--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We inhabit a world in which we tend to…" description: "\"“We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through life wearing them like permanent sandwich b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg" --- # We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each… ![“We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through life wearing them like permanent sandwich boards.” quote by Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg) > ““We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through life wearing them like permanent sandwich boards.”” [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People label each other, treating those labels as permanent identities, which limits personal growth. **In simple terms:** Labels act like fixed signs that restrict us. Key Takeaway Avoid defining yourself solely by labels. Themes identity society labels Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - introducing yourself without titles - team-building exercises - self-reflection journals Key Concepts social categorization self-concept Questions to Reflect On - How do you feel when labeled? - What would happen if you ignored a label? A Different Perspective Labels can be useful for communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Douglas-adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/douglas-adams-2/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Wish you were here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-you-were-here/) ## Related quotes > [The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk inside their terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then-expect-you-to-talk-inside/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [If I could go back to my younger self, I'd be like, "Not everything's permanent."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/if-i-could-go-back-to-my-younger-self-i-d-be-like-not-everything-s/) [Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/) > [True love is like a permanent marker, it stays there forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica/true-love-is-like-a-permanent-marker-it-stays-there-forever/) [Erica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica/) > [I have come to believe that this life I'm wearing will never really fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-have-come-to-believe-that-this-life-i-m-wearing-will-never-really/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I just want to be known for the work I do, not my personal life or what I'm wearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-tomlinson/i-just-want-to-be-known-for-the-work-i-do-not-my-personal-life-or/) [Eleanor Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-tomlinson/) > [Life Is Like A Permanent Pen. You Can Cross Out Your Past, But You Can't Erase It..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/life-is-like-a-permanent-pen-you-can-cross-out-your-past-but-you-can/) Pacifiersucker > [There's nothing worse than looking as if you've tried too hard or preened to within an inch of your life. If I'm wearing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-nurding/there-s-nothing-worse-than-looking-as-if-you-ve-tried-too-hard-or/) [Louise Nurding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-nurding/) > [This is serious: some of the things that are supposed to last the rest of my life are already wearing out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/this-is-serious-some-of-the-things-that-are-supposed-to-last-the-rest/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [“I don't have a career, I don't have a family, and I don't know what to do next. I've been so determined to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-don-t-have-a-career-i-don-t-have-a-family-and-i-don-t-know-what-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“All right," said Ford. "How would you react if I said that I'm not from Guildford at all, but from a small planet somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/all-right-said-ford-how-would-you-react-if-i-said-that-i-m-not-from/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“There were so many different ways in which you were required to provide absolute proof of your identity these days that life could easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-were-so-many-different-ways-in-which-you-were-required-to/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“GENERAL NOTE TO MYSELF - Douglas Adams Writing isn’t so bad really when you get through the worry. Forget about the worry, just press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/general-note-to-myself-douglas-adams-writing-isn-t-so-bad-really-when/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“You are aware that what they do, they do for the world, and the results are, of course, magnificent. 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He died for humanity.” He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/no-her-eyes-were-like-chips-of-stone-he-died-because-the-telestines/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [“Jack Daniels. Damn, she broke out the good stuff for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/jack-daniels-damn-she-broke-out-the-good-stuff-for-him/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [“Dublin fleet will be more than sufficient to meet the threat.” “But … but that’s … that’s just mad!” The man looked flustered, his”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/dublin-fleet-will-be-more-than-sufficient-to-meet-the-threat-but-but/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [“long middle finger resembling a twig that it could use for probing for grubs. There is a telling example of convergent evolution when an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/long-middle-finger-resembling-a-twig-that-it-could-use-for-probing/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [“missed that place. Lavish, finely decorated,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/missed-that-place-lavish-finely-decorated/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [“that—too busy playing football. I figured someone was….” He trailed off. Isaacson glanced up. “Was what?” “Never mind. Need anything else, sir? I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/that-too-busy-playing-football-i-figured-someone-was-he-trailed-off/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [“The only dangerous thing about ignoramuses is when they vote for ignoramuses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/the-only-dangerous-thing-about-ignoramuses-is-when-they-vote-for/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) [Explore all 8 Nick Webb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) ## More Douglas-adams quotes > [“If natural selection can create creationists it can manage a caterpillar with a face on its arse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-stumpo/if-natural-selection-can-create-creationists-it-can-manage-a/) Zane Stumpo > [“Si los seres humanos no dejan de hacer ejercicio con los labios, su cerebro empieza a funcionar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/si-los-seres-humanos-no-dejan-de-hacer-ejercicio-con-los-labios-su/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“You are aware that what they do, they do for the world, and the results are, of course, magnificent. But when you . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/you-are-aware-that-what-they-do-they-do-for-the-world-and-the-results/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“GENERAL NOTE TO MYSELF - Douglas Adams Writing isn’t so bad really when you get through the worry. Forget about the worry, just press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/general-note-to-myself-douglas-adams-writing-isn-t-so-bad-really-when/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“There were so many different ways in which you were required to provide absolute proof of your identity these days that life could easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-were-so-many-different-ways-in-which-you-were-required-to/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“All right," said Ford. "How would you react if I said that I'm not from Guildford at all, but from a small planet somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/all-right-said-ford-how-would-you-react-if-i-said-that-i-m-not-from/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“After a moment or two a man in brown crimplene looked in at us, did not at all like the look of us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/after-a-moment-or-two-a-man-in-brown-crimplene-looked-in-at-us-did/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“If they were going to be like that, then I just wished they hadn't actually been German. It was too easy. Too obvious. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-they-were-going-to-be-like-that-then-i-just-wished-they-hadn-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“So, like I said, these are a bunch of really sweet guys, but you wouldn't want to share a Galaxy with them, not if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/so-like-i-said-these-are-a-bunch-of-really-sweet-guys-but-you-wouldn/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“There was once a point to this story, but it has temporarily escaped the chronicler’s mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-was-once-a-point-to-this-story-but-it-has-temporarily-escaped/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“I wonder who this ship belongs to anyway," said Arthur. "Me," said Zaphod. "No. Who it really belongs to." "Really me," insisted Zaphod. 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He wasn't certain whether he had just got space-sickness or religion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/arthur-lay-in-startled-stillness-on-the-acceleration-couch-he-wasn-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“A história de todas as grandes civilizações galácticas tende a passar por três fases distintas e identificáveis: a da Sobrevivência, a da Interrogação e…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/a-hist-ria-de-todas-as-grandes-civiliza-es-gal-cticas-tende-a-passar/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“At that moment the dull sound of a rumbling crash from outside filtered through the low murmur of the pub, through the sound of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/at-that-moment-the-dull-sound-of-a-rumbling-crash-from-outside/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Browse all 15 Douglas-adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/douglas-adams-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through life wearing them like permanent sandwich boards.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Webb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-put-labels-on-each-other-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Douglas-adams" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-put-labels-on-each-other-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/632/nick-webb-46450_douglas-adams_we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-p_1933312.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through…” — Nick Webb", "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": "Nick Webb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We inhabit a world in which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-put-labels-on-each-other-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-put-labels-on-each-other-and/#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 } } ] } ```