Belonging is not about similarity… it’s a game-changing insight about what truly connects us. It’s not who you are, but what you do together that forges the deepest bonds. This flips our entire understanding of community on its head.
Share Image Quote:Table of Contents
Meaning
At its core, this quote argues that the glue of a tribe isn’t shared identity, but shared action. It’s the mutual commitment to a common cause that creates belonging.
Explanation
Look, we’ve all been conditioned to think that belonging is about finding your people, right? People who look like you, think like you, have the same background. And that’s nice. But it’s surface level.
What Junger is getting at—and I’ve seen this play out time and again in my work—is that the most powerful, resilient bonds are forged in the crucible of shared struggle. It’s not about your demographics. It’s about the person next to you, whether you like them or not, working toward the same critical goal. That shared responsibility, that interdependence, is what creates an unbreakable sense of “we.” It’s the difference between a neighborhood and a community that bands together after a disaster.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3669) |
| Category | Community (61) |
| Topics | belonging (37), diversity (6), responsibility (55) |
| Literary Style | memorable (234), plain (102) |
| Emotion / Mood | hopeful (357), inclusive (13) |
| Overall Quote Score | 82 (297) |
Origin & Factcheck
This insight comes straight from Sebastian Junger’s 2016 book, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. It’s a key thesis he builds throughout the text, drawing on his experiences in conflict zones and studying tribal societies. You sometimes see similar sentiments floating around anonymously online, but this specific, powerful phrasing is definitively Junger’s.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Sebastian Junger (60) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging (60) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3669) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Sebastian Junger is born in Belmont, United States on 1962. He studied cultural anthropology at Wesleyan University and built his career in journalism. He is the one of the leading contributor and editor at Vanity Fair. Along with Tim Hetherington, he codirected Restrepo(2010 American documentary), which went on to win Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and an Academy Award nomination. The Sebastian Junger book list includes The Perfect Storm, Tribe, A Death in Belmont, Freedom, War, and In My Time of Dying, each marked by distinct writing style
| Official Website
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | Belonging is not about similarity, it’s about shared responsibility |
| Book Details | Publication Year: 2016; ISBN: 978-1-4555-6638-6; Last edition: 2017; Number of pages: 192. |
| Where is it? | Chapter 4: Calling Home, Approximate page 122 from 2017 edition |