---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most readers, then and now, have at some…"
description: "\"Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced the humiliation of being told that their occupation is reprehensible.\" — Alberto Manguel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg"
---

#  Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced…

![“Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced the humiliation of being told that their occupation is reprehensible.” quote by Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg)

> “Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced the humiliation of being told that their occupation is reprehensible.”

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote highlights the social stigma attached to certain professions, causing personal embarrassment when one's work is judged as morally wrong.

**In simple terms:** Stigma of disapproved jobs

Key Takeaway

Occupational judgment can humiliate

Themes

social stigma morality identity professional dignity cultural norms

Mood

empathetic critical reflective

Type

observation social commentary cautionary

When to use this quote

- career counseling
- workplace diversity training
- public policy debates
- personal reflection on job choice

Key Concepts

social perception self-worth ethical judgment

Practical Applications

- educational workshops on occupational bias
- media campaigns promoting respect for all work

Questions to Reflect On

- How does societal judgment affect one's self-esteem?
- What can be done to reduce occupational stigma?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Experienced Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experienced-humiliation-345937/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Humiliation Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation-told-345936/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Occupation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation/) [Occupation Reprehensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occupation-reprehensible-345935/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reprehensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reprehensible/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I refuse to endure months of expensive humiliation only to be told that at the age of four I was in love with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/i-refuse-to-endure-months-of-expensive-humiliation-only-to-be-told/)

[Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/)

> [“When I experienced humiliation and yet kept walking, I understood that I was free to choose my destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-i-experienced-humiliation-and-yet-kept-walking-i-understood-that/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [When I had nothing more to lose, I was given everything. When I ceased to be who I am, I found myself. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-i-had-nothing-more-to-lose-i-was-given-everything-when-i-ceased-2/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I've always loved reprehensible people because they're so much more interesting to play on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-ve-always-loved-reprehensible-people-because-they-re-so-much-more/)

[Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/)

> [“Her desire to control, to punish and to inflict pain, all in the name of law and order, are, I think, every bit as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/her-desire-to-control-to-punish-and-to-inflict-pain-all-in-the-name/)

[J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/)

> [I find it reprehensible that anyone would seek to denigrate the legacy of Dr. King in any way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/i-find-it-reprehensible-that-anyone-would-seek-to-denigrate-the/)

[Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/)

> [Here was something that I did all the time, and thought nothing of it, and it turns out the rest of the world thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/here-was-something-that-i-did-all-the-time-and-thought-nothing-of-it/)

[Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/)

> [And it's the President of the United States who said he wasn't going to spike the football and all this, we shouldn't gloat about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/and-it-s-the-president-of-the-united-states-who-said-he-wasn-t-going/)

[Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/)

> [My mom and dad were divorced, and although they got along very well, my mom thought American television was reprehensible, so I was raised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/my-mom-and-dad-were-divorced-and-although-they-got-along-very-well-my/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [Some of my instincts are reprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/some-of-my-instincts-are-reprehensible/)

[William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/)

> [“It turns out that the more you repeat the same action, no matter how reprehensible, the more you can make an excuse for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-turns-out-that-the-more-you-repeat-the-same-action-no-matter-how/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [I find revealing the secrets of magic quite reprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/i-find-revealing-the-secrets-of-magic-quite-reprehensible/)

[David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/)

> [The idea that we industrialized humans are immune to the natural laws that have restrained growth in other species-and humans in past social regimes-is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-heinberg/the-idea-that-we-industrialized-humans-are-immune-to-the-natural-laws/)

[Richard Heinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-heinberg/)

> [Free speech is not just free speech for people you admire. It's also for people who you think of as reprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/free-speech-is-not-just-free-speech-for-people-you-admire-it-s-also/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Applying the axioms of physical science to human life has something reprehensible to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/applying-the-axioms-of-physical-science-to-human-life-has-something/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

## More by Alberto Manguel

> [Libraries, whether my own or shared with a greater reading public, have always seemed to me pleasantly mad places, and for as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/libraries-whether-my-own-or-shared-with-a-greater-reading-public-have/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [At different times and in different places I have come to expect certain books to look a certain way, and, as in all fashions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/at-different-times-and-in-different-places-i-have-come-to-expect/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [I have no feelings of guilt regarding the books I have not read and perhaps will never read; I know that my books have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-have-no-feelings-of-guilt-regarding-the-books-i-have-not-read-and/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [“Then one day, from the window of a car (the destination of that journey is now forgotten), I saw a billboard by the side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/then-one-day-from-the-window-of-a-car-the-destination-of-that-journey/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [The shelves of books we haven't written, like those of books we haven't read, stretches out into the darkness of the universal library's farthest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/the-shelves-of-books-we-haven-t-written-like-those-of-books-we-haven/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [“I have no feeling of guilt regarding the books I have not read and perhaps will never read; I know that my books have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-have-no-feeling-of-guilt-regarding-the-books-i-have-not-read-and/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [Old books that we have known but not possessed cross our path and invite themselves over. New books try to seduce us daily with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/old-books-that-we-have-known-but-not-possessed-cross-our-path-and/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [Ordered by subject, by importance, ordered according to whether the book was penned by God or by one of God's creatures, ordered alphabetically or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/ordered-by-subject-by-importance-ordered-according-to-whether-the/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [The starting point is a question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/the-starting-point-is-a-question/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [“Ljubav je imbecilna izvesnost pomoću koje naša fantazija stvara verodostojnu utvaru.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/ljubav-je-imbecilna-izvesnost-pomo-u-koje-na-a-fantazija-stvara/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [I know that something dies when i give up my books, and that my memory keeps going back to them with mournful nostalgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/i-know-that-something-dies-when-i-give-up-my-books-and-that-my-memory/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [Something about the possession of a book - an object that can contain infinite fables, words of wisdom, chronicles of times gone by, humorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/something-about-the-possession-of-a-book-an-object-that-can-contain/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/maybe-this-is-why-we-read-and-why-in-moments-of-darkness-we-return-to/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [As centuries of dictators have known, an illiterate crowd is the easiest to rule; since the craft of reading cannot be untaught once it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/as-centuries-of-dictators-have-known-an-illiterate-crowd-is-the/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [A book brings its own history to the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/a-book-brings-its-own-history-to-the-reader/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

[Explore all 159 Alberto Manguel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced the humiliation of being told that their occupation is reprehensible.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alberto Manguel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-time-experienced-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-time-experienced-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/alberto-manguel-2467_books_most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-t_8863.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most readers, then and now, have at some time experienced the humiliation of being told that their…” — Alberto Manguel",
                "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": "Alberto Manguel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most readers, then and now, have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-time-experienced-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/most-readers-then-and-now-have-at-some-time-experienced-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
