--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be culturally literate, because if you…" description: "\"Be culturally literate, because if you don't have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture you live in, you're not going to express a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png" --- # Be culturally literate, because if you don't have any… ![“Be culturally literate, because if you don't have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture you live in, you're not going to express anything to anybody else.” quote by Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png) > “Be culturally literate, because if you don't have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture you live in, you're not going to express anything to anybody else.” [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding diverse cultures is essential for meaningful communication and expression. **In simple terms:** Cultural knowledge enables effective expression. Key Takeaway Learn about other cultures. Themes culture communication education Mood curious informed Type educational reflective When to use this quote - travel - writing - design - teaching Key Concepts anthropology media studies Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural literacy improve your work? - What steps deepen cultural understanding? A Different Perspective Cultural appropriation risks misrepresentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I like to think I'm generally accessible, but I give readers the benefit of the doubt of being reasonably culturally-literate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alonso-duralde/i-like-to-think-i-m-generally-accessible-but-i-give-readers-the/) [Alonso Duralde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alonso-duralde/) > [I think it's important for all culturally literate people to understand the technological substrate of new developments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-think-it-s-important-for-all-culturally-literate-people-to/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [I wish we could see understanding the First World War as a European issue, or even a global one, and not a nationalistic one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/i-wish-we-could-see-understanding-the-first-world-war-as-a-european/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Literature provides us with experiences it would not be wise or possible to introduce into our own world and thus enlarges our understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rosenblatt/literature-provides-us-with-experiences-it-would-not-be-wise-or/) [Louise Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rosenblatt/) > [ “\[...\] science carries us towards an understanding of how the world is, rather than how we would wish it to be \[...\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-carries-us-towards-an-understanding-of-how-the-world-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The proper route to an understanding of the world is an examination of our errors about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/the-proper-route-to-an-understanding-of-the-world-is-an-examination/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [Now he began to see for the first time the unbelievable magnitude of what man, when he gained power to understand and rule the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/now-he-began-to-see-for-the-first-time-the-unbelievable-magnitude-of/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [“An author's ultimate reward is expanding mankind's understanding of our world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mathews/an-author-s-ultimate-reward-is-expanding-mankind-s-understanding-of/) Richard Mathews > [Ellis's understanding of himself and the world around him certainly develops because of his adventures, and part of that development comes through recognizing other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mahy/ellis-s-understanding-of-himself-and-the-world-around-him-certainly/) [Margaret Mahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mahy/) > [Those who wish to change the world should have the best possible understanding of the world, including what is revealed by the sciences, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/those-who-wish-to-change-the-world-should-have-the-best-possible/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Architecture is about the understanding of the world and turning it into a more meaningful and humane place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juhani-pallasmaa/architecture-is-about-the-understanding-of-the-world-and-turning-it/) [Juhani Pallasmaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juhani-pallasmaa/) > [Books are key to understanding the world and participating in a democratic society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-are-key-to-understanding-the-world-and-participating-in-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“As your perspective of the world increases not only is the pain it inflicts on you less but also its meaning. Understanding the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/as-your-perspective-of-the-world-increases-not-only-is-the-pain-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [A worldview is simply someone's relatively organized understanding of what the world is actually like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-koukl/a-worldview-is-simply-someone-s-relatively-organized-understanding-of/) [Greg Koukl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-koukl/) > [From early childhood, I was interested in understanding how the world worked, and assumed I would be some kind of physical scientist or chemist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-laberge/from-early-childhood-i-was-interested-in-understanding-how-the-world/) [Stephen LaBerge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-laberge/) ## More by Paula Scher > [Your work gets destroyed by dumb people and it gets enhanced by smart people and it really doesn't have anything to do with marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/your-work-gets-destroyed-by-dumb-people-and-it-gets-enhanced-by-smart/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [What makes me say "wow" is usually something I haven't encountered, in a new way... something I haven't encountered before or something I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/what-makes-me-say-wow-is-usually-something-i-haven-t-encountered-in-a/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I find that I'm at my least creative point when I am doing something that I've done in repetition and I know all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-find-that-i-m-at-my-least-creative-point-when-i-am-doing-something/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I think Apple is a wonderful example of spectacular marketing and I love having my iPod. There are the naysayers who say that "nyah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-think-apple-is-a-wonderful-example-of-spectacular-marketing-and-i/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I've become much more interested in architecture than I've ever been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-ve-become-much-more-interested-in-architecture-than-i-ve-ever-been/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Some people are in stultifying environments where there are rigid rules and rituals and they need that to thrive, where other people are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/some-people-are-in-stultifying-environments-where-there-are-rigid/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Planning is design. As a designer what I tend to do, and what's different from being a painter, is that I interact with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/planning-is-design-as-a-designer-what-i-tend-to-do-and-what-s/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Great design is serious, not solemn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/great-design-is-serious-not-solemn/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I love that the level of mediocrity rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-love-that-the-level-of-mediocrity-rises/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Words have meaning, type has spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/words-have-meaning-type-has-spirit/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Beige is the color of indecision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/beige-is-the-color-of-indecision/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [To me what really matters is that it shouldn't matter to you what day of the week it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/to-me-what-really-matters-is-that-it-shouldn-t-matter-to-you-what-day/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [If people that made products didn't market them and sell them we'd have no economy and nobody would be working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/if-people-that-made-products-didn-t-market-them-and-sell-them-we-d/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Planning involves considering how other people may use something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/planning-involves-considering-how-other-people-may-use-something/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I'm most proud of the fact that I get to keep growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-m-most-proud-of-the-fact-that-i-get-to-keep-growing/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) [Explore all 87 Paula Scher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) ## More Culture quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) [Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Be culturally literate, because if you don't have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture you live in, you're not going to express anything to anybody else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula Scher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-don-t-have-any-understanding-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Culture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-don-t-have-any-understanding-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbb/paula-scher-7840_culture_be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-do_2440385.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Be culturally literate, because if you don't have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture…” — Paula Scher", "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": "Paula Scher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Be culturally literate, because if you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-don-t-have-any-understanding-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/be-culturally-literate-because-if-you-don-t-have-any-understanding-of/#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 } } ] } ```