--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in Manhattan. For…" description: "\"I grew up in Manhattan. For Manhattanites, Brooklyn was the sticks, a second-rate civilization. My friends and I, we were so snobby. Living in the Bron..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-klein-9048_brooklyn_i-grew-up-in-manhattan-for-manhattanites_2181314.jpg" --- # I grew up in Manhattan. For Manhattanites, Brooklyn was… ![“I grew up in Manhattan. For Manhattanites, Brooklyn was the sticks, a second-rate civilization. My friends and I, we were so snobby. Living in the Bronx or Brooklyn was incredible... for me, that was like a foreign country.” quote by William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-klein-9048_brooklyn_i-grew-up-in-manhattan-for-manhattanites_2181314.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-klein-9048_brooklyn_i-grew-up-in-manhattan-for-manhattanites_2181314.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/606/william-klein-9048_brooklyn_i-grew-up-in-manhattan-for-manhattanites_2181314.jpg) > “I grew up in Manhattan. For Manhattanites, Brooklyn was the sticks, a second-rate civilization. My friends and I, we were so snobby. Living in the Bronx or Brooklyn was incredible... for me, that was like a foreign country.” [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Growing up in Manhattan made Brooklyn feel foreign and inferior, highlighting class and cultural divides. **In simple terms:** Manhattan felt superior to Brooklyn, seeing it as foreign. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge personal biases. Themes class culture identity urban life prejudice Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type observational personal narrative When to use this quote - college experience - travel - moving to new city - meeting diverse people Key Concepts social stratification urban geography identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you view neighborhoods different from your own? - What assumptions do you hold about 'the other'? A Different Perspective Biases can limit personal growth and relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Foreign country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-country/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Manhattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manhattan/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) ## Related quotes > [In Manhattan, and its true on some level till this day; its a whole different mentality from the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-moe-dee/in-manhattan-and-its-true-on-some-level-till-this-day-its-a-whole/) [Kool Moe Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-moe-dee/) > [I've been to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan numerous times throughout my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-malliotakis/i-ve-been-to-brooklyn-queens-the-bronx-and-manhattan-numerous-times/) [Nicole Malliotakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-malliotakis/) > [I go to Queens for queens to get the crew from Brooklyn, Make money in Manhattan and never been tooken. Go Uptown and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-go-to-queens-for-queens-to-get-the-crew-from-brooklyn-make-money-in/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Far below ran the silver ribbon of the East River, braceleted by shining bridges, flecked by boats as small as flyspecks, splitting the shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/far-below-ran-the-silver-ribbon-of-the-east-river-braceleted-by/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm no Lance Armstrong, but I do use a bike to get from place to place in Manhattan, a little bit of Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-m-no-lance-armstrong-but-i-do-use-a-bike-to-get-from-place-to-place/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [I get invited to do panels with other Brooklyn writers to discuss what it's like to be a writer in Brooklyn. 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I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Comparing the Brooklyn that I know with Manhattan is like comparing a comfortable and complacent duenna to her more brilliant and neurotic sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/comparing-the-brooklyn-that-i-know-with-manhattan-is-like-comparing-a/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) ## More by William Klein > [I always thought I was going to be an artist. I used to draw, and I would read Russian novels until 3 or 4…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-always-thought-i-was-going-to-be-an-artist-i-used-to-draw-and-i/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [Being an expatriate doesn't go down well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/being-an-expatriate-doesn-t-go-down-well-in-america/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I was 24 years old at the time. I had no real notion of what photography was about. I had no training. By accident,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-24-years-old-at-the-time-i-had-no-real-notion-of-what/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I have always done the opposite of what I was trained to do... Having little technical background, I became a photographer. 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