I handed my passport to the immigration officer, and he looked at it and looked at me and said, “What are you?”
Meaning of the quote
In this quote, Grace Hopper, an American scientist, describes an encounter with an immigration officer. When she handed over her passport, the officer looked at it and then looked at her, asking, "What are you?" This suggests that the officer was confused or unsure about Hopper's identity or background, despite the information in her passport. The quote highlights the challenges that some people face when their appearance or identity doesn't match the expectations or assumptions of others in positions of authority.
About Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper was a pioneering American computer scientist, mathematician, and Navy rear admiral. She developed early programming languages like FLOW-MATIC and COBOL, and was one of the first programmers on the Harvard Mark I computer. She is known for her work on machine-independent programming languages and for writing the first computer manual.
More quotes from Grace Hopper
A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.
American computer scientist and United States Navy officer
If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It’s much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.
American computer scientist and United States Navy officer
It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
American computer scientist and United States Navy officer
I handed my passport to the immigration officer, and he looked at it and looked at me and said, “What are you?”
American computer scientist and United States Navy officer