-small-parry-in-carte-so-that-the-thrust-of-the/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“Oh,' she says, 'the Vat prints nothing but rapes. You know what a rape usually is? It's a woman who changed her mind afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/oh-she-says-the-vat-prints-nothing-but-rapes-you-know-what-a-rape/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Fafhrd, his back to a great oak, had his broadsword out and was holding off two of Rannarsh's henchmen, who were attacking with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/fafhrd-his-back-to-a-great-oak-had-his-broadsword-out-and-was-holding/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More 1970 quotes > [“None of us laughed at Helen. Maybe because in 1970 we listened more to new ideas, however sentimental or foolish they sound all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lax/none-of-us-laughed-at-helen-maybe-because-in-1970-we-listened-more-to/) [Scott Lax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lax/) > [“Oh,' she says, 'the Vat prints nothing but rapes. You know what a rape usually is? It's a woman who changed her mind afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/oh-she-says-the-vat-prints-nothing-but-rapes-you-know-what-a-rape/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The Mouser made a very small parry in carte so that the thrust of the bravo from the east went past his left side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/the-mouser-made-a-very-small-parry-in-carte-so-that-the-thrust-of-the/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“Nothing ever really ends. That’s the horrible part of being in the short-story business—you have to be a real expert on ends. Nothing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/nothing-ever-really-ends-that-s-the-horrible-part-of-being-in-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Israel's demonstration of its military prowess in 1967 confirmed its status as a 'strategic asset,' as did its moves to prevent Syrian intervention in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/israel-s-demonstration-of-its-military-prowess-in-1967-confirmed-its/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“The essential point of the preparative nature of psychotherapy in relation to magical practice is again reinforced two years later, in The Eye in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-plaisance/the-essential-point-of-the-preparative-nature-of-psychotherapy-in/) [Christopher A. Plaisance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-plaisance/) > [“South Carolina had thirteen lynchings last year, ten were charged with assault on white women, one with horse stealing and two with being impudent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells-barnett/south-carolina-had-thirteen-lynchings-last-year-ten-were-charged-with/) [Ida B. Wells-Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells-barnett/) > [“The extreme form of power is All against One, the extreme form of violence is One against All. And this latter is never possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-extreme-form-of-power-is-all-against-one-the-extreme-form-of-2/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“It should first be understood that lesbianism, like male homosexuality, is a category of behavior possible only in a sexist society characterized by rigid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radicalesbians/it-should-first-be-understood-that-lesbianism-like-male-homosexuality/) [Radicalesbians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radicalesbians/) > [“Oaths are made to be kept only until their purpose be fulfilled," the fluty voice responded. "Every geas is lifted at last, every self-set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/oaths-are-made-to-be-kept-only-until-their-purpose-be-fulfilled-the/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“None can use black magic without straining the soul to the uttermost—and staining it into the bargain. None can inflict suffering without enduring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/none-can-use-black-magic-without-straining-the-soul-to-the-uttermost/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“The rise of Autism coincides with my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-rise-of-autism-coincides-with-my-life/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Fafhrd stopped, again wiped right hand on robe, and held it out. "Name's Fafhrd. Ef ay ef aitch ar dee." Again the Mouser shook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/fafhrd-stopped-again-wiped-right-hand-on-robe-and-held-it-out-name-s/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“Fafhrd, his back to a great oak, had his broadsword out and was holding off two of Rannarsh's henchmen, who were attacking with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/fafhrd-his-back-to-a-great-oak-had-his-broadsword-out-and-was-holding/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) > [“The seven black priests—" Fafhrd muttered. "The six," the Mouser corrected. "We killed one of them last night." "Well, the six then," Fafhrd conceded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-leiber/the-seven-black-priests-fafhrd-muttered-the-six-the-mouser-corrected/) [Fritz Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-leiber/) [Browse all 18 1970 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1970-438/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What sets one Southern town apart from another, or from a Northern town or hamlet, or city high-rise? The answer must be the experience shared between the unknowing majority (it) and the knowing minority (you). All of childhood's unanswered questions must finally be passed back to the town and answered there. Heroes and bogey men, values and dislikes, are first encountered and labeled in that early environment. 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