--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this respect, our townsfolk were like…" description: "\"In this respect, our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves; in other words, they were humanists: they disbelieved in pestilences..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/albert-camus-47_bad-dream_in-this-respect-our-townsfolk-were-like_3010722.jpg" --- # In this respect, our townsfolk were like everybody else… ![“In this respect, our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves; in other words, they were humanists: they disbelieved in pestilences. A pestilence isn't a thing made to man's measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/albert-camus-47_bad-dream_in-this-respect-our-townsfolk-were-like_3010722.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/albert-camus-47_bad-dream_in-this-respect-our-townsfolk-were-like_3010722.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/albert-camus-47_bad-dream_in-this-respect-our-townsfolk-were-like_3010722.jpg) > “In this respect, our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves; in other words, they were humanists: they disbelieved in pestilences. A pestilence isn't a thing made to man's measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. But it doesn't always pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away, and the humanists first of all, because they have taken no precautions.” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanists deny the reality of disease, treating it as a mental construct, yet neglecting precautions leads to real suffering and death. **In simple terms:** Denial of danger can be deadly. Key Takeaway Recognize risks and act responsibly. Themes humanism denial danger responsibility Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical social When to use this quote - public health policy - education - personal health decisions - community planning Key Concepts existentialism public health psychology Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do societies have to protect vulnerable people? - How can we balance optimism with realistic risk assessment? A Different Perspective The quote overlooks that some may lack resources to take precautions, not just denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-dream/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Passing away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-away/) [Pestilence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pestilence/) [Precaution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precaution/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) ## Related quotes > [“All I can say is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims– and as far as possible one must refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/all-i-can-say-is-that-on-this-earth-there-are-pestilences-and-there/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world; yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/everybody-knows-that-pestilences-have-a-way-of-recurring-in-the-world/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“At the beginning of a pestilence and when it ends, there's always a propensity for rhetoric. In the first case, habits have not yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/at-the-beginning-of-a-pestilence-and-when-it-ends-there-s-always-a/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The truth is that nothing is less sensational than pestilence, and by reason of their very duration great misfortunes are monotonous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-truth-is-that-nothing-is-less-sensational-than-pestilence-and-by/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, so far as possible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/all-i-maintain-is-that-on-this-earth-there-are-pestilences-and-there/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“And it was in the midst of shouts rolling against the terrace wall in massive waves that waxed in volume and duration, while cataracts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/and-it-was-in-the-midst-of-shouts-rolling-against-the-terrace-wall-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Mon cher ami, let's not give them any pretext, no matter how small, for judging us!!! Otherwise, we'll be left in shreds. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/mon-cher-ami-let-s-not-give-them-any-pretext-no-matter-how-small-for/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“...my war on commas. They are a pestilence. They must be stopped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/my-war-on-commas-they-are-a-pestilence-they-must-be-stopped/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [A man with a machine and inadequate culture is a pestilence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-man-with-a-machine-and-inadequate-culture-is-a-pestilence/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Oh, sir, the loftiest hopes on earth Draw lots with meaner hopes: heroic breasts, Breathing bad air, run risk of pestilence; Or, lacking lime-juice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/oh-sir-the-loftiest-hopes-on-earth-draw-lots-with-meaner-hopes-heroic/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [There are wars, there's pestilence, there are plagues, there is corruption in religious circles, corruption in the government, when was it not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/there-are-wars-there-s-pestilence-there-are-plagues-there-is/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [The human condition for the vast majority of people on this planet for the entire time of what humanity has been here has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-human-condition-for-the-vast-majority-of-people-on-this-planet/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I can't decide for you whether or not you have got to write, but if anything in the world, war, or pestilence, or famine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-can-t-decide-for-you-whether-or-not-you-have-got-to-write-but-if/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Thus is man made equal to every event. He can face danger for the right. A poor, tender, painful body, he can run into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/thus-is-man-made-equal-to-every-event-he-can-face-danger-for-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I read the other day an account of a meeting between John Knox and John Calvin. Imagine a dialogue between a pestilence and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-read-the-other-day-an-account-of-a-meeting-between-john-knox-and/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. 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As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Bad dream quotes > [“The other day Nan said, 'Nothing can ever be quite the same for any of us again.' It made me feel rebellious. Why shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/the-other-day-nan-said-nothing-can-ever-be-quite-the-same-for-any-of/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“For a moment Dustfinger felt as if he had never been away- as if he had simply had a bad dream, and the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/for-a-moment-dustfinger-felt-as-if-he-had-never-been-away-as-if-he/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Ben and Freda were happy for Cindy. She had recovered from the horrible abuses she had suffered the previous year. 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