--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are all exceptional cases. We all want…" description: "\"“We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg" --- # We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal… ![“We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the whole human race and heaven itself. You won't delight a man by complimenting him on the efforts by which he has become intelligent or generous. On…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg) > ““We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the whole human race and heaven itself. You won't delight a man by complimenting him on the efforts by which he has become intelligent or generous. On the other hand, he will beam if you admire his natural generosity. Inversely, if you tell a criminal that his crime is not due to his nature or his character but to unfortunate circumstances, he will be extravagantly grateful to you. During the counsel's speech, this is the moment he will choose to weep. Yet there is no credit in being honest or intelligent by birth. Just as one is surely no more responsible for being a criminal by nature than for being a criminal by circumstance. But those rascals want grace, that is irresponsibility, and they shamelessly allege the justifications of nature of the excuses of circumstances, even if they are contradictory. The essentially thing is that they should be innocent, that their virtues, by grace of birth, should not be questioned and that their misdeeds, born of a momentary misfortune, should never be more than provisional. As I told you, it's a matter of dodging judgement. Since it is hard to dodge it, tricky to get one's nature simultaneously admired and excused, they all strive to be rich. Why? Did you ever ask yourself? For power, of course. But especially because wealth shields from immediate judgement, takes you out of the subway crowd to enclose you in a chromium-plated automobile, isolates you in huge protected lawns, Pullmans, first-class cabins. Wealth, cher ami, is not quite acquittal, but reprieve, and that's always worth taking.”” [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. People claim innocence and blame nature or circumstance, yet they seek grace to avoid judgment; wealth offers a shield from scrutiny. **In simple terms:** People blame nature or circumstance to avoid guilt, using wealth as protection. Key Takeaway Recognize how excuses and wealth can mask responsibility. Themes justice wealth responsibility human nature judgment Mood critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical social When to use this quote - legal defense - political rhetoric - media narratives - personal relationships Key Concepts existentialism social critique ethics Questions to Reflect On - How does wealth influence perceptions of guilt? - Can true innocence ever be proven? A Different Perspective Wealth can create inequality and hinder true accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Automobiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/automobiles/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgement/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Unfortunate circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate-circumstances/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want-to-appeal-against-something-2/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/there-is-so-much-about-my-fate-that-i-cannot-control-but-other-things/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“And Kate thought about a time, long ago, when she had witnessed an ongoing romance between two mental patients. As a teenager watching their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrynne-mclain/and-kate-thought-about-a-time-long-ago-when-she-had-witnessed-an/) Sabrynne McLain > [I have an absolutely unshakable faith in kids, grounded in the fact that I worked for three years in one of the worst public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rhee/i-have-an-absolutely-unshakable-faith-in-kids-grounded-in-the-fact/) [Michelle Rhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rhee/) > [I moved to Humble under really unfortunate circumstances obviously, Hurricane Katrina, so our family was displaced here for four months. Humble was a home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/i-moved-to-humble-under-really-unfortunate-circumstances-obviously/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) > [A man is not defined by his possessions but by the depth of his heart and the ability to make wise decisions in unfortunate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-is-not-defined-by-his-possessions-but-by-the-depth-of-his-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In life, when you are faced with an unfortunate circumstance, there’s no book, there’s no guide, there’s no right answer on how to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-michele/in-life-when-you-are-faced-with-an-unfortunate-circumstance-there-s/) [Lea Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-michele/) > [“If you want to secure Dhyana, let go of your anxieties and failures in the past; let bygones be bygones; cast aside enmity, shame,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/if-you-want-to-secure-dhyana-let-go-of-your-anxieties-and-failures-in/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [It is true to say that the first kill can influence the whole future career of a fighter pilot. Many to whom the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/it-is-true-to-say-that-the-first-kill-can-influence-the-whole-future/) [Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/) > [“If you have cancer or AIDS, you are a victim who is bravely fighting a horrible disease. Society regularly labels these people as brave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-c-zakas/if-you-have-cancer-or-aids-you-are-a-victim-who-is-bravely-fighting-a/) Nicholas C. Zakas > [ It seemed \[there are\] musical nodes on the planet where cultures meet and mix, sometimes as a result of unfortunate circumstances, like slavery or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/it-seemed-there-are-musical-nodes-on-the-planet-where-cultures-meet/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [Most of all, I can choose my thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/most-of-all-i-can-choose-my-thoughts/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [It is our custom to say that someone is 'lucky' or 'unlucky' if they meet with fortunate or unfortunate circumstances, respectively. It is, however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/it-is-our-custom-to-say-that-someone-is-lucky-or-unlucky-if-they-meet/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Through the harsh design of fate, Florida was dealt the unfortunate circumstances of bearing the brunt of not one but two hurricanes, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-brown-waite/through-the-harsh-design-of-fate-florida-was-dealt-the-unfortunate/) [Ginny Brown-Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-brown-waite/) > [A lot of people work extremely hard and through no fault of their own - bad luck, the wrong environment, unfortunate circumstances - struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-musk/a-lot-of-people-work-extremely-hard-and-through-no-fault-of-their-own/) [Justine Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-musk/) ## 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. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. 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 Ask yourself quotes > [“If you want to stop smoking, ask yourself, do you do it because you love nicotine, or because it provides a burst of stimulation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/if-you-want-to-stop-smoking-ask-yourself-do-you-do-it-because-you/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“I've written about persistence and perseverance and yet for those of us with patchwork lives (projects, earnings, caretaking, home-tending, playing, friending, loving, celebrating, hurting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/i-ve-written-about-persistence-and-perseverance-and-yet-for-those-of/) [Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/) > [When you experience difficulty at work or in your life, instead of looking back on it as something that was really challenging, look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-ghosn/when-you-experience-difficulty-at-work-or-in-your-life-instead-of/) [Caroline Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-ghosn/) > [“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/ask-yourself-how-many-people-you-have-met-who-grumbled-at-a-thing-as/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“I have seen plenty of ‘Struggle minus Success’ stories where you are forced to ask yourself ‘Why to him/her?’. There are few questions unanswered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavik-sarkhedi/i-have-seen-plenty-of-struggle-minus-success-stories-where-you-are/) [Bhavik Sarkhedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavik-sarkhedi/) > [“What is true for you? What makes your heart smile? When do you feel most yourself? What do you love to do? Ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/what-is-true-for-you-what-makes-your-heart-smile-when-do-you-feel/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [“When a bad experience shakes your faith in humanity, hold those depressing thoughts and ask yourself. 1. How many things in life have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drishti-bablani/when-a-bad-experience-shakes-your-faith-in-humanity-hold-those/) [Drishti Bablani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drishti-bablani/) > [“It is important you understand how fear affects you and how it drives human behavior so you can start to see situations and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-giles/it-is-important-you-understand-how-fear-affects-you-and-how-it-drives/) [Kimberly Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-giles/) > [“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-is-idle-to-talk-always-of-the-alternative-of-reason-and-faith/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Picture your life exactly the way you want it and then ask yourself, am I doing the things that will take me there? Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-cook/picture-your-life-exactly-the-way-you-want-it-and-then-ask-yourself/) [Stephanie Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-cook/) > [“Just make sure you've taken a moment or two to ask yourself if it's really a need, and to reflect on the potential benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-laricchia/just-make-sure-you-ve-taken-a-moment-or-two-to-ask-yourself-if-it-s/) [Pam Laricchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-laricchia/) > [“Em's the first woman I've met who seems to be...well, the answer.' 'Answer to what?' He shrugged. 'All the questions, I suppose.' Fay looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-gillard/em-s-the-first-woman-i-ve-met-who-seems-to-be-well-the-answer-answer/) [Linda Gillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-gillard/) > [“Listen to what you tell yourself about your life situation. If you find it's pessimistic or negative, ask yourself, "What's another way of thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-a-robinson/listen-to-what-you-tell-yourself-about-your-life-situation-if-you/) [Lynn A. Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-a-robinson/) > [“Often the most tricky questions are the ones we secretly know the answers of. What are you running from? What are you waiting for?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/often-the-most-tricky-questions-are-the-ones-we-secretly-know-the/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) Browse all 1,272 Ask yourself quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent at all cost, even if he has to accuse the whole human race and heaven itself. You won't delight a man by complimenting him on the efforts by which he has become intelligent or generous. On the other hand, he will beam if you admire his natural generosity. Inversely, if you tell a criminal that his crime is not due to his nature or his character but to unfortunate circumstances, he will be extravagantly grateful to you. During the counsel's speech, this is the moment he will choose to weep. Yet there is no credit in being honest or intelligent by birth. Just as one is surely no more responsible for being a criminal by nature than for being a criminal by circumstance. But those rascals want grace, that is irresponsibility, and they shamelessly allege the justifications of nature of the excuses of circumstances, even if they are contradictory. The essentially thing is that they should be innocent, that their virtues, by grace of birth, should not be questioned and that their misdeeds, born of a momentary misfortune, should never be more than provisional. As I told you, it's a matter of dodging judgement. Since it is hard to dodge it, tricky to get one's nature simultaneously admired and excused, they all strive to be rich. Why? Did you ever ask yourself? For power, of course. But especially because wealth shields from immediate judgement, takes you out of the subway crowd to enclose you in a chromium-plated automobile, isolates you in huge protected lawns, Pullmans, first-class cabins. Wealth, cher ami, is not quite acquittal, but reprieve, and that's always worth taking.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Camus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want-to-appeal-against-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ask yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want-to-appeal-against-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/albert-camus-47_ask-yourself_we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want_504203.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are all exceptional cases. We all want to appeal against something! Each of us insists on being innocent…” — Albert Camus", "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": "Albert Camus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We are all exceptional cases. We...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want-to-appeal-against-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-are-all-exceptional-cases-we-all-want-to-appeal-against-something/#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 } } ] } ```