---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who insist on dividing the world…"
description: "\"“People who insist on dividing the world into 'Us' and 'Them' never contemplate that they may be someone else's 'Them'.”\" — Ray A. Davis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg"
---

#  People who insist on dividing the world into 'Us' and…

![“People who insist on dividing the world into 'Us' and 'Them' never contemplate that they may be someone else's 'Them'.” quote by Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg)

> ““People who insist on dividing the world into 'Us' and 'Them' never contemplate that they may be someone else's 'Them'.””

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Warns against binary thinking, reminding us we may be the 'other' in someone else’s view.

**In simple terms:** Avoid dividing people into us vs them.

Key Takeaway

Practice empathy and self‑reflection.

Themes

empathy identity division

Mood

reflective challenging

Type

philosophical social

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- diversity training
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

social psychology philosophy bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How might you be perceived by others?
- What actions foster inclusive thinking?

A Different Perspective

Changing deep‑seated biases is difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dividing World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dividing-world-1637532/) [Insist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist/) [Insist Dividing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist-dividing-1637531/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [People Insist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-insist-447325/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [World Contemplate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-contemplate-923249/)

## Related quotes

> [The world should contemplate a nuclear weapons-armed Iran with the greatest of concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/the-world-should-contemplate-a-nuclear-weapons-armed-iran-with-the/)

[Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/)

> [People must insist on the right to say no, to be alone, to stand out from the herd. Creative artists can say all this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahar-ben-jelloun/people-must-insist-on-the-right-to-say-no-to-be-alone-to-stand-out/)

[Tahar Ben Jelloun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahar-ben-jelloun/)

> [The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-trouble-with-having-an-open-mind-of-course-is-that-people-will/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“I hate it when people insist on wrangling with you about something, then try to stop as soon as they see the arguments are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fine/i-hate-it-when-people-insist-on-wrangling-with-you-about-something/)

[Anne Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fine/)

> [One would think that people who insist on being monotheistic would be the first in line to walk across the artificial boundaries created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/one-would-think-that-people-who-insist-on-being-monotheistic-would-be/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [“The problem with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and putting things in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-problem-with-having-an-open-mind-of-course-is-that-people-will/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [When people insist on perfection or nothing, they get nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/when-people-insist-on-perfection-or-nothing-they-get-nothing/)

[Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/)

> [“Dorkdom isn't something you can choose. It's something you are. But instead of dividing the world up into dorkside and darkside, I've realised that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarra-manning/dorkdom-isn-t-something-you-can-choose-it-s-something-you-are-but/)

[Sarra Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarra-manning/)

> [The key thing about us is that we all belong to multiple tribes. Even if we are predisposed into dividing the world into 'us'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/the-key-thing-about-us-is-that-we-all-belong-to-multiple-tribes-even/)

[Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/)

> [“Deployed upon that plain they moved in a constant elision, ordained agents of the actual dividing out the world which they encountered and leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/deployed-upon-that-plain-they-moved-in-a-constant-elision-ordained/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [Rather than dividing the world between good and evil, the Left divided the world in terms of economics. Economic classes, not moral values, explained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/rather-than-dividing-the-world-between-good-and-evil-the-left-divided/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [“One of history's most dangerous games begins with dividing the world into the good guys and the bad guys and ends with using any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-prothero/one-of-history-s-most-dangerous-games-begins-with-dividing-the-world/)

[Stephen Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-prothero/)

> [Why on earth should we be at each other's throats? Why do people insist on defending their ideas and opinions with such ferocity, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-farrell-2/why-on-earth-should-we-be-at-each-other-s-throats-why-do-people/)

[J. G. Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-farrell-2/)

> [“The more people insist that feminism has won, the more they blind themselves to its remaining foes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-palmer/the-more-people-insist-that-feminism-has-won-the-more-they-blind/)

[Ada Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-palmer/)

> [Do you know people who insist they like 'all kinds of music'? That actually means they like no kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/do-you-know-people-who-insist-they-like-all-kinds-of-music-that/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

## More by Ray A. Davis

> [“Nothing releases like forgive. Nothing renews like forget.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/nothing-releases-like-forgive-nothing-renews-like-forget/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“Those who don't know their history are defenseless against those determined to repeat it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/those-who-don-t-know-their-history-are-defenseless-against-those/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“Your greatness is revealed not by the lights that shine upon you, but by the light that shines within you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/your-greatness-is-revealed-not-by-the-lights-that-shine-upon-you-but/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“Status quos are made to be broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/status-quos-are-made-to-be-broken/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“The tribe often thinks the visionary has turned his back on them. When, in fact, the visionary has simply turned his face to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/the-tribe-often-thinks-the-visionary-has-turned-his-back-on-them-when/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“Tolerance only for those who agree with you is no tolerance at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/tolerance-only-for-those-who-agree-with-you-is-no-tolerance-at-all/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“Patience is not passive waiting. Patience is active acceptance of the process required to attain your goals and dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/patience-is-not-passive-waiting-patience-is-active-acceptance-of-the/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

> [“Being a good person guarantees you nothing in this world except that you are part of the solution and not the problem. Let that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/being-a-good-person-guarantees-you-nothing-in-this-world-except-that/)

[Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

[Explore all 9 Ray A. Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/)

## More Insist quotes

> [I do not believe in eating fish hot. People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/)

[Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/)

> [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/)

[Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/)

> [Writers and intellectuals have a duty to humanity. It is to insist that the human entity remains the primary asset in overall development; thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/writers-and-intellectuals-have-a-duty-to-humanity-it-is-to-insist/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [Insist on yourself. Never imitate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/insist-on-yourself-never-imitate/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [We don't mind if someone wants to give us advice; we only object if they insist we take it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-don-t-mind-if-someone-wants-to-give-us-advice-we-only-object-if/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ Conditions in the \[movie\] industry somehow propose the paradox: "We brought you here for your individuality but while you're here we insist that you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/conditions-in-the-movie-industry-somehow-propose-the-paradox-we/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [“Don't resist. Don't insist. Just Move over. Its's a divine takeover.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-a-smikle/don-t-resist-don-t-insist-just-move-over-its-s-a-divine-takeover/)

[Maisie A. Smikle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-a-smikle/)

> [The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-trouble-with-having-an-open-mind-of-course-is-that-people-will/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Before you insist someone changes, remember first how hard it is to change yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/before-you-insist-someone-changes-remember-first-how-hard-it-is-to/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“I'm tired of the way we both pretend. Tired of always wanting and never giving in. I can feel it in my skin, see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/i-m-tired-of-the-way-we-both-pretend-tired-of-always-wanting-and/)

[Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/)

> [“I hate it when people insist on wrangling with you about something, then try to stop as soon as they see the arguments are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fine/i-hate-it-when-people-insist-on-wrangling-with-you-about-something/)

[Anne Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fine/)

> [“No one else is going to pay you what you deserve unless you insist on it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-ryan/no-one-else-is-going-to-pay-you-what-you-deserve-unless-you-insist-on/)

[Liz Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-ryan/)

> [The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist upon reading all the student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-class-has-become-over-the-years-fairly-large-running-to-three/)

[Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/)

> [Man seems to insist on ignoring the lessons available from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-borlaug/man-seems-to-insist-on-ignoring-the-lessons-available-from-history/)

[Norman Borlaug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-borlaug/)

> [All my lovers have been geniuses; it's the one thing that I insist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/all-my-lovers-have-been-geniuses-it-s-the-one-thing-that-i-insist/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

[Browse all 164 Insist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“People who insist on dividing the world into 'Us' and 'Them' never contemplate that they may be someone else's 'Them'.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ray A. Davis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world-into-us-and-them-never/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Insist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world-into-us-and-them-never/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/ray-a-davis-44647_insist_people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world_2564587.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People who insist on dividing the world into 'Us' and 'Them' never contemplate that they may be someone…” — Ray A. Davis",
                "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": "Ray A. Davis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“People who insist on dividing the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world-into-us-and-them-never/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/people-who-insist-on-dividing-the-world-into-us-and-them-never/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
