--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was brought up with the sense that I…" description: "\"I was brought up with the sense that I was absolutely no different from my brothers. I went to college thinking I was absolutely no different from the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/zadie-smith-584_able_i-was-brought-up-with-the-sense-that-i-w_1076911.png" --- # I was brought up with the sense that I was absolutely no… ![“I was brought up with the sense that I was absolutely no different from my brothers. I went to college thinking I was absolutely no different from the men in college. But that's not true. I'm fundamentally different. The problem was not being able to understand difference and equality at the same…” quote by Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/zadie-smith-584_able_i-was-brought-up-with-the-sense-that-i-w_1076911.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/zadie-smith-584_able_i-was-brought-up-with-the-sense-that-i-w_1076911.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/zadie-smith-584_able_i-was-brought-up-with-the-sense-that-i-w_1076911.png) > “I was brought up with the sense that I was absolutely no different from my brothers. I went to college thinking I was absolutely no different from the men in college. But that's not true. I'm fundamentally different. The problem was not being able to understand difference and equality at the same time. It's something that we can't seem to comprehend. You can't state difference and also state equality. We have to state sameness to understand equality. It's a mistake.” [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker discovers that perceiving both difference and equality simultaneously is conceptually difficult, leading to a mistaken belief that sameness must precede equality. **In simple terms:** Understanding equality requires seeing both sameness and difference. Key Takeaway Embrace both sameness and difference to grasp true equality. Themes identity equality philosophy Mood thoughtful critical Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - diversity training - policy making - educational curricula - personal bias checks Key Concepts social constructs paradox intersectionality Questions to Reflect On - How can we teach the coexistence of difference and equality? - What policies honor both individuality and collective rights? A Different Perspective Simplifying equality to sameness can erase important distinctions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-brothers-2713277/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Equality Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality-mistake-2713276/) [Equality State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality-state-1681952/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [My brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-brother/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Sameness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sameness/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understand Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-equality-1681951/) ## Related quotes > [You can't state difference and also state equality. 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