--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, diversity is not a value…" description: "\"For me, diversity is not a value. Diversity is what you find in Northern Ireland. Diversity is Beirut. Diversity is brother killing brother. Where dive..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/richard-rodriguez-6515_beirut_for-me-diversity-is-not-a-value-diversit_330584.png" --- # For me, diversity is not a value. Diversity is what you… ![“For me, diversity is not a value. Diversity is what you find in Northern Ireland. Diversity is Beirut. Diversity is brother killing brother. Where diversity is shared - where I share with you my difference - that can be valuable. But the simple fact that we are unlike each other is a terrifying…” quote by Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/richard-rodriguez-6515_beirut_for-me-diversity-is-not-a-value-diversit_330584.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/richard-rodriguez-6515_beirut_for-me-diversity-is-not-a-value-diversit_330584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/richard-rodriguez-6515_beirut_for-me-diversity-is-not-a-value-diversit_330584.png) > “For me, diversity is not a value. Diversity is what you find in Northern Ireland. Diversity is Beirut. Diversity is brother killing brother. Where diversity is shared - where I share with you my difference - that can be valuable. But the simple fact that we are unlike each other is a terrifying notion. I have often found myself in foreign settings where I became suddenly aware that I was not like the people around me. That, to me, is not a pleasant discovery.” [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Diversity can be both enriching and unsettling; recognizing differences can be frightening. **In simple terms:** Differences can be valuable but also scary. Key Takeaway Seek shared humanity while respecting differences. Themes diversity conflict humanity Mood cautious hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - multicultural workplaces - international travel - community dialogues Key Concepts otherness social tension Questions to Reflect On - How can we turn diversity into cooperation? - What practices foster mutual respect? A Different Perspective Focusing only on differences may reinforce division. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ireland/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Northern ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/northern-ireland/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [All the knowledge that I get, all the access that I get, I try to pass that down. And not open a door, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-wagner/all-the-knowledge-that-i-get-all-the-access-that-i-get-i-try-to-pass/) [Bobby Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-wagner/) > [I always have believed in the value of the diversity and resilience and just, really, the different skill sets that our community has. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-ross/i-always-have-believed-in-the-value-of-the-diversity-and-resilience/) [Angelica Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-ross/) > [Civilization will reach maturity only when it learns to value diversity of character and of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/civilization-will-reach-maturity-only-when-it-learns-to-value/) [Arthur C. 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He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronen-bergman/in-2005-the-last-year-of-his-life-ahmad-abu-adass-was-22-and-still/) [Ronen Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronen-bergman/) > [Many of Islam's apologists insist that suicide bombing is not Islamic because the Koran forbids suicide. Mmm-hmm. 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If you try to remove it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeina-kassem/grief-is-shameless-it-refuses-to-be-ignored-if-you-let-it-have-its/) [Zeina Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeina-kassem/) > [Lebanon was at one time known as a nation that rose above sectarian hatred; Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/lebanon-was-at-one-time-known-as-a-nation-that-rose-above-sectarian/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Saudi Arabia has historically attempted to influence politics in Beirut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/saudi-arabia-has-historically-attempted-to-influence-politics-in/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) ## More by Richard Rodriguez > [“Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/human-unhappiness-is-evidence-of-our-immortality/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [In the Sacramento of the 1950s, it was as though White simply hadn't had time enough to figure Brown out. It was a busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/in-the-sacramento-of-the-1950s-it-was-as-though-white-simply-hadn-t/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Books should confuse. Literature abhors the typical. Literature flows to the particular, the mundane, the greasiness of paper, the taste of warm beer, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/books-should-confuse-literature-abhors-the-typical-literature-flows/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [Mexico is sex and Canada is mind. There is much about Canada that I find admirable - the treatment of immigrants, for example, particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/mexico-is-sex-and-canada-is-mind-there-is-much-about-canada-that-i/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [My decision was sparked by affirmative action. 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But there is an emerging intellectual set coming out of Washington think tanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-think-the-universities-have-co-opted-the-intellectual-by-and-large/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [You don't know Mexico, man. You have trivialized Mexico. You are a fool about Mexico if you think that Mexico is five blocks. 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It's in that intersection that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/the-drama-of-the-essay-is-the-way-the-public-life-intersects-with-my/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) [Explore all 99 Richard Rodriguez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## More Beirut quotes > [Saudi Arabia has historically attempted to influence politics in Beirut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/saudi-arabia-has-historically-attempted-to-influence-politics-in/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [Lebanon was at one time known as a nation that rose above sectarian hatred; Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/lebanon-was-at-one-time-known-as-a-nation-that-rose-above-sectarian/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“Grief is shameless; it refuses to be ignored. 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So where are all the Muslims gathering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-glazov/many-of-islam-s-apologists-insist-that-suicide-bombing-is-not-islamic/) [Jamie Glazov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-glazov/) > [In 2005, the last year of his life, Ahmad Abu Adass was 22 and still living with his parents in Beirut, Lebanon. 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Diversity is what you find in Northern Ireland. Diversity is Beirut. Diversity is brother killing brother. Where diversity is shared - where I share with you my difference - that can be valuable. But the simple fact that we are unlike each other is a terrifying notion. I have often found myself in foreign settings where I became suddenly aware that I was not like the people around me. 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