Children Quote by Quentin S. Crisp
“As children in the seventies we were told about nebulous 'strangers'. By definition, we didn't know who these strangers were, and we didn't know what they wanted to do, but only that they were sinister. I think that was the stage the seventies were at.”
About This Quote
The quote reflects how vague fears are often projected onto unknown people, especially in a cultural era that labeled outsiders as dangerous without evidence.
In simple terms: People fear unknown others because of stereotypes.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions about “strangers.”
Themes
fear
stereotypes
culture
history
identity
Mood
anxious
reflective
Type
cautionary
observational
When to use this quote
- childhood
- political rhetoric
- media analysis
- community building
Key Concepts
social psychology
othering
media influence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we identify genuine threats versus imagined ones?
- What cultural factors shape our perception of strangers?
A Different Perspective
Not all unknown individuals are harmful; context matters.
![“Lots of things were there [in the seventies], in the social experience, but not quite named, lurking like a stranger on the edge of the playground.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/53d/quentin-s-crisp-4149_edges_lots-of-things-were-there-in-the-seventi_1995354.jpg)
![“If we do want to do that [ colonise space to survive, ], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c5/quentin-s-crisp-4149_enough_if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space_40648.jpg)
![“This is the strange thing about existing in time. As [Philip] Larkin puts it, "truly, though our element is time, we are not used to the strange perspectives open at each moment of our lives" - something like that.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/351/quentin-s-crisp-4149_elements_this-is-the-strange-thing-about-existing_83503.jpg)
![“[william] Burroughs, incidentally, took up the slogan that we are "Here to go", which contradicts the tendency in Eastern mysticism to advocate staying where you are because there's nowhere to go anyway. I feel conflicted on this one.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa0/quentin-s-crisp-4149_burroughs_william-burroughs-incidentally-took-up-t_122911.jpg)
![“I also remember a line from a song by Smog [Bill Callahan], which seems to describe the experience of a town-dweller moving to the country: "I was raised in a pit of snakes/Blink your eyes - I was raised on cake."” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/950/quentin-s-crisp-4149_bills_i-also-remember-a-line-from-a-song-by-sm_299534.jpg)
![“I really think [William] Burroughs was onto something here, when he said, "Dreams are a biologic necessity and your lifeline into space."” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d4b/quentin-s-crisp-4149_burroughs_i-really-think-william-burroughs-was-ont_464032.jpg)
