--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm often surprised that, you know, you…" description: "\"I'm often surprised that, you know, you encounter all types of humanity. And very often, there are some very decent people who don't stereotype even wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg" --- # I'm often surprised that, you know, you encounter all… ![“I'm often surprised that, you know, you encounter all types of humanity. And very often, there are some very decent people who don't stereotype even when you might, in your own mind, have stereotyped them to think that they will.” quote by Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg) > “I'm often surprised that, you know, you encounter all types of humanity. And very often, there are some very decent people who don't stereotype even when you might, in your own mind, have stereotyped them to think that they will.” [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He observes diverse humanity and notes that many decent people defy stereotypes, challenging his own biases. **In simple terms:** People often defy stereotypes. Key Takeaway Question and revise your assumptions. Themes bias humanity stereotyping Mood introspective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - social interactions - community building - conflict resolution Key Concepts social cognition empathy Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront personal biases? - What experiences reveal unexpected decency? A Different Perspective Stereotypes are deeply ingrained and hard to overcome. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent/) [Decent people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent-people/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Decent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-decent-5604662/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Stereotyped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-stereotyped-918863/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stereotype](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype/) [Stereotype Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotype-mind-1882296/) [Stereotyped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotyped/) [Stereotyped Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotyped-think-5604661/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Type](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/type/) ## Related quotes > [I don't mind being stereotyped as angry - it's good to have a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-don-t-mind-being-stereotyped-as-angry-it-s-good-to-have-a-job/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I don't mind being stereotyped in some way and playing certain kinds of guys, but if I can find something to occasionally get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-don-t-mind-being-stereotyped-in-some-way-and-playing-certain-kinds/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [I had a stereotype in my mind of what a 'Star Trek' fans is, but I couldn't have been more wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/i-had-a-stereotype-in-my-mind-of-what-a-star-trek-fans-is-but-i/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [A lot of people that make films say, 'We need this kind of character. Who's done it before? Get them to do it again.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/a-lot-of-people-that-make-films-say-we-need-this-kind-of-character/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [When I was a teenager I felt like we were always being stereotyped as being really intense and dramatic and passionate and hopelessly romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-felt-like-we-were-always-being-stereotyped-as/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The glamorous roles have given me name, fame, success and independence but at the same time this image has worked against me as well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallika-sherawat/the-glamorous-roles-have-given-me-name-fame-success-and-independence/) [Mallika Sherawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallika-sherawat/) > [I am so stereotyped into being this Hollywood girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/i-am-so-stereotyped-into-being-this-hollywood-girl/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [We are stereotyped creatures, imitators and copiers of our past selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-stereotyped-creatures-imitators-and-copiers-of-our-past-selves/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“No one likes to be typecast or stereotyped, especially actors. But who would know Esther Williams without a swimming pool, Bela Lugosi without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-marg/no-one-likes-to-be-typecast-or-stereotyped-especially-actors-but-who/) [Susan Marg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-marg/) > [I think I have been stereotyped as an action director in Hollywood, so all I got were the action scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-woo/i-think-i-have-been-stereotyped-as-an-action-director-in-hollywood-so/) [John Woo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-woo/) > [It's almost comical that astronauts are stereotyped as daredevils and cowboys. As a rule, we're highly methodical and detail-oriented. Our passion isn't for thrills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/it-s-almost-comical-that-astronauts-are-stereotyped-as-daredevils-and/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [We get stereotyped as MMA fighters as being barbarian and trying to hurt people. A lot of us are college-educated, like myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bader/we-get-stereotyped-as-mma-fighters-as-being-barbarian-and-trying-to/) [Ryan Bader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bader/) > [At the end of the day we need to experiment and if we start being too cautious, we'll end up working with the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-need-to-experiment-and-if-we-start-being-too/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [No one gets stereotyped unless one wants to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sana-khan/no-one-gets-stereotyped-unless-one-wants-to/) [Sana Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sana-khan/) > [People give the South a bad rap. It's often stereotyped as backwards and close-minded and dogmatic, and all of those things have been true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/people-give-the-south-a-bad-rap-it-s-often-stereotyped-as-backwards/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## More by Mohsin Hamid > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“I met her eyes, and for the first time I perceived that there was something broken behind them, like a tiny crack in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-met-her-eyes-and-for-the-first-time-i-perceived-that-there-was/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“muscularity, made more pronounced by her gauntness, and the near-inanimate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/muscularity-made-more-pronounced-by-her-gauntness-and-the-near/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“In this group, everyone was foreign, and so, in a sense, no one was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/in-this-group-everyone-was-foreign-and-so-in-a-sense-no-one-was/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“It seemed to me then - and to be honest, sir, seems to me still - that America was engaged only in posturing. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seemed-to-me-then-and-to-be-honest-sir-seems-to-me-still-that/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [When the uncertain future becomes the past, the past in turn becomes uncertain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-uncertain-future-becomes-the-past-the-past-in-turn-becomes/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [When the machine of a human being is turned on, it seems to produce a protagonist, just as a television produces an image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-machine-of-a-human-being-is-turned-on-it-seems-to-produce-a/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I think fiction allows you to inhabit new domains and it's you, the reader living in that domain for a few days that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-fiction-allows-you-to-inhabit-new-domains-and-it-s-you-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Often, during my stay in your country, such comparisons troubled me. In fact, they did more than trouble me: they made me resentful. Four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/often-during-my-stay-in-your-country-such-comparisons-troubled-me-in/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Americans need to educate themselves, from elementary school onward, about what their country has done abroad. And they need to play a more active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/americans-need-to-educate-themselves-from-elementary-school-onward/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [I'm not a representative of Pakistan; I'm just an example that Pakistanis are different from each other. I believe it in my fiction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-not-a-representative-of-pakistan-i-m-just-an-example-that/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“end of a couple is like a death, and the notion of death, of temporariness, can remind us of the value of things,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/end-of-a-couple-is-like-a-death-and-the-notion-of-death-of/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [NYC doesn't have a big sign saying "You must love diversity and the rights of all people." And that's not what makes you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/nyc-doesn-t-have-a-big-sign-saying-you-must-love-diversity-and-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) [Explore all 361 Mohsin Hamid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## More Decent quotes > [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [As long as I can sing halfway decent, I'd rather sing than act. There's nothing like being in good voice, feeling good, having good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-keel/as-long-as-i-can-sing-halfway-decent-i-d-rather-sing-than-act-there-s/) [Howard Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-keel/) > [You weren't a decent man and you didn't do your best. We none of us were and none of us did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-weren-t-a-decent-man-and-you-didn-t-do-your-best-we-none-of-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Music and the arts feed our souls, but a decent wage puts food on the table. Musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/music-and-the-arts-feed-our-souls-but-a-decent-wage-puts-food-on-the/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [The 'key-log' which must be moved to release the evolutionary process for an ethic is simply this: quit thinking about decent land-use as solely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/land-ethic/the-key-log-which-must-be-moved-to-release-the-evolutionary-process/) [Land ethic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/land-ethic/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Every New Yorker spends a certain amount of nervous energy thinking, "How can I afford to stay here? What do I have to sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/every-new-yorker-spends-a-certain-amount-of-nervous-energy-thinking/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [It is something that most parents hope for in life: That their children will be moderately successful, polite, decent human beings. Anything on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-kramer/it-is-something-that-most-parents-hope-for-in-life-that-their/) [Jerry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-kramer/) > [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [takes a devil to make a decent angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-spanbauer/takes-a-devil-to-make-a-decent-angel/) [Tom Spanbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-spanbauer/) > [I guess the only thing to do now is meet his parents. I'm sure they're decent people. I mean they gotta be if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-guess-the-only-thing-to-do-now-is-meet-his-parents-i-m-sure-they-re/) [Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/) [Browse all 1,392 Decent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm often surprised that, you know, you encounter all types of humanity. And very often, there are some very decent people who don't stereotype even when you might, in your own mind, have stereotyped them to think that they will.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mohsin Hamid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-encounter-all-types-of-humanity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Decent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-encounter-all-types-of-humanity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/mohsin-hamid-798_decent_i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-en_1518142.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm often surprised that, you know, you encounter all types of humanity. And very often, there are some very…” — Mohsin Hamid", "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": "Mohsin Hamid", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm often surprised that, you know,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-encounter-all-types-of-humanity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-often-surprised-that-you-know-you-encounter-all-types-of-humanity/#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 } } ] } ```