--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Foisting an identity on people rather…" description: "\"Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them the freedom and space to create their own is shady.\" — Raquel Cepeda" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png" --- # Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them… ![“Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them the freedom and space to create their own is shady.” quote by Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png) > “Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them the freedom and space to create their own is shady.” [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imposing identities restricts autonomy, stifling personal growth and authentic self‑creation. **In simple terms:** Forcing identities limits freedom. Key Takeaway Allow people to define themselves. Themes autonomy identity freedom Mood thoughtful critical Type sociological motivational When to use this quote - education - workplace - social media - political discourse Key Concepts social constructivism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we support self‑definition? - What risks arise from labeling others? A Different Perspective People may resist imposed labels, causing conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [True democracy is allowing freedom for others even though it reduces ones own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/true-democracy-is-allowing-freedom-for-others-even-though-it-reduces/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [allowing freedom to others brings freedom to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/allowing-freedom-to-others-brings-freedom-to-ourselves/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Our pro-jobs, pro-growth economic agenda is paying off for New Hampshire families, allowing them the freedom to spend their money as they see fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sununu/our-pro-jobs-pro-growth-economic-agenda-is-paying-off-for-new/) [Chris Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sununu/) > [When you find your authentic self, your identity - your true identity - how many people work a job they hate or live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/when-you-find-your-authentic-self-your-identity-your-true-identity/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [Music, especially as an adolescent, helps to build identity because that's when people start developing a sense of self. You can kind of tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/music-especially-as-an-adolescent-helps-to-build-identity-because/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Having to stake out your identity and have people question whether or not you're being yourself was a tension that I could relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-rees/having-to-stake-out-your-identity-and-have-people-question-whether-or/) [Dee Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-rees/) > [The great thing about the story of 'Twilight', or the story of 'I Am Number Four' is that you get to deal with real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/the-great-thing-about-the-story-of-twilight-or-the-story-of-i-am/) [Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/) > [Our relations with others are not external. They enter into our very identity. And that's why people struggle with them so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/our-relations-with-others-are-not-external-they-enter-into-our-very/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“This book is about racial identity, something most people who are not white take for granted. They come to it early, feel it strongly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-taylor/this-book-is-about-racial-identity-something-most-people-who-are-not/) [Jared Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-taylor/) > [I don't think the people run to the polls and vote simply on the basis of identity. Yes, it is a factor, of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuano/i-don-t-think-the-people-run-to-the-polls-and-vote-simply-on-the/) [Michael Capuano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuano/) > [Everybody tends to merge his identity with other people at the speed of light. It's called being mass man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/everybody-tends-to-merge-his-identity-with-other-people-at-the-speed/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [So many people go through life, and they never deal with their own issues, no matter what the issues are - ours happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlyn-jenner/so-many-people-go-through-life-and-they-never-deal-with-their-own/) [Caitlyn Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlyn-jenner/) > [That's definitely something I've experienced my whole life - people thinking one thing and then discovering that I'm not, hopefully. So I relate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kravitz/that-s-definitely-something-i-ve-experienced-my-whole-life-people/) [Zoe Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kravitz/) > [I do not want to waste time in proving my identity to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atishi/i-do-not-want-to-waste-time-in-proving-my-identity-to-people/) [Atishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atishi/) > [I'm not sure how each one of us sees ourselves in the band, but we're being part of this ritual of identity where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joselo-rangel/i-m-not-sure-how-each-one-of-us-sees-ourselves-in-the-band-but-we-re/) [Joselo Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joselo-rangel/) ## More by Raquel Cepeda > [Janet Mock's honest and sometimes searing journey is a rare and important look into la vida liminal, one that she manages to negotiate remarkably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/janet-mock-s-honest-and-sometimes-searing-journey-is-a-rare-and/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“She looks like an empty shell of a woman with her soul hovering above her. We believe in spiritual guías in Santo Domingo. Hers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/she-looks-like-an-empty-shell-of-a-woman-with-her-soul-hovering-above/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [This thing I am feeling, I’m almost certain, is the closest I’ll ever come to standing somewhere in between truth and reconciliation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/this-thing-i-am-feeling-i-m-almost-certain-is-the-closest-i-ll-ever/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“Listen kid, it’s just you and me now, so let’s help each other out. Always be honest with me, and show me how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/listen-kid-it-s-just-you-and-me-now-so-let-s-help-each-other-out/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“Perhaps finding out that we carry New World history in our genes will transcend racial checkboxes altogether and enable Latino-Americans to rethink what America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/perhaps-finding-out-that-we-carry-new-world-history-in-our-genes-will/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Paradise is a state of being, more than just the name of a suburb or a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/paradise-is-a-state-of-being-more-than-just-the-name-of-a-suburb-or-a/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Women destroy me. I allow them to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/women-destroy-me-i-allow-them-to/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“The tension between people is palpable, and the ideal of what it means to be and look American becomes a preoccupation to folks around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-tension-between-people-is-palpable-and-the-ideal-of-what-it-means/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [The things that come to us easily, our propensities, are carried on a deep subconscious level into our next life. There are no coincidences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-things-that-come-to-us-easily-our-propensities-are-carried-on-a/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [The truth is usually left for us to hunt and gather independently, if we are so inclined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-truth-is-usually-left-for-us-to-hunt-and-gather-independently-if/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [The past is buried deep within the ground in Rabat, although the ancient walls in the old city are still standing, painted in electrifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-past-is-buried-deep-within-the-ground-in-rabat-although-the/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Nobody, she felt, understood her-not her mother, not her father, not her sister or brother, none of the girls or boys at school, nadie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/nobody-she-felt-understood-her-not-her-mother-not-her-father-not-her/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [When we illuminate the road back to our ancestors, they have a way of reaching out, of manifesting themselves...sometimes even physically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/when-we-illuminate-the-road-back-to-our-ancestors-they-have-a-way-of/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [“The gaping hole in her heart is amplified when she catches a glimpse of the strands of silver hair framing her once young face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/the-gaping-hole-in-her-heart-is-amplified-when-she-catches-a-glimpse/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [Come to think of it, maybe God is a He after all, because only a cruel force would create something this beautiful and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/come-to-think-of-it-maybe-god-is-a-he-after-all-because-only-a-cruel/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) [Explore all 52 Raquel Cepeda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) ## More Identity quotes > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [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 think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/) [Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [Tell me how much a nation knows about its own language, and I will tell you how much that nation knows about its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/tell-me-how-much-a-nation-knows-about-its-own-language-and-i-will/) [John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [“Self-realization or self-knowing or awakening is about knowing/ becoming conscious of our true nature and living in harmony with the universe in an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/self-realization-or-self-knowing-or-awakening-is-about-knowing/) [Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/) > [“There are some things that one individual can do for another, and there are some things that one race can do for another. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/there-are-some-things-that-one-individual-can-do-for-another-and/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Why were there no words that spoke positively about being concerned about the self? Why was there only negative connotation in terms like "selfish",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-dalton/why-were-there-no-words-that-spoke-positively-about-being-concerned/) A.J. Dalton [Browse all 11,949 Identity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them the freedom and space to create their own is shady.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raquel Cepeda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-than-allowing-them-the-freedom/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Identity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-than-allowing-them-the-freedom/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/raquel-cepeda-13059_identity_foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-th_1735312.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them the freedom and space to create their own is shady.” — Raquel Cepeda", "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": "Raquel Cepeda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Foisting an identity on people rather...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-than-allowing-them-the-freedom/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/foisting-an-identity-on-people-rather-than-allowing-them-the-freedom/#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 } } ] } ```