--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People see themselves as 'succeeding'…" description: "\"People see themselves as 'succeeding' because they are individually exceptional -- they don't see that there is a mechanism that has made it possible f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/sarah-schulman-15652_exceptional_people-see-themselves-as-succeeding-beca_2638193.jpg" --- # People see themselves as 'succeeding' because they are… ![“People see themselves as 'succeeding' because they are individually exceptional -- they don't see that there is a mechanism that has made it possible for them.” quote by Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/sarah-schulman-15652_exceptional_people-see-themselves-as-succeeding-beca_2638193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/sarah-schulman-15652_exceptional_people-see-themselves-as-succeeding-beca_2638193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d3/sarah-schulman-15652_exceptional_people-see-themselves-as-succeeding-beca_2638193.jpg) > “People see themselves as 'succeeding' because they are individually exceptional -- they don't see that there is a mechanism that has made it possible for them.” [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Schulman highlights that individual success often depends on systemic mechanisms, not just personal merit. **In simple terms:** Success is linked to systemic support. Key Takeaway Acknowledge systemic factors. Themes social justice success systems Mood critical thoughtful Type sociological analytical When to use this quote - policy analysis - education reform - community building Key Concepts structural inequality collective advantage Questions to Reflect On - What systems enable your success? - How can we make these mechanisms equitable? A Different Perspective May downplay personal effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exceptional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exceptional/) [Individually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individually/) [Individually Exceptional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individually-exceptional-2246079/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Made it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made-it/) [Mechanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanism/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Succeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-succeeding-272272/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Succeeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeding/) [Succeeding Individually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeeding-individually-2246078/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [The people that are succeeding have often had a mentor of some kind. I think it makes a huge difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-delpy/the-people-that-are-succeeding-have-often-had-a-mentor-of-some-kind-i/) [Julie Delpy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-delpy/) > [Growing up, I never saw images of trans people succeeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trace-lysette/growing-up-i-never-saw-images-of-trans-people-succeeding/) [Trace Lysette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trace-lysette/) > [I am a believer in people succeeding on merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/i-am-a-believer-in-people-succeeding-on-merit/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [The way to expand our lives is to model the lives of those people who are already succeeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-way-to-expand-our-lives-is-to-model-the-lives-of-those-people-who/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/a-committee-is-a-group-of-people-who-individually-can-do-nothing-but/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [Motley Crue, collectively and individually, have done things on our own terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/motley-crue-collectively-and-individually-have-done-things-on-our-own/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [It teaches us how to run our lives individually. 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I think we should allow each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-coyle/i-would-never-be-into-splitting-up-i-don-t-think-we-should-ever-break/) [Nadine Coyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-coyle/) > [I hate people generally, but I like people individually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-day/i-hate-people-generally-but-i-like-people-individually/) [Amanda Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-day/) > [Football's a team sport and as long as everyone is doing well, I think it makes things easier individually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bukayo-saka/football-s-a-team-sport-and-as-long-as-everyone-is-doing-well-i-think/) [Bukayo Saka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bukayo-saka/) > [“It was scary as hell when you considered everything together, but if you approached each thing individually, it was simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-nichols/it-was-scary-as-hell-when-you-considered-everything-together-but-if/) [Lee Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-nichols/) > [“Individually we are just a drop. Together we are an ocean”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryunosuke-satoro/individually-we-are-just-a-drop-together-we-are-an-ocean/) [Ryunosuke Satoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryunosuke-satoro/) > [Everyone knows that when you go through a divorce, it's a really difficult time for both parties and you've all - you believe, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mills/everyone-knows-that-when-you-go-through-a-divorce-it-s-a-really/) [Heather Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mills/) ## More by Sarah Schulman > [“Nothing disrupts dehumanization more quickly than inviting someone over, looking into their eyes, hearing their voice, and listening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/nothing-disrupts-dehumanization-more-quickly-than-inviting-someone/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [“I realized that I’m not a lesbian anymore. I realized that women don’t have fun together. I realized that that’s not love. I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/i-realized-that-i-m-not-a-lesbian-anymore-i-realized-that-women-don-t/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [In the past, heartland whites with some kind of dream or desire left their towns for cities to become citified. They wanted to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/in-the-past-heartland-whites-with-some-kind-of-dream-or-desire-left/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [I went to my 30th high school reunion, and I could tell who was gay and who was straight because the gay people were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/i-went-to-my-30th-high-school-reunion-and-i-could-tell-who-was-gay/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [The wind smelled clean, like clean magazines. 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That’s it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/you-re-not-user-friendly-you-re-too-needy-you-have-no-social-currency/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [“Doc didn’t have a television but he could predict that sort of thing. He just didn’t need one. He could always tell what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/doc-didn-t-have-a-television-but-he-could-predict-that-sort-of-thing/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [Probably, the nature of homophobia will never be widely interrogated, while we will continue to be excluded from school curricula, subjected to vicious media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/probably-the-nature-of-homophobia-will-never-be-widely-interrogated/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [Breezy journalistic sentences about wealthy white people unaware that other human beings are real became the rubber stamp product of the elite MFA programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/breezy-journalistic-sentences-about-wealthy-white-people-unaware-that/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [If we love and identity people with HIV and other oppressed people, we can help transform the epidemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/if-we-love-and-identity-people-with-hiv-and-other-oppressed-people-we/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [“Strangely, the subsequent AIDS works that have become iconic in our culture rarely mention the movement, or the engaged community of lovers, but both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/strangely-the-subsequent-aids-works-that-have-become-iconic-in-our/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [“I dreamt that I took William Burrough’s penis and tied it up with piano wire. 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My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm exceptional in everything that I do and I aspire to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarosa-manigault-newman/i-m-exceptional-in-everything-that-i-do-and-i-aspire-to-do/) [Omarosa Manigault Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarosa-manigault-newman/) > [As soon as I find myself in the presence of a rich man, I cannot help looking upon him as an exceptional and beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/as-soon-as-i-find-myself-in-the-presence-of-a-rich-man-i-cannot-help/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [The meaning resides in one's own experience, making the everyday the exceptional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-mockbee/the-meaning-resides-in-one-s-own-experience-making-the-everyday-the/) [Samuel Mockbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-mockbee/) > [With the exceptional talent that is Guy Sigsworth as producer and collaborator, we have recorded a collection of original songs that sees me moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/with-the-exceptional-talent-that-is-guy-sigsworth-as-producer-and/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Kate Bernheimer's fiction offers a unique and delicate gift, the tempting mirage of a grace that constantly escapes. 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