--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any one of us could be made to look a…" description: "\"“Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with selective readings of our history.”\" — Abigail Haas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg" --- # Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with… ![“Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with selective readings of our history.” quote by Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg) > ““Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with selective readings of our history.”” [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can be portrayed negatively when history is selectively highlighted, shaping perception unfairly. **In simple terms:** Selective history can cast anyone as a monster. Key Takeaway Beware of biased narratives. Themes perception history bias Mood critical reflective Type analytical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - media analysis - education - political discourse - personal reputation Key Concepts Narrative framing selective memory Questions to Reflect On - How does selective storytelling affect public opinion? - What sources can reveal a fuller picture? A Different Perspective Historical context can be complex and nuanced, not just black and white. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Monster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster/) ## Related quotes > [glancing back I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/glancing-back-i-got-my-first-clear-look-at-the-monster-he-was-seven/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I can understand that memory must be selective, else it would choke on the glut of experience. What I cannot understand is why it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgilia-peterson/i-can-understand-that-memory-must-be-selective-else-it-would-choke-on/) [Virgilia Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgilia-peterson/) > [I think everyone does selective reading. Everybody has a filter, and that is real easy for critics to see things from their perspectives, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/i-think-everyone-does-selective-reading-everybody-has-a-filter-and/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I am consciously selective of the work that I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-am-consciously-selective-of-the-work-that-i-do/) [Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/) > [“She had that quality, selective blindness, when she just didn’t look straight at things she didn’t want to see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-carroll/she-had-that-quality-selective-blindness-when-she-just-didn-t-look/) Nora Carroll > [An autobiography is only 'a sort of life' - it may contain less errors of fact than a biography, but it is of necessity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/an-autobiography-is-only-a-sort-of-life-it-may-contain-less-errors-of/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [What masquerades as sex education is not education at all. It is selective propaganda which artificially encourages children to participate in adult sex, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/what-masquerades-as-sex-education-is-not-education-at-all-it-is/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [It only takes twenty generations of selective breeding to create large differences or appearance and behavior in other mammals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/it-only-takes-twenty-generations-of-selective-breeding-to-create/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Isn't it strange how people are selective about the truth the want to see or hear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/isn-t-it-strange-how-people-are-selective-about-the-truth-the-want-to/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [Christians in this country have found themselves under selective assault. God has, almost overnight, been removed from the educational, legal, and political institutions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lapin/christians-in-this-country-have-found-themselves-under-selective/) [Daniel Lapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lapin/) > [“I am, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to run around screwing the first thing that winks my way. I’m trying to be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-but-that-doesn-t-mean-i-m-going-to-run-around-screwing-the-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Economists actually disagree about whether there are significant economic returns from attending an elite college versus a less-selective one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/economists-actually-disagree-about-whether-there-are-significant/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [The humanitarian argument is so selective I find it difficult to swallow. It's not even so much about the choice as to where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-humanitarian-argument-is-so-selective-i-find-it-difficult-to/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [For the past few years, I've been more selective than I have any right to be, but I think that's finally starting to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzy-caplan/for-the-past-few-years-i-ve-been-more-selective-than-i-have-any-right/) [Lizzy Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzy-caplan/) > [ Ben Carson also denounced \[Donald\] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s-ban-all-muslims-proposal/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## More by Abigail Haas > [“The truth is, it's not the act that I'm scared of, but giving myself so entirely to someone. As long as there are lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/the-truth-is-it-s-not-the-act-that-i-m-scared-of-but-giving-myself-so/) [Abigail haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“Our lives are made up of choices. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominoes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/our-lives-are-made-up-of-choices-big-ones-small-ones-strung-together/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“..the truth is, we made each other, like we learned about in science class. Symbiosis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/the-truth-is-we-made-each-other-like-we-learned-about-in-science/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“My mom shows me her old yearbooks, and there are tons of people in there she doesn't talk to anymore. Old boyfriends, best friends……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/my-mom-shows-me-her-old-yearbooks-and-there-are-tons-of-people-in/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“Wouldn't we all look guilty, if someone searched hard enough?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/wouldn-t-we-all-look-guilty-if-someone-searched-hard-enough/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“Our lives are made up of choices. Big ones, small ones, strung together by the thin air of good intentions; a line of dominoes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/our-lives-are-made-up-of-choices-big-ones-small-ones-strung-together-2/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“The night is still just getting started.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/the-night-is-still-just-getting-started/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“Now, for the first time, I wonder if this is how my mother felt. If cancer was her prison; the chemo treatments, torture. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/now-for-the-first-time-i-wonder-if-this-is-how-my-mother-felt-if/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) > [“I want to tell them all; the world is bigger than high school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/i-want-to-tell-them-all-the-world-is-bigger-than-high-school/) [Abigail Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) [Explore all 10 Abigail Haas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with selective readings of our history.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abigail Haas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-monster-with-selective-readings/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-monster-with-selective-readings/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/abigail-haas-40021_history_any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-mo_372258.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any one of us could be made to look a monster, with selective readings of our history.” — Abigail Haas", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abigail Haas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-haas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Any one of us could be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-monster-with-selective-readings/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-haas/any-one-of-us-could-be-made-to-look-a-monster-with-selective-readings/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```