--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's always that sense of because…" description: "\"There's always that sense of because we're so racially defined, if you're trying to cross the boundaries you don't fit into any particular space.\" — Mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg" --- # There's always that sense of because we're so racially… ![“There's always that sense of because we're so racially defined, if you're trying to cross the boundaries you don't fit into any particular space.” quote by Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg) > “There's always that sense of because we're so racially defined, if you're trying to cross the boundaries you don't fit into any particular space.” [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Racial categories limit belonging; crossing them leaves one feeling out of place. **In simple terms:** Racial labels can trap people, making it hard to fit in. Key Takeaway Acknowledge fluid identities beyond fixed categories. Themes identity race belonging fluidity Mood thoughtful reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - workplace diversity training - community dialogues - personal reflection - policy advocacy Key Concepts social constructs intersectionality self‑definition Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions support fluid identities? - What personal steps help navigate crossing boundaries? A Different Perspective Not all individuals experience such rigid boundaries; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [Music is meant to cross boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-draiman/music-is-meant-to-cross-boundaries/) [David Draiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-draiman/) > [Living with my mom, I saw how she used language to cross boundaries, handle situations, navigate the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/living-with-my-mom-i-saw-how-she-used-language-to-cross-boundaries/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“We have a racially based justice system that overpunishes, fails to rehabilitate, and doesn't make us safer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/we-have-a-racially-based-justice-system-that-overpunishes-fails-to/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“If God didn't want me to cross boundaries, then he wouldn't have made me a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-god-didn-t-want-me-to-cross-boundaries-then-he-wouldn-t-have-made/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Working with students and families from diverse class backgrounds, I am constantly amazed at how difficult it is to cross boundaries in this white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/working-with-students-and-families-from-diverse-class-backgrounds-i/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [“And this is one of the major questions of our lives: how we keep boundaries, what permission we have to cross boundaries, and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-this-is-one-of-the-major-questions-of-our-lives-how-we-keep-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And this is one of the major questions of our lives: how we keep boundaries, what permission we have to cross boundaries, and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/and-this-is-one-of-the-major-questions-of-our-lives-how-we-keep/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [Traveling is one expression of the desire to cross boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/traveling-is-one-expression-of-the-desire-to-cross-boundaries/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [To realize truth, you must cross all boundaries of all religions and all prophets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/to-realize-truth-you-must-cross-all-boundaries-of-all-religions-and/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [Just as sport can, art has the capacity to cross so many boundaries like education, race and religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-wolff/just-as-sport-can-art-has-the-capacity-to-cross-so-many-boundaries/) [Susie Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-wolff/) > [“Virtues and vices, pleasures and pains cross boundaries at will”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/virtues-and-vices-pleasures-and-pains-cross-boundaries-at-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I keep my hip-hop as hip-hop, my R&B as R&B and my pop as pop. The ability to cross those boundaries and do all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-storch/i-keep-my-hip-hop-as-hip-hop-my-r-b-as-r-b-and-my-pop-as-pop-the/) [Scott Storch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-storch/) > [“Sometimes you have to cross the boundaries of Death in order to discover the meaning of Life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-g-bowers/sometimes-you-have-to-cross-the-boundaries-of-death-in-order-to/) [B.G. Bowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-g-bowers/) > [Not to intermarry racially is bad for the survival of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-sarkozy/not-to-intermarry-racially-is-bad-for-the-survival-of-the-country/) [Nicolas Sarkozy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-sarkozy/) > [“It’s hard to cross boundaries at first, especially if there’s pain in your past. And who among us escapes pain?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lemmon/it-s-hard-to-cross-boundaries-at-first-especially-if-there-s-pain-in/) Jessica Lemmon ## More by Michael Emerson > [It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [Call-and-response style, yes, exactly. So whenever different groups get together then there has to be this long period of negotiation. How will we worship?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/call-and-response-style-yes-exactly-so-whenever-different-groups-get/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I think people respond to villains because people in general are more villainous than heroic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-think-people-respond-to-villains-because-people-in-general-are-more/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [So you find a lot of these sixth Americans congregate in these interracial congregations. They hang out together at work, at school, wherever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/so-you-find-a-lot-of-these-sixth-americans-congregate-in-these/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [There are roles that are terrifying because they're large or you may feel that they're out of your line, but I'm never terrified once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-are-roles-that-are-terrifying-because-they-re-large-or-you-may/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [We do not have an American culture. We have a white American culture and a black American culture. So when those two groups try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/we-do-not-have-an-american-culture-we-have-a-white-american-culture/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I think of myself as a problem-solver. I want to go in and help the director and the writer to get the best they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-think-of-myself-as-a-problem-solver-i-want-to-go-in-and-help-the/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [But what we found in the study is that churches are ten times less diverse than the neighborhoods they sit in. So there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/but-what-we-found-in-the-study-is-that-churches-are-ten-times-less/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [And different traditions stress different - so then there's that. I talked to an African American who says before she goes into an interracial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/and-different-traditions-stress-different-so-then-there-s-that-i/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I think it's easier, I really do, because of not having that similar history, so that's why I think two-thirds of these mixed congregations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-think-it-s-easier-i-really-do-because-of-not-having-that-similar/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [There are three things, and it depends on the group that we're talking about, but there's history, there's culture, and then there's social networks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-are-three-things-and-it-depends-on-the-group-that-we-re-talking/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I ask the clergy why don't I see myself represented in leadership? And I'm told, and this happens quite a bit, "We don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-ask-the-clergy-why-don-t-i-see-myself-represented-in-leadership-and/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I was a magazine illustrator for many years before I became an actor, and I used to think, 'Oh, God, all those wasted years!'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-was-a-magazine-illustrator-for-many-years-before-i-became-an-actor/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [We go where our family goes. We go where our friends are, and because our social networks are so segregated by race, we end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/we-go-where-our-family-goes-we-go-where-our-friends-are-and-because/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [This is this thing I harp on: Sometimes acting can be a self-defeating psychological enterprise if we feel like we're desperate, if we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/this-is-this-thing-i-harp-on-sometimes-acting-can-be-a-self-defeating/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) [Explore all 108 Michael Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) ## More Boundaries quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [Working against a restriction - for me - often produces greater things than getting rid of all boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lord/working-against-a-restriction-for-me-often-produces-greater-things/) [Jon Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lord/) > [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) [Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's always that sense of because we're so racially defined, if you're trying to cross the boundaries you don't fit into any particular space.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Emerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we-re-so-racially-defined-if-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boundaries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we-re-so-racially-defined-if-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/michael-emerson-4622_boundaries_there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we_1828138.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's always that sense of because we're so racially defined, if you're trying to cross the boundaries you…” — Michael Emerson", "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 Emerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's always that sense of because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we-re-so-racially-defined-if-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-s-always-that-sense-of-because-we-re-so-racially-defined-if-you/#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 } } ] } ```