--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If someone is very upper-class, you have…" description: "\"If someone is very upper-class, you have a stereotype of him which is probably true. If someone has a working-class accent, you have no idea who you're..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg" --- # If someone is very upper-class, you have a stereotype of… ![“If someone is very upper-class, you have a stereotype of him which is probably true. If someone has a working-class accent, you have no idea who you're talking to.” quote by Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg) > “If someone is very upper-class, you have a stereotype of him which is probably true. If someone has a working-class accent, you have no idea who you're talking to.” [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People judge others based on speech and class cues, leading to accurate stereotypes for the upper class but blind spots for the working class. **In simple terms:** Class cues shape our assumptions, often unfairly. Key Takeaway Beware of assumptions based on accent or appearance. Themes class bias communication stereotyping Mood critical thoughtful Type sociological observational When to use this quote - job interviews - social networking - media representation Key Concepts social perception implicit bias Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about others? - How can you see beyond accents? A Different Perspective Assumptions can be wrong and reinforce inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Upper class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-class/) [Working class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-class/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/i-grew-up-poor-with-a-very-distinctive-working-class-accent-in/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [There aren't that many people walking about who are a total class stereotype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-koenig/there-aren-t-that-many-people-walking-about-who-are-a-total-class/) [Ezra Koenig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-koenig/) > [I think one of the main differences between being an English actor and being an American actor is that we have things like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/i-think-one-of-the-main-differences-between-being-an-english-actor/) [Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/) > [“However you want to define these two groups and their approach to giving—rich and poor; educated and uneducated; upper-class and working-class—their members increasingly occupy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/however-you-want-to-define-these-two-groups-and-their-approach-to/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [My basic position is that the more mixed the society and the more mobility there is in it, the better. That's what makes things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/my-basic-position-is-that-the-more-mixed-the-society-and-the-more/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [When I first left drama school, I was too posh for the working-class parts and not posh enough for the upper-class roles. You know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-chaplin/when-i-first-left-drama-school-i-was-too-posh-for-the-working-class/) [Ben Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-chaplin/) > [In the United States, the working class are Democrats. The middle class are Republicans. The upper class are Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/in-the-united-states-the-working-class-are-democrats-the-middle-class/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [People say I've 'retained' my Cockney accent. I can do any accent, but I wanted other working-class boys to know that they could become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/people-say-i-ve-retained-my-cockney-accent-i-can-do-any-accent-but-i/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [The American cinema in general always made stories about working-class people; the British rarely did. Any person with my working-class background would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/the-american-cinema-in-general-always-made-stories-about-working/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I was born in Paris in 1950. I had a strict upper-class Catholic education but I never really fitted in the system and revolted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-gautier/i-was-born-in-paris-in-1950-i-had-a-strict-upper-class-catholic/) [Francois Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-gautier/) > [“We spend to pretend that we’re upper-class. And when the dust clears—when bankruptcy hits or a family member bails us out of our stupidity—there’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/we-spend-to-pretend-that-we-re-upper-class-and-when-the-dust-clears/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Tomorrow everybody - or practically everybody - will have had the education of the upper class of yesterday, and will expect equivalent opportunities. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/tomorrow-everybody-or-practically-everybody-will-have-had-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [How shall we ever know if it's morning if there's no servant to pull up the blinds?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-barrie/how-shall-we-ever-know-if-it-s-morning-if-there-s-no-servant-to-pull/) [James M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-barrie/) > [The American middle class always wants to be upper class and is scared to death of being lower class. It's a highly mobile group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-american-middle-class-always-wants-to-be-upper-class-and-is/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [I have a class prejudice - against the upper class, which is foolish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-have-a-class-prejudice-against-the-upper-class-which-is-foolish/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) ## More by Michael Caine > [That to me is what my idea of film acting should be. There shouldn't be any acting. You should just be watching a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/that-to-me-is-what-my-idea-of-film-acting-should-be-there-shouldn-t/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [Theater acting is an operation with a scalpel, movie acting is an operation with a laser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/theater-acting-is-an-operation-with-a-scalpel-movie-acting-is-an/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [If you're a leading actor you don't work with another actor. You work with a lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-you-re-a-leading-actor-you-don-t-work-with-another-actor-you-work/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [“Be a duck, remain calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/be-a-duck-remain-calm-on-the-surface-and-paddle-like-hell-underneath/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I try to make everyone around me feel comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-try-to-make-everyone-around-me-feel-comfortable/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [You can see all sorts of things in film acting if you know where to look and what to look for. One thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/you-can-see-all-sorts-of-things-in-film-acting-if-you-know-where-to/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I was a repertory actor, which meant that I did a play every week. I was a different character every week; for a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-was-a-repertory-actor-which-meant-that-i-did-a-play-every-week-i/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [You start pretending to have fun, you might have a little by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/you-start-pretending-to-have-fun-you-might-have-a-little-by-accident/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [If you held a pistol at my head, I couldn't tell you who they're going to vote for Best Actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-you-held-a-pistol-at-my-head-i-couldn-t-tell-you-who-they-re-going/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I wear a baseball cap all the time, which I would never normally wear, and I walk very fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-wear-a-baseball-cap-all-the-time-which-i-would-never-normally-wear/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I've always loved reprehensible people because they're so much more interesting to play on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-ve-always-loved-reprehensible-people-because-they-re-so-much-more/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I want to stick around with the big boys. I don't want to be in the old folks home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-want-to-stick-around-with-the-big-boys-i-don-t-want-to-be-in-the/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [I've been on movies where I literally couldn't hear what the other actor was saying. It's very awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-ve-been-on-movies-where-i-literally-couldn-t-hear-what-the-other/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [My father was a fish market porter. So I grew up on fish, because he used to steal one a day, I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/my-father-was-a-fish-market-porter-so-i-grew-up-on-fish-because-he/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [The trouble with women? Elbows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/the-trouble-with-women-elbows/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) [Explore all 282 Michael Caine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) ## More Idea quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [I had an idea for a technologically advanced luxury watch. I got involved in digital art and neon painting and put on shows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/i-had-an-idea-for-a-technologically-advanced-luxury-watch-i-got/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [Everybody has a good idea, but nothing goes as planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-winklevoss/everybody-has-a-good-idea-but-nothing-goes-as-planned/) [Tyler Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-winklevoss/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/the-idea-with-a-collection-is-sort-of-to-begin-with-a-kind-of-bang/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [When there's a firestorm going on around you, you have very little idea of what's next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-quest/when-there-s-a-firestorm-going-on-around-you-you-have-very-little/) [Richard Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-quest/) > [The idea is not to copy nature, but to give a feeling of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-oudolf/the-idea-is-not-to-copy-nature-but-to-give-a-feeling-of-nature/) Piet Oudolf > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [You wind up creating from silence, like painting a picture on a blank canvas that could bring tears to somebody's eyes. As songwriters, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-atkins/you-wind-up-creating-from-silence-like-painting-a-picture-on-a-blank/) [Rodney Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-atkins/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [My mom had no idea she was having twins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brie-bella/my-mom-had-no-idea-she-was-having-twins/) [Brie Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brie-bella/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/when-i-was-12-years-old-i-went-to-natchitoches-la-it-was-summer/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [I get worked up over an 'idea' or the ethos of an idea. I follow dreams, take notes on travels, and engage in research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/i-get-worked-up-over-an-idea-or-the-ethos-of-an-idea-i-follow-dreams/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) [Browse all 4,953 Idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If someone is very upper-class, you have a stereotype of him which is probably true. If someone has a working-class accent, you have no idea who you're talking to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Caine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have-a-stereotype-of-him-which-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idea" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have-a-stereotype-of-him-which-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5af/michael-caine-1152_idea_if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have_3098549.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If someone is very upper-class, you have a stereotype of him which is probably true. If someone has a…” — Michael Caine", "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": "Michael Caine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If someone is very upper-class, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have-a-stereotype-of-him-which-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/if-someone-is-very-upper-class-you-have-a-stereotype-of-him-which-is/#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 } } ] } ```