--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be wary of feeling as through there is…" description: "\"Be wary of feeling as through there is not enough room at the table. Oftentimes a female Chinese-American might feel as through she is in competition w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/zz-packer-64818_american-woman_be-wary-of-feeling-as-through-there-is-n_1515568.jpg" --- # Be wary of feeling as through there is not enough room at… ![“Be wary of feeling as through there is not enough room at the table. Oftentimes a female Chinese-American might feel as through she is in competition with another Chinese-American woman writer of the same generation. A writer friend of mine calls it the "There Can Only Be One ..." syndrome. This…” quote by ZZ Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/zz-packer-64818_american-woman_be-wary-of-feeling-as-through-there-is-n_1515568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/zz-packer-64818_american-woman_be-wary-of-feeling-as-through-there-is-n_1515568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f75/zz-packer-64818_american-woman_be-wary-of-feeling-as-through-there-is-n_1515568.jpg) > “Be wary of feeling as through there is not enough room at the table. Oftentimes a female Chinese-American might feel as through she is in competition with another Chinese-American woman writer of the same generation. A writer friend of mine calls it the "There Can Only Be One ..." syndrome. This isn't "Survivor." The more good writers, of all walks of life and all ethnicities and persuasions, the better.” ZZ Packer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns against seeing limited space for success, especially among similar peers, and urges embracing diverse talent instead of competition. **In simple terms:** Don't view success as a zero‑sum game among similar people. Key Takeaway Value collaboration over rivalry. Themes inclusion competition diversity collaboration self‑esteem Mood reflective encouraging Type advice observational When to use this quote - writing workshops - career networking - academic conferences - community panels Key Concepts identity politics scarcity mindset creative community Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster supportive environments for peers? - What structures reinforce the “only one” mindset? A Different Perspective It may overlook systemic barriers that truly limit opportunities for marginalized groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-woman/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Ethnicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnicity/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Female](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/female/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Persuasion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuasion/) [Survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivor/) [Syndromes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syndromes/) [Walks of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks-of-life/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The approbation of others is a stimulus of which one must sometimes be wary. 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Wherever we are, you'll never feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-your-man-i-promise-to-always-make-you-feel-like-the-most-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by ZZ Packer > [The big issue was cutting. I finally cut as much as I could, about a fourth of the story, and actually liked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zz-packer-64818/the-big-issue-was-cutting-i-finally-cut-as-much-as-i-could-about-a/) ZZ Packer > [I think when we engage in language we are engaging in something that is specifically and primally human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zz-packer-64818/i-think-when-we-engage-in-language-we-are-engaging-in-something-that/) ZZ Packer > [Well, as a short-story writer, I don't think there are any weaknesses to the genre itself. I guess I would say that the difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zz-packer-64818/well-as-a-short-story-writer-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-weaknesses/) ZZ Packer > [“She did not want to say it, because it made no practical sense, but in the end she went to Japan for the delicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zz-packer-64818/she-did-not-want-to-say-it-because-it-made-no-practical-sense-but-in/) ZZ Packer Explore all 5 ZZ Packer quotes ## More American woman quotes > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [When I was 12 years old, I went to Natchitoches, La.; it was summer vacation with my family. We visited a plantation, Melrose. 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As an African American woman, with three young children who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/today-my-elation-over-obama-s-election-is-tempered-by-a-far-more/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Browse all 186 American woman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-woman/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Be wary of feeling as through there is not enough room at the table. Oftentimes a female Chinese-American might feel as through she is in competition with another Chinese-American woman writer of the same generation. A writer friend of mine calls it the \"There Can Only Be One ...\" syndrome. 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