--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They did what they were told, kept their…" description: "\"“They did what they were told, kept their noses clean. Civilians, nothing wrong with it, but if they only knew that they could choose, is that what the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/aric-davis-30109_money_they-did-what-they-were-told-kept-their_600284.jpg" --- # They did what they were told, kept their noses clean… ![“They did what they were told, kept their noses clean. Civilians, nothing wrong with it, but if they only knew that they could choose, is that what they would have picked. Would they pay taxes, work for a system that could discard them liked yesterday's trash? The collapse of the auto industry…” quote by Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/aric-davis-30109_money_they-did-what-they-were-told-kept-their_600284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/aric-davis-30109_money_they-did-what-they-were-told-kept-their_600284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80d/aric-davis-30109_money_they-did-what-they-were-told-kept-their_600284.jpg) > ““They did what they were told, kept their noses clean. Civilians, nothing wrong with it, but if they only knew that they could choose, is that what they would have picked. Would they pay taxes, work for a system that could discard them liked yesterday's trash? The collapse of the auto industry should have been a heads-up---good guys can loose when rich men play with money. If it was a sign, nobody saw it.”” [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often follow directives without realizing they could choose alternatives, leading to systemic exploitation. **In simple terms:** Blind obedience hides choice. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek alternatives. Themes choice authority economics social responsibility Mood critical concerned Type political social commentary When to use this quote - voting - consumer decisions - career choices - financial planning Key Concepts political economy agency systemic risk Questions to Reflect On - What choices are you overlooking? - How can collective action reshape the system? A Different Perspective Changing behavior is hard when power structures resist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians/) [Good guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-guy/) [Good guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-guys/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Rich men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-men/) ## Related quotes > [Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. When they see a masterpiece, they must needs at one glance recognize some flaw to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/rich-men-are-resolved-to-be-astonished-at-nothing-when-they-see-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Show the world that your God is worth ten thousand worlds to you. Show rich men how rich you are in your poverty when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/show-the-world-that-your-god-is-worth-ten-thousand-worlds-to-you-show/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“By reason of gifts and bribes the offices be given to rich men, which should rather have been executed by wise men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-reason-of-gifts-and-bribes-the-offices-be-given-to-rich-men-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Using your wealth to purchase other people’s loyalty is a game as old as humanity itself. Rich men use their wealth to attract women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-f-fegel/using-your-wealth-to-purchase-other-people-s-loyalty-is-a-game-as-old/) Gregory F. Fegel > [We die containing a richness of lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have plunged into and swum up as if rivers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/we-die-containing-a-richness-of-lovers-and-tribes-tastes-we-have/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Divorce is the cheapest thing in Pakistan. About 30 cents. Cheaper than fish and chips. I've had clients married to very rich men for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asma-jahangir/divorce-is-the-cheapest-thing-in-pakistan-about-30-cents-cheaper-than/) [Asma Jahangir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asma-jahangir/) > [If economists were good at business, they would be rich men instead of advisers to rich men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-kerkorian/if-economists-were-good-at-business-they-would-be-rich-men-instead-of/) [Kirk Kerkorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-kerkorian/) > [“Many rich men are prepared to buy her virginity since she is good-looking.And old men crave for the Nectar that flows out of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-chong/many-rich-men-are-prepared-to-buy-her-virginity-since-she-is-good/) [Nicholas Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-chong/) > [Few rich men own their property; their property owns them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/few-rich-men-own-their-property-their-property-owns-them/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [As people get their opinions so largely from the newspapers they read... But the Press is not free, the newspapers are owned by rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-people-get-their-opinions-so-largely-from-the-newspapers-they-read/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Everything made by man may be destroyed by man; there are no ineffaceable characters except those engraved by nature; and nature makes neither princes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/everything-made-by-man-may-be-destroyed-by-man-there-are-no/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“It is impossible to reckon in figures the extent to which wealth is restricted indirectly, the extent to which energy is squandered, that might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kropotkin/it-is-impossible-to-reckon-in-figures-the-extent-to-which-wealth-is/) [Peter Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kropotkin/) > [ \[There are dangers in\] the disposition to hunt down rich men as if they were noxious beasts. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-are-dangers-in-the-disposition-to-hunt-down-rich-men-as-if-they/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“Any writer or journalist who wants to retain his integrity finds himself thwarted by the general drift of society rather than by active persecution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/any-writer-or-journalist-who-wants-to-retain-his-integrity-finds/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Mr. Wilson, writing long before he became President, also knew how it came about that this Constitution, which the rich men of the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mr-wilson-writing-long-before-he-became-president-also-knew-how-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Aric Davis > [“If spring is birth, summer is life, and winter is death, then the fall is dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/if-spring-is-birth-summer-is-life-and-winter-is-death-then-the-fall/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“I've kept alot of secrets from a lot of people that i never should have, but the ones I kept from myself stung a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/i-ve-kept-alot-of-secrets-from-a-lot-of-people-that-i-never-should/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“Some mornings, good memories and cereal are all you have to help you get by.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/some-mornings-good-memories-and-cereal-are-all-you-have-to-help-you/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“Cars in the driveway that run on prayers instead of gasoline. The American Dream in the darkest light possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/cars-in-the-driveway-that-run-on-prayers-instead-of-gasoline-the/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“Some people see things in shades of gray, and some in black and white. I see mainly black, and while I have my reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/some-people-see-things-in-shades-of-gray-and-some-in-black-and-white/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“All I want is a neck above water and a head below the radar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/all-i-want-is-a-neck-above-water-and-a-head-below-the-radar/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“I just need to accept that some bad things happened and that I can move past them. I need to learn to be thankful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/i-just-need-to-accept-that-some-bad-things-happened-and-that-i-can/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“There were dead kids on the news all the time and school shootings and jealous boyfriends and abusive parents and texting and driving and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/there-were-dead-kids-on-the-news-all-the-time-and-school-shootings/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“It’s amazing how a smile and a kind word can fix even a ruined heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/it-s-amazing-how-a-smile-and-a-kind-word-can-fix-even-a-ruined-heart/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“He smiles because he’s afraid, thought Betty, but for him, there is joy in being afraid. What fire forges someone like this?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/he-smiles-because-he-s-afraid-thought-betty-but-for-him-there-is-joy/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“I had stuff that needed doing. It wasn’t my fault that none of it mattered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/i-had-stuff-that-needed-doing-it-wasn-t-my-fault-that-none-of-it/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“Remembering you came from nothing and every day is a blessing is a fine place to be, especially in times like this.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/remembering-you-came-from-nothing-and-every-day-is-a-blessing-is-a/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“I’m sure it was inconvenient that my little project woke somebody up, but seriously, calm down; it’s just a pipe bomb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/i-m-sure-it-was-inconvenient-that-my-little-project-woke-somebody-up/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“stories can be hard to find when you go looking for one, rather then letting one find you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/stories-can-be-hard-to-find-when-you-go-looking-for-one-rather-then/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) > [“A tattoo is an energy exchange that can be addictive for both client and practitioner, and those two tattoos with ashes carried wild energy—lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-davis/a-tattoo-is-an-energy-exchange-that-can-be-addictive-for-both-client/) [Aric Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) [Explore all 17 Aric Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-davis/) ## More Civilians quotes > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [My aunt and uncle are clearly civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/my-aunt-and-uncle-are-clearly-civilians/) [Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/) > [Some of my best sources are ex-policemen, just to get a feeling of what it's like to be one. And it's quite different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/some-of-my-best-sources-are-ex-policemen-just-to-get-a-feeling-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [Be kindly and just in your dealings with your men. Never play favorites. Make them feel that justice tempered with mercy may always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-lejeune/be-kindly-and-just-in-your-dealings-with-your-men-never-play/) [John A. Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-lejeune/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [ The other thing we did as government is to open gates for the civilians to leave that \[ eastern part\] area \[in Aleppo\], and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-other-thing-we-did-as-government-is-to-open-gates-for-the/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [ \[General Curtis\] LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side has lost. But what makes it immoral if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/general-curtis-lemay-recognized-that-what-he-was-doing-would-be/) [Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcnamara/) > [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Contrary to what some believe, taking all reasonable and feasible precautions to protect civilians - and mitigating the resulting anger when we harm them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/contrary-to-what-some-believe-taking-all-reasonable-and-feasible/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/asymmetrical-warfare-is-a-euphemism-for-terrorism-just-like/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) [Browse all 428 Civilians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They did what they were told, kept their noses clean. 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