--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think, all too often, this society has…" description: "\"I think, all too often, this society has too monolithic a definition of what a black American is.\" — Uzodinma Iweala" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg" --- # I think, all too often, this society has too monolithic a… ![“I think, all too often, this society has too monolithic a definition of what a black American is.” quote by Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg) > “I think, all too often, this society has too monolithic a definition of what a black American is.” [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques society’s narrow, monolithic view of Black American identity. **In simple terms:** Society limits Black identity. Key Takeaway Embrace diverse Black experiences. Themes identity race stereotypes Mood thoughtful hopeful Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - media analysis - education - community dialogue Key Concepts intersectionality cultural representation Questions to Reflect On - What stereotypes limit Black identity? - How can we broaden representation? A Different Perspective Broad definitions can erase individual stories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-american/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [Growing up in London, with a hippie mom, I don't know that I'm most people's definition of what a black person is. I'm mixed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-ejogo/growing-up-in-london-with-a-hippie-mom-i-don-t-know-that-i-m-most/) [Carmen Ejogo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-ejogo/) > [There is no monolithic black culture. It's completely different for someone born in Harlem to someone born in Houston or London with one exception,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/there-is-no-monolithic-black-culture-it-s-completely-different-for/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [It's not a monolithic challenge, the border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-mayorkas/it-s-not-a-monolithic-challenge-the-border/) [Alejandro Mayorkas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-mayorkas/) > [We're not monolithic. What is blackness? To me, how do you define that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamron-hall/we-re-not-monolithic-what-is-blackness-to-me-how-do-you-define-that/) [Tamron Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamron-hall/) > [I'm tired of cookie-cutter monolithic representation of black folks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-jones/i-m-tired-of-cookie-cutter-monolithic-representation-of-black-folks/) [Orlando Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-jones/) > [I want to strip my work of 'effects' until it stands monolithic, based on reality and yet transcending it. It must flow naturally from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiko-munakata/i-want-to-strip-my-work-of-effects-until-it-stands-monolithic-based/) Shiko Munakata > [I've never been a proponent of something monolithic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/i-ve-never-been-a-proponent-of-something-monolithic/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [“After a while you learn what you once considered monolithic is infinitely intricate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-baxter/after-a-while-you-learn-what-you-once-considered-monolithic-is/) [Greg Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-baxter/) > [Schools don't teach American history that well, especially a lot of black American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/schools-don-t-teach-american-history-that-well-especially-a-lot-of/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I think society had to grow up to the mentality of Peter Norman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/i-think-society-had-to-grow-up-to-the-mentality-of-peter-norman/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [I think that society has to be careful not to shift all of its resources to the elderly versus the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-think-that-society-has-to-be-careful-not-to-shift-all-of-its/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [I think society, in general, is hard on women, period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hill/i-think-society-in-general-is-hard-on-women-period/) [Faith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hill/) > [I think we as a society, a global community, we as governments, need to figure out ways to combat ISIS, not just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-heineman/i-think-we-as-a-society-a-global-community-we-as-governments-need-to/) [Matthew Heineman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-heineman/) > [Never did I think that the university was properly ministerial to the society around it. Rather I thought and think that society is ministerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/never-did-i-think-that-the-university-was-properly-ministerial-to-the/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [If my wisdom could get support from officials, I think society would move forward 20 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-guangbiao/if-my-wisdom-could-get-support-from-officials-i-think-society-would/) [Chen Guangbiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-guangbiao/) ## More by Uzodinma Iweala > [Lagos is a fascinatingly infuriating place that its residents love - and love to hate. Licence plates on cars here proudly display the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/lagos-is-a-fascinatingly-infuriating-place-that-its-residents-love/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Around the world, our cities are not the idealised open, accessible, and cosmopolitan spaces of our dreams. More often than not, they are sectioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/around-the-world-our-cities-are-not-the-idealised-open-accessible-and/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [We grew up going to church, and I believe in God. I don't know that I have the ability to define what or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/we-grew-up-going-to-church-and-i-believe-in-god-i-don-t-know-that-i/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [I've had great writing teachers and mentors and great success with my first book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-ve-had-great-writing-teachers-and-mentors-and-great-success-with-my/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [I'm not a propaganda machine. I tell things how I see them. When I say, for example, that corruption is not the only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-m-not-a-propaganda-machine-i-tell-things-how-i-see-them-when-i-say/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > ['Beasts of No Nation' began when I read an article about child soldiers in Sierra Leone during my final year of high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/beasts-of-no-nation-began-when-i-read-an-article-about-child-soldiers/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Reading 'Search Sweet Country' is like reading a dream, and indeed, at times, it feels like the magical landscapes of writers like the Nigerian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/reading-search-sweet-country-is-like-reading-a-dream-and-indeed-at/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [As an adult, I discovered Claritin, and my whole world changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/as-an-adult-i-discovered-claritin-and-my-whole-world-changed/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [When somebody says that six million people died in the Holocaust, there is nobody in the world who can understand that. It's only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/when-somebody-says-that-six-million-people-died-in-the-holocaust/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Right after undergrad, I started doing low-level work on health issues in sub-Saharan Africa, and what struck me was the disconnect between how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/right-after-undergrad-i-started-doing-low-level-work-on-health-issues/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Medicine has an immediate impact, the ability to do good. Writing is such a solitary activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/medicine-has-an-immediate-impact-the-ability-to-do-good-writing-is/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community, we ourselves are capable of unprecedented growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/africa-wants-the-world-to-acknowledge-that-through-fair-partnerships/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [The first time I ever cast a vote in my 1992 Blessed Sacrament School poll, I voted for Ross Perot because - Ross Perot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/the-first-time-i-ever-cast-a-vote-in-my-1992-blessed-sacrament-school/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Sometimes you just wanna go out, see your action movie, be done with it, come home. You know, and, like, you see 'The Matrix'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/sometimes-you-just-wanna-go-out-see-your-action-movie-be-done-with-it/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [It takes time for people to understand how, as an individual, I can have an impact on the way that society works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/it-takes-time-for-people-to-understand-how-as-an-individual-i-can/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) [Explore all 83 Uzodinma Iweala quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think, all too often, this society has too monolithic a definition of what a black American is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Uzodinma Iweala" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-too-monolithic-a-definition-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-too-monolithic-a-definition-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86f/uzodinma-iweala-7990_american_i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-t_205121.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think, all too often, this society has too monolithic a definition of what a black American is.” — Uzodinma Iweala", "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": "Uzodinma Iweala", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think, all too often, this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-too-monolithic-a-definition-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/i-think-all-too-often-this-society-has-too-monolithic-a-definition-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 } } ] } ```