--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems an obvious thing to say, but you…" description: "\"It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Am..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg" --- # It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not… ![“It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Americans are all undercover assassins.” quote by Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg) > “It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Americans are all undercover assassins.” [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. Avoid stereotyping entire nations; recognize individual diversity within groups. **In simple terms:** Don’t generalize people by nationality. Key Takeaway Practice empathy and avoid blanket assumptions. Themes culture stereotypes humanity Mood thoughtful empathetic Type reflective educational When to use this quote - multicultural classrooms - media reporting guidelines - community dialogues Key Concepts identity globalization social bias Questions to Reflect On - How can we challenge our own biases? - What stories illustrate individual complexity? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can still influence perceptions despite awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assassins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassins/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) ## Related quotes > [“The media called us ruthless terrorists. We're not. We're just fighting for what's right. Being born a nought shouldn't automatically slam shut myriad doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malorie-blackman/the-media-called-us-ruthless-terrorists-we-re-not-we-re-just-fighting/) [Malorie Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malorie-blackman/) > [Instead, the terrorists see just what they were hoping for, our unity gone, our resolve shaken, our leaders distracted. In short, they see weakness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/instead-the-terrorists-see-just-what-they-were-hoping-for-our-unity/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [We are opinionated society. We're very happy to spout forth our own views; we're not good about listening. We have to listen to other's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-are-opinionated-society-we-re-very-happy-to-spout-forth-our-own/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I think the terrorists are just idiots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-madden/i-think-the-terrorists-are-just-idiots/) [Joel Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-madden/) > [At first it was interesting, we worked with the military to identify people susceptible to radicalization, but then Steve Bannon approached us and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wylie/at-first-it-was-interesting-we-worked-with-the-military-to-identify/) [Christopher Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wylie/) > [In fact, the place where we have indicted more terrorists or potential terrorists, is our Northern border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/in-fact-the-place-where-we-have-indicted-more-terrorists-or-potential/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [The most extreme individuals and factions in Islamic countries are now more motivated than ever to kill Americans, and the number of potential terrorists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/the-most-extreme-individuals-and-factions-in-islamic-countries-are/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [We save limited resources in terms of who we are physically screening. The approach will allow us to pay more attention to those potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-save-limited-resources-in-terms-of-who-we-are-physically-screening/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Domestic terrorism has opened new war zones, operating off the assumption that all Americans are potential terrorists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/domestic-terrorism-has-opened-new-war-zones-operating-off-the/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [A good undercover agent stays as close to the truth as possible, as close to your own personality and your own values as possible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-pistone/a-good-undercover-agent-stays-as-close-to-the-truth-as-possible-as/) [Joseph D. Pistone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-d-pistone/) > [When you're undercover you try to stay as true to your identity as you are. You know who you are, and you know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/when-you-re-undercover-you-try-to-stay-as-true-to-your-identity-as/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) > [I've always dreamt of having some sort of undercover job. I think it's probably the coolest thing in the world, but ultimately a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-ve-always-dreamt-of-having-some-sort-of-undercover-job-i-think-it-s/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [“He's one of the good guys,' she always said.'Just sometimes he's working undercover”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/he-s-one-of-the-good-guys-she-always-said-just-sometimes-he-s-working/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“I clearly was not cut out for undercover work; we hadn’t even gone two blocks before Trace realized he had a tail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-fiore/i-clearly-was-not-cut-out-for-undercover-work-we-hadn-t-even-gone-two/) [L.A. Fiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-fiore/) > [Doing 'White Collar,' quite often my character goes undercover, so therein lies the compounding of the imagination. I get to play Peter Burke and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dekay/doing-white-collar-quite-often-my-character-goes-undercover-so/) [Tim DeKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dekay/) ## 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 Assassins quotes > [This is really good,” Donovan Caine said, attacking his third strawberry pancake. “You sound surprised,” I said. He shrugged. “I just didn’t think an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/this-is-really-good-donovan-caine-said-attacking-his-third-strawberry/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [“Some people loathe the act of killing a person at first, but as they continue to do it, it can feel like a game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/some-people-loathe-the-act-of-killing-a-person-at-first-but-as-they/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [Treacherous assassins, enemies of the people, and worthy of everyone's ridicule are those who, under the pretext of guiding future generations, teach them an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/treacherous-assassins-enemies-of-the-people-and-worthy-of-everyone-s/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) > [“They are the Emperor's spies, his eyes and ears. And occasionally his assassins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-moeller/they-are-the-emperor-s-spies-his-eyes-and-ears-and-occasionally-his/) [Jonathan Moeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-moeller/) > [Yes Rosalie, we all know how proficient of an assassin you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/yes-rosalie-we-all-know-how-proficient-of-an-assassin-you-are/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Nixon's own protection from the assassin's bullet... nattering nabobs of negativism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiro-t-agnew/nixon-s-own-protection-from-the-assassin-s-bullet-nattering-nabobs-of/) [Spiro T. Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spiro-t-agnew/) > ['The Assassins' Gate' is a very tightly controlled story of the ideas that led to the war and the consequences of those ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-assassins-gate-is-a-very-tightly-controlled-story-of-the-ideas/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Procrastination is attitude's natural assassin. There's nothing so fatiguing as an uncompleted task](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/procrastination-is-attitude-s-natural-assassin-there-s-nothing-so/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Are you suggesting I’m not normal? (Nykyrian) Oh yeah, baby, you ooze normality. From the top of that assassin’s braid to the tip of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/are-you-suggesting-i-m-not-normal-nykyrian-oh-yeah-baby-you-ooze/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Agents of disruption, subversion, sabotage and disinformation tunnelers and smugglers, listeners and forgers, trainers and recruiters and talent spotters and couriers and watchers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/agents-of-disruption-subversion-sabotage-and-disinformation-tunnelers/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Ananna of Tanarau is a delightfully irascible heroine, inhabiting a fascinating and fresh new world that I would love to spend more time in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-kiernan/ananna-of-tanarau-is-a-delightfully-irascible-heroine-inhabiting-a/) [Celine Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-kiernan/) > [If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptly-it-is-then-fully-apt-since/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Some people perceive me as an assassin or at least someone who can slip under your guard with a knife. But if you watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/some-people-perceive-me-as-an-assassin-or-at-least-someone-who-can/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [The CW is a very fashion-oriented network and they like their stars to look a certain way. I like that, but at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-q/the-cw-is-a-very-fashion-oriented-network-and-they-like-their-stars/) [Maggie Q](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-q/) > [The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-terrorists-do-not-understand-america-the-american-people-do-not/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) [Browse all 234 Assassins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassins/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Americans are all undercover assassins.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mohsin Hamid" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you-should-not-imagine-that-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assassins" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you-should-not-imagine-that-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/mohsin-hamid-798_assassins_it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you_1490259.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seems an obvious thing to say, but you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential…” — 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": "It seems an obvious thing to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you-should-not-imagine-that-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seems-an-obvious-thing-to-say-but-you-should-not-imagine-that-we/#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 } } ] } ```