--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am truly horrified by modern man. Such…" description: "\"I am truly horrified by modern man. Such absence of feeling, such narrowness of outlook, such lack of passion and information, such feebleness of thoug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/alexander-herzen-13536_absence_i-am-truly-horrified-by-modern-man-such_1415313.jpg" --- # I am truly horrified by modern man. Such absence of… ![“I am truly horrified by modern man. Such absence of feeling, such narrowness of outlook, such lack of passion and information, such feebleness of thought.” quote by Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/alexander-herzen-13536_absence_i-am-truly-horrified-by-modern-man-such_1415313.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/alexander-herzen-13536_absence_i-am-truly-horrified-by-modern-man-such_1415313.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfc/alexander-herzen-13536_absence_i-am-truly-horrified-by-modern-man-such_1415313.jpg) > “I am truly horrified by modern man. Such absence of feeling, such narrowness of outlook, such lack of passion and information, such feebleness of thought.” [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) ## 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 laments modern humanity’s loss of emotional depth, narrow perspectives, and intellectual vigor, calling for renewed passion and knowledge. **In simple terms:** Modern people lack feeling, breadth, and passion. Key Takeaway Seek deeper feeling, broader outlook, and knowledge. Themes modernity emotion intellect passion Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical cultural When to use this quote - education reform - cultural revitalization - personal enrichment - public discourse Key Concepts Cultural criticism philosophical pessimism intellectual history Questions to Reflect On - What passions have you neglected? - How can we broaden our intellectual horizons? A Different Perspective Narrow focus can hinder societal progress and empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Modern man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-man/) [Outlook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlook/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) ## Related quotes > [I was horrified by modern 12-tone music. I said to myself, 'Maybe I can find something different... maybe salvation, liberation, is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/i-was-horrified-by-modern-12-tone-music-i-said-to-myself-maybe-i-can/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [“When employees lack passion, it is nearly impossible to deliver excellent customer service. Doesn’t it make you less inclined to want to do business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/when-employees-lack-passion-it-is-nearly-impossible-to-deliver/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Id rather be around a passionate nerd than a non-passionate cool person. Because if you lack passion, your soul is diminishing by the second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/id-rather-be-around-a-passionate-nerd-than-a-non-passionate-cool/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be. Its all about finding and pursuing your passion. Neglecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/you-will-never-leave-where-you-are-until-you-decide-where-you-would/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“The lack of passion and dedication towards your dreams and goals can cause an unproductive life. Remember there is no one else can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/the-lack-of-passion-and-dedication-towards-your-dreams-and-goals-can/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [You know, some people take peace of mind and confuse it with lack of passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/you-know-some-people-take-peace-of-mind-and-confuse-it-with-lack-of/) [Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/) > [“Many people lack the passion to keep trying in their relationships. I believe that is why people start to resent their lovers and start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-hargrove/many-people-lack-the-passion-to-keep-trying-in-their-relationships-i/) Roxanne Hargrove > [“A MAN WITHOUT A MAP WILL BE A MAN WITHOUT A HEART; HE’LL LACK BOTH PASSION AND COMPASSION.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrin-patrick/a-man-without-a-map-will-be-a-man-without-a-heart-he-ll-lack-both/) [Darrin Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrin-patrick/) > [Politics is for people who have a passion for changing life but lack a passion for living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/politics-is-for-people-who-have-a-passion-for-changing-life-but-lack/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I’d rather be around a passionate nerd than a non-passionate cool person. Because if you lack passion, your soul is diminishing by the second.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cohen/i-d-rather-be-around-a-passionate-nerd-than-a-non-passionate-cool/) Matt Cohen > [I didn't want to repeat my parents life. I saw in their lives a routine and a lack of dreaming, a lack of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-didn-t-want-to-repeat-my-parents-life-i-saw-in-their-lives-a/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [“My silence was not a lack of passion, but an inability to even draw a breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-gallagher/my-silence-was-not-a-lack-of-passion-but-an-inability-to-even-draw-a/) [Lauren Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-gallagher/) > [I believe we come to earth with sealed orders. I believe that only those who lack passion look down on purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-believe-we-come-to-earth-with-sealed-orders-i-believe-that-only/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [Neglecting passion blocks creative flow. When you're passionate, you're energized. Likewise, when you lack passion, your energy is low and unproductive. Energy is everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/neglecting-passion-blocks-creative-flow-when-you-re-passionate-you-re/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [This age will die not as a result of some evil, but from a lack of passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/this-age-will-die-not-as-a-result-of-some-evil-but-from-a-lack-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## More by Alexander Herzen > [We think the purpose of a child is to grow up because it does grow up. But its purpose is to play, to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/we-think-the-purpose-of-a-child-is-to-grow-up-because-it-does-grow-up/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/unaware-of-the-absurdity-of-it-we-introduce-our-own-petty-household/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [The Death of the contemporary forms of social order ought to gladden rather than trouble the soul. Yet what is frightening is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/the-death-of-the-contemporary-forms-of-social-order-ought-to-gladden/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Science, which cuts its way through the muddy pond of daily life without mingling with it, casts its wealth to right and left, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/science-which-cuts-its-way-through-the-muddy-pond-of-daily-life/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [It seems to me that you are solving a problem which goes beyond the limits of physiology in too simple a way. Physiology has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/it-seems-to-me-that-you-are-solving-a-problem-which-goes-beyond-the/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Modern Western thought will pass into history and be incorporated in it, will have its influence and its place, justas our body will pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/modern-western-thought-will-pass-into-history-and-be-incorporated-in/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Science even more than the Gospel teaches us humility. She cannot look down on anything, she does not know what superiority means, she despises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/science-even-more-than-the-gospel-teaches-us-humility-she-cannot-look/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [I believe what I write to be the truth...every man who is not indifferent to the truth has a weakness for spreading it about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/i-believe-what-i-write-to-be-the-truth-every-man-who-is-not/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Human development is a form of chronological unfairness, since late-comers are able to profit by the labors of their predecessors without paying the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/human-development-is-a-form-of-chronological-unfairness-since-late/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Strong drink stupefies a man and makes it possible for him to forget; it gives him an artificial cheeriness, an artificial excitement; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/strong-drink-stupefies-a-man-and-makes-it-possible-for-him-to-forget/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [A generation which has passed through the shop has absorbed standards and ambitions which are not of those of spaciousness, and cannot get away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/a-generation-which-has-passed-through-the-shop-has-absorbed-standards/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [Strong drink stupefies a man and makes it possible for him to forget; it gives him an artificial cheeriness, an artificial excitement; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/strong-drink-stupefies-a-man-and-makes-it-possible-for-him-to-forget-2/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [All religions have based morality on obedience, that is to say, on voluntary slavery. That is why they have always been more pernicious than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/all-religions-have-based-morality-on-obedience-that-is-to-say-on/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [You can no more bridle passions with logic than you can justify them in the law courts. Passions are facts and not dogmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/you-can-no-more-bridle-passions-with-logic-than-you-can-justify-them/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [One must open men's eyes, not tear them out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/one-must-open-men-s-eyes-not-tear-them-out/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) [Explore all 48 Alexander Herzen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. 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Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am truly horrified by modern man. 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