About this quote

Labels that split a group into types are often imported by whoever is in charge, handed down for their convenience and then absorbed until they feel natural. Noticing that a division was taught, not discovered, is the first step to questioning the weight everyone now gives it.

When to use it

• A company that sorts staff into rigid "creatives" and "operators" until people forget they used to swap roles freely.
• Kids at a school who never noticed cliques until a seating chart drew the lines for them.
• Neighbors who got along fine until a redistricting map taught them to think of themselves as two sides.