---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is it you most dislike? Stupidity…"
description: "\"What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.\" — Christopher Hitchens"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg"
---

#  What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its…

![“What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg)

> “What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.”

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## About This Quote

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

The author condemns stupidity, especially when it manifests as racism and superstition, urging critical thinking.

**In simple terms:** Stupidity, especially racist or superstitious, is despised.

Key Takeaway

Promote rationality and challenge harmful ignorance.

Themes

intellectual honesty social justice critical thinking

Mood

critical concerned

Type

ethical social

When to use this quote

- education
- policy making
- public discourse
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

racism superstition ignorance ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you confront irrational beliefs constructively?
- What role does education play in reducing prejudice?

A Different Perspective

Combating stupidity can be socially risky or emotionally taxing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dislike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dislike/) [Dislike Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dislike-stupidity-4596785/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Superstition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-superstition-4596786/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Stupidity Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity-especially-2650451/) [Superstitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superstitions/)

## Related quotes

> [When I want to be reminded of stupidity, especially my own, I turn on the TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/when-i-want-to-be-reminded-of-stupidity-especially-my-own-i-turn-on/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [The beauty of science hugely outranks the charms of superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-beauty-of-science-hugely-outranks-the-charms-of-superstition/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“I've said this before: a lot of people think they're artists because they feel things deeply. You know, we're in a culture now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schneider/i-ve-said-this-before-a-lot-of-people-think-they-re-artists-because/)

[Dan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schneider/)

> [There is an unusually high and consistent correlation between the stupidity of a given person and that person’s propensity to be impressed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-is-an-unusually-high-and-consistent-correlation-between-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“So this is where all the vapid talk about the 'soul' of the universe is actually headed. Once the hard-won principles of reason and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/so-this-is-where-all-the-vapid-talk-about-the-soul-of-the-universe-is/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“When the Washington Post telephoned me at home on Valentine's Day 1989 to ask my opinion about the Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwah , I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-the-washington-post-telephoned-me-at-home-on-valentine-s-day/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“In spite of being complicated people choose superstitions over common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-spite-of-being-complicated-people-choose-superstitions-over-common/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [Christianity is a pestilent superstition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/christianity-is-a-pestilent-superstition/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [I actually rid myself of superstitions, but I do a quick 20-minute meditation before games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christen-press/i-actually-rid-myself-of-superstitions-but-i-do-a-quick-20-minute/)

[Christen Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christen-press/)

> [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/)

[Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/)

> ["Natural" is a very dangerous word to use about sexuality ... Our society's notions of normality are completely fake and meta-trendy, since they rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/natural-is-a-very-dangerous-word-to-use-about-sexuality-our-society-s/)

[Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/)

> [I think superstition has a lot to do with fear: the less, the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-think-superstition-has-a-lot-to-do-with-fear-the-less-the-better/)

[Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/)

> [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

## More by Christopher Hitchens

> [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

[Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## More Dislike quotes

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I have an intense dislike of doctrines, because you will always end up eating your words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/i-have-an-intense-dislike-of-doctrines-because-you-will-always-end-up/)

[Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/)

> [I dislike the gym, but I'll chase a tennis ball all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kuchar/i-dislike-the-gym-but-i-ll-chase-a-tennis-ball-all-day/)

[Matt Kuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kuchar/)

> [The ugly truth is it's the spineless parents who parade their undisciplined children around like royalty that make people dislike kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lz-granderson/the-ugly-truth-is-it-s-the-spineless-parents-who-parade-their/)

[LZ Granderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lz-granderson/)

> [“Because it's hard not to matter, even to someone you dislike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/because-it-s-hard-not-to-matter-even-to-someone-you-dislike/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [What I love about the East End is that there's a great perseverance, determination and courage. What I dislike about it is that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-marsan/what-i-love-about-the-east-end-is-that-there-s-a-great-perseverance/)

[Eddie Marsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-marsan/)

> [Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/do-not-like-do-not-dislike-all-will-then-be-clear-make-a-hairbreadth/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [People don't dislike change, they dislike being changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ornish/people-don-t-dislike-change-they-dislike-being-changed/)

[Dean Ornish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ornish/)

> [At the beginning of anything out of the ordinary, the mass of the people always dislike it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/at-the-beginning-of-anything-out-of-the-ordinary-the-mass-of-the/)

[Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/)

> [In every state of the Union, Fundamentalists still fight to ban all the science they dislike and prosecute all who teach it. To them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/in-every-state-of-the-union-fundamentalists-still-fight-to-ban-all/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [You may dislike what somebody else has said; that is perfectly valid. You may not agree with what somebody else has said. But saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sibal/you-may-dislike-what-somebody-else-has-said-that-is-perfectly-valid/)

[Kapil Sibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sibal/)

[Browse all 1,161 Dislike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dislike/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Hitchens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-especially-in-its-nastiest/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dislike"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-especially-in-its-nastiest/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/christopher-hitchens-117_dislike_what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-es_1351266.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.” — Christopher Hitchens",
                "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": "Christopher Hitchens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What is it you most dislike?...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-especially-in-its-nastiest/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/what-is-it-you-most-dislike-stupidity-especially-in-its-nastiest/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
