--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never cared much for people. Most…" description: "\"I have never cared much for people. Most of them are cowards, conformists, muddleheads, moneygrubbers, and they infect each other.\" — Cees Nooteboom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg" --- # I have never cared much for people. Most of them are… ![“I have never cared much for people. Most of them are cowards, conformists, muddleheads, moneygrubbers, and they infect each other.” quote by Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg) > “I have never cared much for people. Most of them are cowards, conformists, muddleheads, moneygrubbers, and they infect each other.” [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker expresses deep cynicism toward humanity, labeling most people with negative traits, reflecting a pessimistic worldview. **In simple terms:** People are seen as mostly negative and selfish. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about human nature. Themes cynicism human nature social critique misanthropy disillusionment Mood skeptical reflective Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - political discourse - media consumption Key Concepts psychology social dynamics philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What experiences challenge this view? - Can empathy reshape this perception? A Different Perspective Overgeneralization ignores positive examples. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cowards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowards/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [No police or military in the world can protect people who are cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-police-or-military-in-the-world-can-protect-people-who-are-cowards/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Most people are cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-von-nothaus/most-people-are-cowards/) [Bernard von NotHaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-von-nothaus/) > [Ridicule is a weak weapon when pointed at a strong mind; but common people are cowards and dread an empty laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/ridicule-is-a-weak-weapon-when-pointed-at-a-strong-mind-but-common/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [Cruel people are ever cowards in emergency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/cruel-people-are-ever-cowards-in-emergency/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“It was as though, so long as the deceit ran along quiet and monotonous, all of us let ourselves be deceived, abetting it unawares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-as-though-so-long-as-the-deceit-ran-along-quiet-and-monotonous/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Some people are cowards... I think by and large a third of people are villains, a third are cowards, and a third are heroes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/some-people-are-cowards-i-think-by-and-large-a-third-of-people-are/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I grew up and I saw a lot of people lose their lives or fall into a bad place. It really bothered me because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-michael-murray/i-grew-up-and-i-saw-a-lot-of-people-lose-their-lives-or-fall-into-a/) [Chad Michael Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-michael-murray/) > [No, the last thing she cared about was whether people were staring at the boy and girl kissing by the river, as London, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/no-the-last-thing-she-cared-about-was-whether-people-were-staring-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I feel like with PWR BTTM, Liv and I tried to create something that was kind and cared about the people who come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hopkins/i-feel-like-with-pwr-bttm-liv-and-i-tried-to-create-something-that/) [Ben Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hopkins/) > [“I never really cared too much for people who made fun of themselves. There’s so many people out there that do a really good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-m-brown/i-never-really-cared-too-much-for-people-who-made-fun-of-themselves/) T.M. Brown > [For they might be parted for hundreds of years, she and Peter; she never wrote a letter and his were dry sticks; but suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-they-might-be-parted-for-hundreds-of-years-she-and-peter-she/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I never cared what other people thought of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-nassib/i-never-cared-what-other-people-thought-of-me/) [Carl Nassib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-nassib/) > [When I was younger, all I cared about was what people thought of me and my films. Now I care less about catering, hand-serving,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/when-i-was-younger-all-i-cared-about-was-what-people-thought-of-me/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I have never cared too much what people say. What I am interested in is what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-have-never-cared-too-much-what-people-say-what-i-am-interested-in/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [“She was too dependent on what other people thought of her, and that was her downfall. She cared too much. She was only what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-bowe/she-was-too-dependent-on-what-other-people-thought-of-her-and-that/) [Steph Bowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-bowe/) ## More by Cees Nooteboom > [Man has been thrown into the world. It had always made him think of Icarus and those other great tumblers, Ixion, Phaeton, Tantalus -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/man-has-been-thrown-into-the-world-it-had-always-made-him-think-of/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take them with us to where no-one can touch them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well-we-will-take-them-with-us-to/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“Kummer hat etwas in den Linien deines Gesichts zu suchen, nicht in deiner Erinnerung.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/kummer-hat-etwas-in-den-linien-deines-gesichts-zu-suchen-nicht-in/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [As far as he could see, the world was moving, in an orderly capitalist fashion, toward a logical, perhaps provisional, perhaps permanent, end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/as-far-as-he-could-see-the-world-was-moving-in-an-orderly-capitalist/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [The world is a never-ending cross-reference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/the-world-is-a-never-ending-cross-reference/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“...a poem is only finished when the last reader has read it or listened to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/a-poem-is-only-finished-when-the-last-reader-has-read-it-or-listened/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“All right, she thought I was a funny little geezer, but my charred Phaethon had impressed her, I was very obviously available, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/all-right-she-thought-i-was-a-funny-little-geezer-but-my-charred/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [Through men ... you learn how the world is. Through women you learn what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/through-men-you-learn-how-the-world-is-through-women-you-learn-what/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“Conversations consist for the most part of things one does not say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/conversations-consist-for-the-most-part-of-things-one-does-not-say/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [So-called real life has only once interfered with me, and it had been a far cry from what the words, lines, books had prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/so-called-real-life-has-only-once-interfered-with-me-and-it-had-been/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [I am a hindrance to the world, and the world is a hindrance to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-am-a-hindrance-to-the-world-and-the-world-is-a-hindrance-to-me/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [Man is a sad mammal that combs its hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/man-is-a-sad-mammal-that-combs-its-hair/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [Language is something you inherit, it's never just you doing the talking, which helps when you're pretending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/language-is-something-you-inherit-it-s-never-just-you-doing-the/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“Omnivore, omnifume, omniboit, omnivoit. Ne znaš odabrati, to je uvijek nedostatak izvrsnosti. Zato si ti svaštar. To je netko kome je sve lijepo. Život…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/omnivore-omnifume-omniboit-omnivoit-ne-zna-odabrati-to-je-uvijek/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [He regarded life as a rather odd club of which he had accidentally become a member and from which one could be expelled without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/he-regarded-life-as-a-rather-odd-club-of-which-he-had-accidentally/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) [Explore all 24 Cees Nooteboom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) ## More Conformist quotes > [Today it is the skeptics who are the social conformists, though because of powerful intellectual propaganda they continue to enjoy thinking of themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/today-it-is-the-skeptics-who-are-the-social-conformists-though/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [While my dad is a rebel at heart, I am a conformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivaan-shah/while-my-dad-is-a-rebel-at-heart-i-am-a-conformist/) Vivaan Shah > [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/) V. R. Krishna Iyer > [Only conformists are ever adored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-breillat/only-conformists-are-ever-adored/) [Catherine Breillat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-breillat/) > [The American people...have a stake in non-conformity. For they know that the American genius is non-conformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/the-american-people-have-a-stake-in-non-conformity-for-they-know-that/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [The first step in freeing yourself from social restrictions is the realization that there is no such thing as a safe code of conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-first-step-in-freeing-yourself-from-social-restrictions-is-the/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [I think it killed my sister as the times she was living in were so conformist. This is a subject I really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-think-it-killed-my-sister-as-the-times-she-was-living-in-were-so/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [Not long ago, a hat was a conformist accessory. Then the 1960s came along, and young people didn't want to wear hats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/not-long-ago-a-hat-was-a-conformist-accessory-then-the-1960s-came/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [It's the non-conformist who gives color to history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-fuldheim/it-s-the-non-conformist-who-gives-color-to-history/) [Dorothy Fuldheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-fuldheim/) > [“Mom and Dad liked to make a big point about never surrendering to fear or to prejudice or to the narrow-minded conformist sticks-in-the-mud who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/mom-and-dad-liked-to-make-a-big-point-about-never-surrendering-to/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Woe to him inside a non-conformist clique who does not conform to non-conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/woe-to-him-inside-a-non-conformist-clique-who-does-not-conform-to-non/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Schools are generally feminine places, institutions where conformity is valued, taught largely by conformist women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/schools-are-generally-feminine-places-institutions-where-conformity/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [The courage to be as oneself within the atmosphere of Enlightenment is the courage to affirm oneself as a bridge from a lower to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/the-courage-to-be-as-oneself-within-the-atmosphere-of-enlightenment/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [ \[F\]or the most part football these days is the opium of the people, not to speak of their crack cocaine. Its icon is the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/f-or-the-most-part-football-these-days-is-the-opium-of-the-people-not/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) Browse all 143 Conformist quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have never cared much for people. Most of them are cowards, conformists, muddleheads, moneygrubbers, and they infect each other.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cees Nooteboom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most-of-them-are-cowards/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conformist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most-of-them-are-cowards/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/cees-nooteboom-17398_conformist_i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most_901967.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have never cared much for people. Most of them are cowards, conformists, muddleheads, moneygrubbers, and…” — Cees Nooteboom", "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": "Cees Nooteboom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have never cared much for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most-of-them-are-cowards/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most-of-them-are-cowards/#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 } } ] } ```