I traffic in empathy. I try to be vulnerable with people so they can be vulnerable back. I've always been searching for empathy in other people. It's when I feel most not alone.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
I'm more than willing to go to places and talk to people who believe that I am an illegal alien who deserves to be jailed. I want to look them in the eye and say, 'What makes you think I'm any different from you?' I think for our generation, immigration rights is a civil rights issue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the shared humanity in discussions about immigration rights and challenges prejudiced views.
Jose Antonio Vargas highlights the necessity of confronting and understanding the perspectives of those who hold opposing views on immigration. By advocating for dialogue and empathy, he frames immigration rights as a fundamental civil rights issue that transcends barriers and calls for recognition of shared humanity.
Themes
ImmigrationCivil RightsDialogueEmpathyHumanity
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting about immigration policies.
More from Jose Antonio Vargas
All quotes →Citizenship to me is more than a piece of paper. Citizenship is also about character. I am an American. We're just waiting for our country to recognize it.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
Kathy Dewar, my high-school English teacher, introduced me to journalism. From the moment I wrote my first article for the student paper, I convinced myself that having my name in print - writing in English, interviewing Americans - validated my presence here.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
I'm a gay, undocumented immigrant; I have to be optimistic.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
There were many factors as to why I decided to come out as being undocumented. One of them is because I look the way that I look; I don't look like the 'stereotypical undocumented' person.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
As a newcomer to America who learned to 'speak American' by watching movies, I firmly believe that to change the politics of immigration and citizenship, we must change culture - the way we portray undocumented people like me and our role in society.
Jose Antonio VargasRead
Similar quotes
How can He be perfect? Everything He ever makes...dies.
George CarlinRead
Zombies are a great rhetorical prop to talk about people and paranoia, and they are a good vehicle for my misanthropy.
Colson WhiteheadRead
When feminism does not explicitly oppose racism, and when anti-racism does not incorporate opposition to patriarchy, race and gender politics often end up being antagonistic to each other, and both interests lose.
Kimberle Williams CrenshawRead
We don't need the Nazis to destroy us. We're destroying ourselves.
Otto FrankRead
Arithmetic is where the answer is right and everything is nice and you can look out of the window and see the blue sky - or the answer is wrong and you have to start over and try again and see how it comes out this time.
Carl SandburgRead
Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep.
Isaiah BerlinRead