---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought that when they said Atlantic…"
description: "\"I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant me and everybody in Africa and Asia and everywhere. But it seems like the Atlantic is an oce..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png"
---

#  I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant…

![“I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant me and everybody in Africa and Asia and everywhere. But it seems like the Atlantic is an ocean that does not touch anywhere but North America and Europe.” quote by Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png)

> “I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant me and everybody in Africa and Asia and everywhere. But it seems like the Atlantic is an ocean that does not touch anywhere but North America and Europe.”

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

## 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 reflects on a misunderstanding of the Atlantic Charter, realizing its geographic relevance is limited to certain regions.

**In simple terms:** Misinterpretation of a historic document's scope.

Key Takeaway

Clarify assumptions about global agreements.

Themes

misunderstanding history geography

Mood

curious critical

Type

historical analytical

When to use this quote

- education
- international relations
- public discourse

Key Concepts

political awareness colonial legacy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify the scope of political statements?
- What assumptions shape your view of global history?

A Different Perspective

The Charter's impact may differ across continents.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Asia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asia/) [Atlantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic/) [Atlantic Charter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic-charter-2293328/) [Atlantic ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlantic-ocean/) [Charter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charter/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Like Atlantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-atlantic-2293330/) [North america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-america/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Atlantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-atlantic-2293329/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [They said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/they-said/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a homebody, as many writers are, and need to be by myself, and I like to be by the Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-m-a-homebody-as-many-writers-are-and-need-to-be-by-myself-and-i/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [The suckers panic, but to the ladies I'm romantic and gigantic, just like the Atlantic ocean as I flow in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-g-rap/the-suckers-panic-but-to-the-ladies-i-m-romantic-and-gigantic-just/)

[Kool G Rap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-g-rap/)

> [“The things my brother and I don't say could pave over the Atlantic Ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndsay-faye/the-things-my-brother-and-i-don-t-say-could-pave-over-the-atlantic/)

[Lyndsay Faye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndsay-faye/)

> [“I had written to friends for money, of course, but the Atlantic Ocean is deep and wide and money doesn't hurry from the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-had-written-to-friends-for-money-of-course-but-the-atlantic-ocean/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [Millions upon millions of people came here full of hope and aspiration to this extraordinary land of liberty and opportunity, and helped build the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-winchester/millions-upon-millions-of-people-came-here-full-of-hope-and/)

[Simon Winchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-winchester/)

> [I come from a little island with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. I come from, really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-come-from-a-little-island-with-the-caribbean-sea-on-one-side-and/)

[Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/)

> [Had it not been for the Atlantic Ocean and the virgin wilderness, the United States would never have been the Land of Promise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-croly/had-it-not-been-for-the-atlantic-ocean-and-the-virgin-wilderness-the/)

[Herbert Croly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-croly/)

> [“but the Atlantic Ocean is deep and wide and money doesn't hurry from the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/but-the-atlantic-ocean-is-deep-and-wide-and-money-doesn-t-hurry-from/)

[James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/)

> [I was very much disappointed in the Atlantic Ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-was-very-much-disappointed-in-the-atlantic-ocean/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“The gap between most people’s capacity to conjure beauty from scratch and to merely recognize it when they see it is the width of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-gap-between-most-people-s-capacity-to-conjure-beauty-from-scratch/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [The Atlantic Ocean was something then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/the-atlantic-ocean-was-something-then/)

[John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/)

> [I loved going to the Knicks because we won the Atlantic Division championship. We went from winning 21 games or 19 games to winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-pitino/i-loved-going-to-the-knicks-because-we-won-the-atlantic-division/)

[Rick Pitino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-pitino/)

> [There are people who could watch a hurricane like Sandy blow out of the Atlantic every other day and blame it on anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-are-people-who-could-watch-a-hurricane-like-sandy-blow-out-of/)

[Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/)

> [As late as the summer of 1941, the Atlantic Monthly, then a still respected magazine for literates and edited by White men, published a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/revilo-p-oliver/as-late-as-the-summer-of-1941-the-atlantic-monthly-then-a-still/)

[Revilo P. Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/revilo-p-oliver/)

> [Biarritz is one of the most popular holiday destinations in France and it tops the list for coastal resorts along the French Atlantic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-drinkwater/biarritz-is-one-of-the-most-popular-holiday-destinations-in-france/)

[Carol Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-drinkwater/)

## More by Zora Neale Hurston

> [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ships-at-a-distance-have-every-man-s-wish-on-board-for-some-they-come/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Please God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me. Maybe Ah'm is uh fool, Lawd, lak dey say, but Lawd, Ah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/please-god-please-suh-don-t-let-him-love-nobody-else-but-me-maybe-ah/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“But mostly she lived between her hat and her heels, with her emotional disturbances like shade patterns in the woods—come and gone with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/but-mostly-she-lived-between-her-hat-and-her-heels-with-her-emotional/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Light came to me when I realized that I did not have to consider any racial group as a whole. God made them duck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/light-came-to-me-when-i-realized-that-i-did-not-have-to-consider-any/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Gods always behave like the people who make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/gods-always-behave-like-the-people-who-make-them/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Love, I find, is like singing. Everyone can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/love-i-find-is-like-singing-everyone-can-do-enough-to-satisfy/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“The woman took the faded shirt and muddy overalls and laid them away from remembrance. It was a weapon against her strength and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-woman-took-the-faded-shirt-and-muddy-overalls-and-laid-them-away/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“They plan and they fix and they do, and then some kitchen-dwelling fiend slips a scorchy, soggy, tasteless mess into their pots and pans…So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/they-plan-and-they-fix-and-they-do-and-then-some-kitchen-dwelling/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“Years ago, she had told her girl self to wait for her in the looking glass. It had been a long time since she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/years-ago-she-had-told-her-girl-self-to-wait-for-her-in-the-looking/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“Ah jus lak uh chicken. Chicken drink water, but he don’t pee-pee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ah-jus-lak-uh-chicken-chicken-drink-water-but-he-don-t-pee-pee/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“Like the pecking-order in a chicken yard. Insensate cruelty to those you can whip, and groveling submission to those you can’t. Once having set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/like-the-pecking-order-in-a-chicken-yard-insensate-cruelty-to-those/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [The Haitian people are gentle and lovable except for their enormous and unconscious cruelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/the-haitian-people-are-gentle-and-lovable-except-for-their-enormous/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Now, suppose a Negro does something really magnificent, and I glory, not in the benefit to mankind, but in the fact that the doer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/now-suppose-a-negro-does-something-really-magnificent-and-i-glory-not/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Anybody depending on somebody else's gods is depending on a fox not to eat chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/anybody-depending-on-somebody-else-s-gods-is-depending-on-a-fox-not/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

[Explore all 326 Zora Neale Hurston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant me and everybody in Africa and Asia and everywhere. But it seems like the Atlantic is an ocean that does not touch anywhere but North America and Europe.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Zora Neale Hurston"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-charter-that-meant-me-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-charter-that-meant-me-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/zora-neale-hurston-923_america_i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-c_2644105.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I thought that when they said Atlantic Charter, that meant me and everybody in Africa and Asia and…” — Zora Neale Hurston",
                "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": "Zora Neale Hurston",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I thought that when they said...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-charter-that-meant-me-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/i-thought-that-when-they-said-atlantic-charter-that-meant-me-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
