--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was nothing around me that would…" description: "\"There was nothing around me that would have given me heroes who happened to be Black. And I don't think anybody can understand how that feels, unless y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/paterson-joseph-6527_difficult_there-was-nothing-around-me-that-would-h_2866563.jpg" --- # There was nothing around me that would have given me… ![“There was nothing around me that would have given me heroes who happened to be Black. And I don't think anybody can understand how that feels, unless you are that person. It's very difficult to understand what it's like to be shut out of a narrative.” quote by Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/paterson-joseph-6527_difficult_there-was-nothing-around-me-that-would-h_2866563.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/paterson-joseph-6527_difficult_there-was-nothing-around-me-that-would-h_2866563.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/paterson-joseph-6527_difficult_there-was-nothing-around-me-that-would-h_2866563.jpg) > “There was nothing around me that would have given me heroes who happened to be Black. And I don't think anybody can understand how that feels, unless you are that person. It's very difficult to understand what it's like to be shut out of a narrative.” [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects on the lack of Black representation in media and how it isolates individuals, making their experiences hard for others to grasp. **In simple terms:** Feeling excluded from mainstream stories because of race. Key Takeaway Seek diverse narratives and amplify underrepresented voices. Themes identity representation racial equity media empathy Mood thoughtful reflective Type social cultural When to use this quote - education - film - publishing - community organizing - policy making Key Concepts systemic exclusion cultural visibility personal alienation Questions to Reflect On - What stories are missing from your community? - How can you support inclusive storytelling? A Different Perspective Changing narratives takes time and institutional resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult To Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-to-understand/) [Given Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-heroes-3898883/) [Happened Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-black-1517880/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Heroes Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-happened-2793808/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Shut Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shut-narrative-3898882/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [Heroes didn't win. The heroes were whoever happened to win. History told their story -- the dead didn't say a word. All of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/heroes-didn-t-win-the-heroes-were-whoever-happened-to-win-history/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to any of your heroes. Become what you wish to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/you-have-exactly-the-same-number-of-hours-per-day-that-were-given-to/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [One of the worst things that happened to black people in America historically is integration. People ask me why I say that and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-banner/one-of-the-worst-things-that-happened-to-black-people-in-america/) [David Banner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-banner/) > [Actually I don't remember being born, it must have happened during one of my black outs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/actually-i-don-t-remember-being-born-it-must-have-happened-during-one/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [I was a player who was vying to do exactly what everyone else was doing, and I happened to be black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-adams/i-was-a-player-who-was-vying-to-do-exactly-what-everyone-else-was/) [Katrina Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-adams/) > [Somebody once said to me after I'd done "Deep Impact," "What is it like to play a Black president," and I said, "I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/somebody-once-said-to-me-after-i-d-done-deep-impact-what-is-it-like/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [“What have you done to my dairy?” he said. “What happened to the Black Hole of Calcutta I was saving for the setting of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/what-have-you-done-to-my-dairy-he-said-what-happened-to-the-black/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [Actually I dont remember being born, it must have happened during one of my black outs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/actually-i-dont-remember-being-born-it-must-have-happened-during-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So, I was sitting there and I watched 'Paranormal Activity' and I was like, 'Boy, white people do dumb stuff in movies.' So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/so-i-was-sitting-there-and-i-watched-paranormal-activity-and-i-was/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [Michael Brown happened to be black. Trayvon Martin happened to be black. Eric Garner was a black man. So this pattern continues over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lacy-clay-jr/michael-brown-happened-to-be-black-trayvon-martin-happened-to-be/) [William Lacy Clay, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lacy-clay-jr/) > [Weirdly enough, the best thing that ever happened to black people in the last twenty or thirty years was the O.J. Simpson verdict because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/weirdly-enough-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-black-people-in/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [The British had this idea they were heroes in the anti-slavery movement but they also were beneficiaries of the slavery trade. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/the-british-had-this-idea-they-were-heroes-in-the-anti-slavery/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [Most profoundly deaf people have speech that is very difficult to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/most-profoundly-deaf-people-have-speech-that-is-very-difficult-to/) [Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/) > [We are different. We are equal in every way but our voices are important to each other and our need to want to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/we-are-different-we-are-equal-in-every-way-but-our-voices-are/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [“One of Nature's deep secrets is the fact that the outcomes of the laws of Nature do not have to possess the same symmetries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/one-of-nature-s-deep-secrets-is-the-fact-that-the-outcomes-of-the/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) ## More by Paterson Joseph > [We must have belief in BAME artists and have total trust in their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/we-must-have-belief-in-bame-artists-and-have-total-trust-in-their-work/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [It takes a long time to shoot 'Peep Show' whenever I do a scene - that's probably why I don't do much stuff on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/it-takes-a-long-time-to-shoot-peep-show-whenever-i-do-a-scene-that-s/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [It's essential for people to socialise with each other, to play games, to open up, to role-play. It brings empathy and that is vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/it-s-essential-for-people-to-socialise-with-each-other-to-play-games/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [I'm not a big movie-watcher, but I do watch quite a bit of TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-m-not-a-big-movie-watcher-but-i-do-watch-quite-a-bit-of-tv/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [My career started off very well in classical theatre, a genre that I shouldn't perhaps have done so well in. As a result it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/my-career-started-off-very-well-in-classical-theatre-a-genre-that-i/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [I'm not a gambler. And I don't approve of gambling unless it's for the Grand National.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-m-not-a-gambler-and-i-don-t-approve-of-gambling-unless-it-s-for-the/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [I mean, ethnic is a meaningless term because everybody thinks it means brown or something, but actually, we're all ethnic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/i-mean-ethnic-is-a-meaningless-term-because-everybody-thinks-it-means/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [When I got to secondary school I copped out and started bunking off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/when-i-got-to-secondary-school-i-copped-out-and-started-bunking-off/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [People who are racist, they love, they laugh, they are committed to their family and their friends. They're human beings. This is what's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/people-who-are-racist-they-love-they-laugh-they-are-committed-to/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [You can transform somebody just by telling them, 'I'm listening.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/you-can-transform-somebody-just-by-telling-them-i-m-listening/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [That's the mentality of the soldier. You act on order, not on your own cognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/that-s-the-mentality-of-the-soldier-you-act-on-order-not-on-your-own/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [One of the excuses used for not casting culturally different actors is authenticity. But theater is not documentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/one-of-the-excuses-used-for-not-casting-culturally-different-actors/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [When I was 14 I was really taciturn - I hardly said a word - but then I auditioned for Shylock. With Shakespeare's words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/when-i-was-14-i-was-really-taciturn-i-hardly-said-a-word-but-then-i/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [Great African-American stars who can command major theatre and film roles in successful international projects are not uncommon: James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, Halle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/great-african-american-stars-who-can-command-major-theatre-and-film/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [The black presence in our British history has sometimes wilfully, sometimes neglectfully, been whitewashed out of our national tale. This is not only deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/the-black-presence-in-our-british-history-has-sometimes-wilfully/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) [Explore all 99 Paterson Joseph quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. 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She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) [Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was nothing around me that would have given me heroes who happened to be Black. And I don't think anybody can understand how that feels, unless you are that person. 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