--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a class they are lazy, irresponsible…" description: "\"“As a class they are lazy, irresponsible, immature. They are incapable of producing contemporary fiction because they know nothing about life, cannot r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d3/alfred-bester-12060_childish_as-a-class-they-are-lazy-irresponsible-i_3183021.jpg" --- # As a class they are lazy, irresponsible, immature. They… ![“As a class they are lazy, irresponsible, immature. They are incapable of producing contemporary fiction because they know nothing about life, cannot reflect life, and have no adult comment to make about life. They are silly, childish people who have taken refuge in science fiction where they can…” quote by Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d3/alfred-bester-12060_childish_as-a-class-they-are-lazy-irresponsible-i_3183021.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d3/alfred-bester-12060_childish_as-a-class-they-are-lazy-irresponsible-i_3183021.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d3/alfred-bester-12060_childish_as-a-class-they-are-lazy-irresponsible-i_3183021.jpg) > ““As a class they are lazy, irresponsible, immature. They are incapable of producing contemporary fiction because they know nothing about life, cannot reflect life, and have no adult comment to make about life. They are silly, childish people who have taken refuge in science fiction where they can establish their own arbitrary rules about reality to suit their own inadequacy. And like most neurotics, they cherish the delusion that they're "special.”” [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The critic claims a group lacks maturity and real-world insight, relying on genre fiction to avoid confronting adult realities. **In simple terms:** They say the group is immature and avoids reality through sci‑fi. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about creative authenticity. Themes maturity authenticity genre criticism life experience elitism Mood critical skeptical Type analytical critical philosophical When to use this quote - academic debate - creative writing workshops - literary criticism - genre conferences Key Concepts literary criticism psychology cultural analysis Questions to Reflect On - What role can sci‑fi play in reflecting adult life? - Can genre constraints foster creativity? A Different Perspective The critique may overlook the value of speculative fiction as social commentary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [To you a pious young girl who goes to mass and communion, seems pretty silly and childish; you take us for innocents... Well, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/to-you-a-pious-young-girl-who-goes-to-mass-and-communion-seems-pretty/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [I always want to have fun and be silly and be childish. I'm very childish. I am at my happiest when I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-always-want-to-have-fun-and-be-silly-and-be-childish-i-m-very/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [When a man says it's a silly childish game, it's probably something his wife can beat him at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-epperson/when-a-man-says-it-s-a-silly-childish-game-it-s-probably-something/) Don Epperson > [It's just science fiction so it's allowed to be silly, and childish, and stupid. It's just science fiction, so it doesn't have to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-s-just-science-fiction-so-it-s-allowed-to-be-silly-and-childish/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [You have some intelligent quotes, But I'm also seeing a lot of immature and second-rate quotes here. I do wish you would vet them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-some-intelligent-quotes-but-i-m-also-seeing-a-lot-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The obligation to amuse and instruct myself was entirely my own, and people who didn't know that were childish people, to be avoided if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/the-obligation-to-amuse-and-instruct-myself-was-entirely-my-own-and/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [You can play Bach on the piano, a symphony orchestra or a quartet of saxophones, but let's stop this silly, childish business of knit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccreesh/you-can-play-bach-on-the-piano-a-symphony-orchestra-or-a-quartet-of/) Paul McCreesh > [Chick Lit uses humor to reflect life back to us. It's a very comforting genre, and it's the first time our generation has had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/chick-lit-uses-humor-to-reflect-life-back-to-us-it-s-a-very/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“We keep drifting in time but do not pause to even think and reflect for a while. Life is truly lived in the every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/we-keep-drifting-in-time-but-do-not-pause-to-even-think-and-reflect/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [Spiritual evolution is a movement from the states of mind that reflect life less accurately to the states of mind that reflect life more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/spiritual-evolution-is-a-movement-from-the-states-of-mind-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Death is not only a passing on but a time for everyone else to truthfully reflect on one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/death-is-not-only-a-passing-on-but-a-time-for-everyone-else-to/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [Perhaps the best cure for the fear of death is to reflect that life has a beginning as well as an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/perhaps-the-best-cure-for-the-fear-of-death-is-to-reflect-that-life/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I don't know if I have a problem expressing joy, but the difficulty is in making an album, a piece of music that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ashcroft/i-don-t-know-if-i-have-a-problem-expressing-joy-but-the-difficulty-is/) [Richard Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ashcroft/) > [“Thanksgiving offers you a chance to reflect on your life and appreciate what makes you stand out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/thanksgiving-offers-you-a-chance-to-reflect-on-your-life-and/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [How can I create a better world? The more you reflect, the more your life will move into the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/how-can-i-create-a-better-world-the-more-you-reflect-the-more-your/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## More by Alfred Bester > [I'm a great believer in people and their untapped potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-m-a-great-believer-in-people-and-their-untapped-potential/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot. "Then find it yourself, sir. Don't ask the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/there-s-got-to-be-more-to-life-than-just-living-foyle-said-to-the/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [I've handed life and death back to the people who do the living and the dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-ve-handed-life-and-death-back-to-the-people-who-do-the-living-and/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“The acid of fury ran through him, eating away the brute patience and sluggishness that had made a cipher of Gully Foyle, precipitating a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/the-acid-of-fury-ran-through-him-eating-away-the-brute-patience-and/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [The mind is the reality. You are what you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/the-mind-is-the-reality-you-are-what-you-think/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [I'm not much interested in extrapolating science and technology; I merely use extrapolation as a means of putting people into new quandaries which produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-m-not-much-interested-in-extrapolating-science-and-technology-i/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“no matter how we defend ourselves against the outside we're always licked by something from the inside. There's no defense against betrayal, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/no-matter-how-we-defend-ourselves-against-the-outside-we-re-always/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [Be grateful that you only see the outward man. Be grateful that you never see the passions, the hatreds, the jealousies, the malice, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/be-grateful-that-you-only-see-the-outward-man-be-grateful-that-you/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [Millions for nonsense, but not one cent for entropy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/millions-for-nonsense-but-not-one-cent-for-entropy/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [If a man's got talent and guts to buck society, he's obviously above average. You want to hold on to him. You straighten him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/if-a-man-s-got-talent-and-guts-to-buck-society-he-s-obviously-above/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [One of the things that everybody knows about space travel but never mentions is its aphrodisiac quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/one-of-the-things-that-everybody-knows-about-space-travel-but-never/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot. Then find it for yourself, sir. Don't ask the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/there-s-got-to-be-more-to-life-than-just-living-foyle-said-to-the-2/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [That's me," he said, motioning to the robot. "That's all of us. We prattle about free will, but we're nothing but response...mechanical reaction in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/that-s-me-he-said-motioning-to-the-robot-that-s-all-of-us-we-prattle/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [It's obvious we can't all be a Gully Foyle, but most of us energize at such a low level, so far short of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/it-s-obvious-we-can-t-all-be-a-gully-foyle-but-most-of-us-energize-at/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“We prattle about free will, but we're nothing but response . . . mechanical reaction in prescribed grooves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/we-prattle-about-free-will-but-we-re-nothing-but-response-mechanical/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) [Explore all 54 Alfred Bester quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) ## More Childish quotes > [I wasted my time on your childish games. But don't worry I will not even try to hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-f-b-mora/i-wasted-my-time-on-your-childish-games-but-don-t-worry-i-will-not/) Cynthia F B Mora > [Childish egocentrism is, in its essence, an inability to differentiate between the ego and the social environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/childish-egocentrism-is-in-its-essence-an-inability-to-differentiate/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/in-a-meat-eating-world-wearing-leather-for-shoes-and-clothes-and-even/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Age doesn’t make us childish, as they say, It finds that we’re still children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/age-doesn-t-make-us-childish-as-they-say-it-finds-that-we-re-still/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [When we're in that kind of childish space, we're more genuine and feel more comfortable with our friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/when-we-re-in-that-kind-of-childish-space-we-re-more-genuine-and-feel/) [Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/) > [“Mockery is childish, Beatrice,' She says. 'It does not become you'. 'Mockery is childish, Beatric,' I repeat in my best imitation of her voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/mockery-is-childish-beatrice-she-says-it-does-not-become-you-mockery/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [The naive is what is or appears to be natural, individual, or classical to the point of irony or to the point of continuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-naive-is-what-is-or-appears-to-be-natural-individual-or-classical/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [The most powerful men were those who most effectively used the power of adult competence to enforce childish agreements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/the-most-powerful-men-were-those-who-most-effectively-used-the-power/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) > [“Growing up is childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/growing-up-is-childish/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [It was childish to feel disappointed, but childishness comes almost as naturally to a man as to a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-was-childish-to-feel-disappointed-but-childishness-comes-almost-as/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Don't you understand that we need to be childish in order to understand? Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/don-t-you-understand-that-we-need-to-be-childish-in-order-to/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I think it is important to learn to distinguish between being childlike and being childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-it-is-important-to-learn-to-distinguish-between-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't respect thinking that is dangerous, prejudicial, childish, and could get me killed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-respect-thinking-that-is-dangerous-prejudicial-childish-and/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and even clothes, the discussion of fur is childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/in-a-meat-eating-world-wearing-leather-for-shoes-and-even-clothes-the/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) Browse all 299 Childish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As a class they are lazy, irresponsible, immature. 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