--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's easier for the former masters to put…" description: "\"It's easier for the former masters to put aside the masks that hid their humanity than for the former slaves to recognise the faces underneath. Or to t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76e/nadine-gordimer-3358_easier_it-s-easier-for-the-former-masters-to-pu_653067.jpg" --- # It's easier for the former masters to put aside the masks… ![“It's easier for the former masters to put aside the masks that hid their humanity than for the former slaves to recognise the faces underneath. Or to trust that this is not a new mask these are wearing.” quote by Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76e/nadine-gordimer-3358_easier_it-s-easier-for-the-former-masters-to-pu_653067.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76e/nadine-gordimer-3358_easier_it-s-easier-for-the-former-masters-to-pu_653067.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76e/nadine-gordimer-3358_easier_it-s-easier-for-the-former-masters-to-pu_653067.jpg) > “It's easier for the former masters to put aside the masks that hid their humanity than for the former slaves to recognise the faces underneath. Or to trust that this is not a new mask these are wearing.” [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Former oppressors can more readily abandon their false personas than former victims can see the true identities behind them, or trust they aren't adopting new disguises. **In simple terms:** Oppressors shed masks easier than victims recognize true faces. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about identity and trust. Themes power identity trust postcolonial psychology Mood reflective critical hopeful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - political reconciliation - personal therapy - social justice work - community building Key Concepts masking self‑perception colonial legacy Questions to Reflect On - How do masks affect our perception of others? - Can trust be rebuilt after oppression? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook the agency of formerly oppressed individuals to reclaim identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mask/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves/) ## Related quotes > [“It may, perhaps, be fairly questioned, whether any other portion of the population of the earth could have endured the privations, sufferings and horrors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/it-may-perhaps-be-fairly-questioned-whether-any-other-portion-of-the/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [To be free is to put justice, truth and service to others over and above our personal gain or our need for recognition, power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/to-be-free-is-to-put-justice-truth-and-service-to-others-over-and/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [I have had a few people recognize me in public. 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