Arrogant Quote by Daniel Abraham
““Has it ever struck you people how arrogant you are?" it asked, huge hands taking an attitude of query that bordered on accusation. "You're talking of slaughtering a nation. Thousands of innocent people destroyed, lands made barren, mountains leveled and the sea pulled up over them like a blanket. And you're feeling sorry for yourself that you had to wring a bird's neck as a boy? How can anyone have feelings that delicate and that numbed both at the same time?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, 2014
A character confronts the hypocrisy of feeling guilt while participating in massive destruction, exposing moral blindness and self‑delusion.
In simple terms: People can be oblivious to their own cruelty while claiming innocence.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and own your complicity.
Themes
morality
hypocrisy
guilt
war
selfawareness
Mood
critical
provocative
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political debate
- military leadership
- environmental activism
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
ethical responsibility
cognitive dissonance
moral blindness
Questions to Reflect On
- What actions do you justify while ignoring their harm?
- How do you reconcile personal guilt with systemic violence?
A Different Perspective
The quote may be misread as literal, ignoring its fictional context.
![“[T]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom, just waiting for us to pick the whole thing up and heave it away. It has to happen. Free people can put up with such laws only for so long.” quote by Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aed/dick-armey-16265_america_t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-af_12886.jpg)
