--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe when the President tells you that…" description: "\"Maybe when the President tells you that you should be afraid of Mexicans or Muslims or Jews or black people or gay people or trans people, you'll reali..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png" --- # Maybe when the President tells you that you should be… ![“Maybe when the President tells you that you should be afraid of Mexicans or Muslims or Jews or black people or gay people or trans people, you'll realize that those are just labels, that underneath it all we're all the same people, we all have the same aspirations, the same hopes, the same…” quote by Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png) > “Maybe when the President tells you that you should be afraid of Mexicans or Muslims or Jews or black people or gay people or trans people, you'll realize that those are just labels, that underneath it all we're all the same people, we all have the same aspirations, the same hopes, the same desires, that we all share the same values.” [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human labels mask shared humanity; recognizing common aspirations unites diverse groups. **In simple terms:** Labels hide our shared humanity. Key Takeaway See beyond labels to find common ground. Themes diversity humanity identity Mood empathetic hopeful Type social ethical When to use this quote - community building - interfaith dialogue - anti-discrimination training - policy making Key Concepts social cohesion empathy common values Questions to Reflect On - How do labels affect societal structures? - What actions foster genuine inclusion? A Different Perspective May underestimate systemic inequities beyond individual attitudes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Gay people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay-people/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [In times of economic distress, it's only natural for people - and Americans have done this for many years - to look for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/in-times-of-economic-distress-it-s-only-natural-for-people-and/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [At its heart, the quest that trans people are on is to have the same thing that straight — and gay — people have:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-finney-boylan/at-its-heart-the-quest-that-trans-people-are-on-is-to-have-the-same/) [Jennifer Finney Boylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-finney-boylan/) > [Calling a trans person by their former name is referred to as "deadnaming" and is considered highly offensive to most trans people I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-petrow/calling-a-trans-person-by-their-former-name-is-referred-to-as/) [Steven Petrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-petrow/) > [Trans people deserve something vital. They deserve your respect... If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jenner/trans-people-deserve-something-vital-they-deserve-your-respect-if-you/) [Bruce Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jenner/) > [Trans stories have now entered the mainstream in this fantastic way, but the most important thing is what follows from that is hopefully a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/trans-stories-have-now-entered-the-mainstream-in-this-fantastic-way/) [Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/) > [Many in the trans community are fed up with L.G.B.T. organizations that continue to erase trans identity or just give lip service to trans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/many-in-the-trans-community-are-fed-up-with-l-g-b-t-organizations/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [One particular debate that I have seen play out again and again is whether trans people who have more traditional gender expressions or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/one-particular-debate-that-i-have-seen-play-out-again-and-again-is/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [I have always been aware that I can never represent all trans people. No one or two or three trans people can. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-have-always-been-aware-that-i-can-never-represent-all-trans-people/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [I'm always skeptical about representations of trans people, especially when trans people are not making the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-m-always-skeptical-about-representations-of-trans-people-especially/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [The preoccupation with transition and with surgery objectifies trans people, and we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/the-preoccupation-with-transition-and-with-surgery-objectifies-trans/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [I have seen a lifetime of transgender people and it was hard enough being gay in the '50s and early '60s. One couldn't imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-have-seen-a-lifetime-of-transgender-people-and-it-was-hard-enough/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I want to create a place where trans people and our allies could come together to share experiences, information and ideas. Being transgender or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-bono/i-want-to-create-a-place-where-trans-people-and-our-allies-could-come/) [Chaz Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-bono/) > [Instead of focusing on what the law says about trans people, which is really what the law is saying about itself as a protector…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/instead-of-focusing-on-what-the-law-says-about-trans-people-which-is/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [If you are a LGBTQ person, if you're going to travel somewhere, you do need to be mindful of where you're going, particularly depending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/if-you-are-a-lgbtq-person-if-you-re-going-to-travel-somewhere-you-do/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [My only bookings this week came from within my friends. Trans people have been central to New York’s art and fashion scene for nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-nef/my-only-bookings-this-week-came-from-within-my-friends-trans-people/) [Hari Nef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-nef/) ## More by Reza Aslan > [“Despite two millennia of Christian apologetics, the fact is that belief in a dying and rising messiah simply did not exist in Judaism. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/despite-two-millennia-of-christian-apologetics-the-fact-is-that/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Should I act violently in defense of my religion, absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/should-i-act-violently-in-defense-of-my-religion-absolutely/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Religion doesn't make people bigots. People are bigots and they use religion to justify their ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/religion-doesn-t-make-people-bigots-people-are-bigots-and-they-use/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“Scattered across the Roman Empire, it was only natural for the gospel writers to distance themselves from the Jewish independence movement by erasing, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/scattered-across-the-roman-empire-it-was-only-natural-for-the-gospel/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“There is a term for this phenomenon—politicomorphism, or “the divinization of earthly politics”—and it is, to this day, one of the central features of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/there-is-a-term-for-this-phenomenon-politicomorphism-or-the/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Obama has been the single worst president in modern American history in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/obama-has-been-the-single-worst-president-in-modern-american-history/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [There's no question that homophobia is rampant among the world's 1.5 billion Muslims - but that doesn't negate the fact that there are huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/there-s-no-question-that-homophobia-is-rampant-among-the-world-s-1-5/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Well, to be clear, I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament and fluency in Biblical Greek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/well-to-be-clear-i-am-a-scholar-of-religions-with-four-degrees/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“There would be no more record of who was rich and who was poor. Everyone in this new and divinely inspired world order would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/there-would-be-no-more-record-of-who-was-rich-and-who-was-poor/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [My biography of Jesus is probably the first popular biography that does not use the New Testament as its primary source material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/my-biography-of-jesus-is-probably-the-first-popular-biography-that/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [The Islamic Reformation is already here. We are all living in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/the-islamic-reformation-is-already-here-we-are-all-living-in-it/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“Pilate, as the histories reveal, was not one for trials. In his ten years as governor of Jerusalem, he had sent thousands upon thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/pilate-as-the-histories-reveal-was-not-one-for-trials-in-his-ten/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [Is it possible that Jesus, unlike 98 percent of his fellow Jews, was literate and educated? Yes, it's possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/is-it-possible-that-jesus-unlike-98-percent-of-his-fellow-jews-was/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“The choice between James’s vision of a Jewish religion anchored in the Law of Moses and derived from a Jewish nationalist who fought against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/the-choice-between-james-s-vision-of-a-jewish-religion-anchored-in/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [“Paul's portrayal of Jesus as Christ may sound familiar to contemporary Christians—it has since become the standard doctrine of the church—but it would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/paul-s-portrayal-of-jesus-as-christ-may-sound-familiar-to/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) [Explore all 154 Reza Aslan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) ## More Afraid quotes > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [I used to be afraid of my temper, but it turns out I don't really have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/i-used-to-be-afraid-of-my-temper-but-it-turns-out-i-don-t-really-have/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm a pretty fearless person. I'm afraid of, like, creepy men in white vans and sidewalks with no streetlights. But I'm not afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/i-m-a-pretty-fearless-person-i-m-afraid-of-like-creepy-men-in-white/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [I will support my party when they are right on an issue, but am not afraid to stand up to party bosses who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlene-senger/i-will-support-my-party-when-they-are-right-on-an-issue-but-am-not/) Darlene Senger > [Why am I so afraid to loose you,when you're not even mine?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-am-i-so-afraid-to-loose-you-when-you-re-not-even-mine/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tell you, but I cant, becuase I'm afraid if I do you'll never treat me same the again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-orante/i-want-to-tell-you-but-i-cant-becuase-i-m-afraid-if-i-do-you-ll-never/) [Cristina Orante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-orante/) > [Mistakes I've made in the past make me afraid to try new things in the future. I want to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/mistakes-i-ve-made-in-the-past-make-me-afraid-to-try-new-things-in/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [“Humans are naturally scared and confused beings. They not only fear the unknown, as they live fearing themselves... ☥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/humans-are-naturally-scared-and-confused-beings-they-not-only-fear/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [If you are too afraid of failure, you cant possibly do what needs to be done to succeed in living a fulfilling life. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/if-you-are-too-afraid-of-failure-you-cant-possibly-do-what-needs-to/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [We cannot be afraid of the dark that they live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burnie-burns/we-cannot-be-afraid-of-the-dark-that-they-live-in/) [Burnie Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burnie-burns/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I'm still with that feeling that I am afraid of doing the wrong thing, because somebody is going to punish me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-m-still-with-that-feeling-that-i-am-afraid-of-doing-the-wrong-thing/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) Browse all 5,519 Afraid quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Maybe when the President tells you that you should be afraid of Mexicans or Muslims or Jews or black people or gay people or trans people, you'll realize that those are just labels, that underneath it all we're all the same people, we all have the same aspirations, the same hopes, the same desires, that we all share the same values.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Reza Aslan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that-you-should-be-afraid-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afraid" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that-you-should-be-afraid-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/reza-aslan-2665_afraid_maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that_2787568.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Maybe when the President tells you that you should be afraid of Mexicans or Muslims or Jews or black people…” — Reza Aslan", "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": "Reza Aslan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Maybe when the President tells you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that-you-should-be-afraid-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/maybe-when-the-president-tells-you-that-you-should-be-afraid-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 } } ] } ```