---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort…"
description: "\"“Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort nor intention holds title to the nature or form of either the present or the future. And if the sincere effort..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg"
---

#  Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort nor intention…

![“Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort nor intention holds title to the nature or form of either the present or the future. And if the sincere effort has no title, what interest can the bellow or the lamentation hold?" - Davigde. "The humans on Amadeen have a different way of saying it... Tough…” quote by Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg)

> ““Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort nor intention holds title to the nature or form of either the present or the future. And if the sincere effort has no title, what interest can the bellow or the lamentation hold?" - Davigde. "The humans on Amadeen have a different way of saying it... Tough shit." - Yazi Ro””

[Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

## About This Quote

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

The passage argues that fairness is unattainable, suggesting that effort and intention lack inherent authority over outcomes, and that expressions of struggle may be meaningless.

**In simple terms:** Fairness is an illusion; effort lacks inherent authority.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty and focus on personal values.

Themes

philosophy fairness existentialism

Mood

reflective skeptical

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- literature
- philosophical discussion
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

ethical relativism meaning of effort

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find meaning in effort?
- What role does intention play in outcomes?

A Different Perspective

It may dismiss legitimate concerns about justice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Effort Title](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort-title-2783852/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Fairness Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness-illusion-2783853/) [Illusion Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion-effort-2783854/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

## Related quotes

> [Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/simple-fairness-dictates-that-government-must-not-raise-taxes-on/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [“I am a person who is unhappy with things as they stand. We cannot accept the world as it is. Each day we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-claus/i-am-a-person-who-is-unhappy-with-things-as-they-stand-we-cannot/)

[Hugo Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-claus/)

> [Lack of fairness to an opponent is essentially a sign of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/lack-of-fairness-to-an-opponent-is-essentially-a-sign-of-weakness/)

[Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/)

> [Mr. Sessions' conduct as a U.S. Attorney, from his politically-motivated voting fraud prosecutions to his indifference toward criminal violations of civil rights laws, indicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coretta-scott-king/mr-sessions-conduct-as-a-u-s-attorney-from-his-politically-motivated/)

[Coretta Scott King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coretta-scott-king/)

> [There'll be no more big powers and oppressed poor - only fairness and justice for all, and eternal happiness. So if you're looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/there-ll-be-no-more-big-powers-and-oppressed-poor-only-fairness-and/)

[David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/)

> [That's how we build the economy of the future. An economy with more jobs and less debt, we root it in fairness. We grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/that-s-how-we-build-the-economy-of-the-future-an-economy-with-more/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [No matter how corrupt and unjust a convict may be, he loves fairness more than anything else. If the people placed over him are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/no-matter-how-corrupt-and-unjust-a-convict-may-be-he-loves-fairness/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Had I done the right thing by not telling her? Maybe not. Who on earth wanted the right thing anyway? Yet what meaning could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/had-i-done-the-right-thing-by-not-telling-her-maybe-not-who-on-earth/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [When they are saying life is not fair they don't know that life doesn't have relation fairness at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-they-are-saying-life-is-not-fair-they-don-t-know-that-life-doesn/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Sometimes I feel that the only concept of fairness in our society is creams like fair & lovely or fair & handsome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeroninio-almeida/sometimes-i-feel-that-the-only-concept-of-fairness-in-our-society-is/)

[Jeroninio Almeida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeroninio-almeida/)

> [Most Americans believe in fairness; we believe that people should work hard but there should be a safety net. We believe in saving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-maclean/most-americans-believe-in-fairness-we-believe-that-people-should-work/)

[Nancy MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-maclean/)

> [I keep telling myself to calm down, to take less of an interest in things and not to get so excited, but I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-adie/i-keep-telling-myself-to-calm-down-to-take-less-of-an-interest-in/)

[Kate Adie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-adie/)

> [Thou shouldst not decide until thou hast heard what both have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/thou-shouldst-not-decide-until-thou-hast-heard-what-both-have-to-say/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [Obama's perverse view of fairness threatens to create reverse incentives, militating against growth, jobs, expansion and upward mobility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/obama-s-perverse-view-of-fairness-threatens-to-create-reverse/)

[Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/)

> [The individualism of current economic theory is manifest in the purely self-interested behaviour it generally assumes. It has no real place for fairness, malevolence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-daly/the-individualism-of-current-economic-theory-is-manifest-in-the/)

[Herman E. Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-daly/)

## More by Barry B. Longyear

> [As a child I used to watch clouds, and in them, see faces, castles, animals, dragons, and giants. It was a world of escape--fantasy;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/as-a-child-i-used-to-watch-clouds-and-in-them-see-faces-castles/)

[Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

> [About a year after (my stories began being published), magazine editor George Scithers, suggested to me that since I was so new at being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/about-a-year-after-my-stories-began-being-published-magazine-editor/)

[Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

> [“Sharks don't kill because they're poor, criminal, insane, or repressed. A shark kills because it's a shark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/sharks-don-t-kill-because-they-re-poor-criminal-insane-or-repressed-a/)

[Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

> [The goal is not writing. The goal is being a human being writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/the-goal-is-not-writing-the-goal-is-being-a-human-being-writing/)

[Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

> [Stories are not about ideas, gimmicks, or places. Stories are about people. People are about feelings!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/stories-are-not-about-ideas-gimmicks-or-places-stories-are-about/)

[Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

[Explore all 6 Barry B. Longyear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/)

## More Effort quotes

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/)

[Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/)

> [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/)

[Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/)

> [Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/reading-counts-as-partying-even-if-you-re-not-enjoying-it-even-if/)

[Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/)

> [ Bernie \[Ecclestone\] is the commercial rights holder so the more outgoing the champion is, the better. Of course. I also do think about our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-ecclestone/bernie-ecclestone-is-the-commercial-rights-holder-so-the-more/)

[Bernie Ecclestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-ecclestone/)

> [All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-efforts-to-render-politics-aesthetic-culminate-in-one-thing-war/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is for the superfluous we sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-is-for-the-superfluous-we-sweat/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I love a pocket. I'm about helping women look as good as possible on the least amount of effort. I want versatility and comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-mccartney/i-love-a-pocket-i-m-about-helping-women-look-as-good-as-possible-on/)

[Stella McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-mccartney/)

> [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/)

[Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/)

> [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [“Dreams will come true as long as you give some effort towards your goal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayana/dreams-will-come-true-as-long-as-you-give-some-effort-towards-your/)

[Dayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dayana/)

> [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/)

[Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/)

[Browse all 8,602 Effort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort nor intention holds title to the nature or form of either the present or the future. And if the sincere effort has no title, what interest can the bellow or the lamentation hold?\" - Davigde. \"The humans on Amadeen have a different way of saying it... Tough shit.\" - Yazi Ro”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barry B. Longyear"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-nor-intention-holds-title-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Effort"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-nor-intention-holds-title-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/barry-b-longyear-55228_justice_fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-n_288763.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort nor intention holds title to the nature or form of either the…” — Barry B. Longyear",
                "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": "Barry B. Longyear",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Fairness is an illusion. Neither effort...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-nor-intention-holds-title-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/fairness-is-an-illusion-neither-effort-nor-intention-holds-title-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```