---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and…"
description: "\"“Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg"
---

#  Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human…

![“Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most. She could not understand it. She could not begin to understand.” quote by David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg)

> ““Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most. She could not understand it. She could not begin to understand.””

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

## 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 destroy what they need most, driven by fear or misunderstanding of beauty and goodness.

**In simple terms:** Humans may ruin valuable things.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and protect what matters.

Themes

human nature destruction beauty

Mood

thoughtful somber

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- relationships
- environmental care
- personal values
- societal norms

Key Concepts

psychology ethical dilemmas

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we reject what benefits us?
- What can foster appreciation of beauty?

A Different Perspective

Understanding motives behind self‑sabotage is complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautiful-and-good-and-seek-to/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [I no longer feel any allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despise being one myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-no-longer-feel-any-allegiance-to-these-monsters-called-human-beings/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [The attempt to force human beings to despise themselves is what I call hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/the-attempt-to-force-human-beings-to-despise-themselves-is-what-i/)

[Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/)

## More by David Mitchell

> [“In the next room a freckly girl Julia's age sat in a wheelchair. One of her legs wasn't there. She'd probably love to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/in-the-next-room-a-freckly-girl-julia-s-age-sat-in-a-wheelchair-one/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“I envied my uncritical, unthinking sisters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-envied-my-uncritical-unthinking-sisters/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“... Ethical cyberexplorers are responsible, yeah? We are friendly ghosts in the machine, not poltergeists or hooligans. We are a growing breed. Over sixty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/ethical-cyberexplorers-are-responsible-yeah-we-are-friendly-ghosts-in/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“I succumbed. Late-fifteenth-century verb, Old French succomber or Latin succumbere, but a basic necessity of the human condition, especially mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-succumbed-late-fifteenth-century-verb-old-french-succomber-or-latin/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [Your environment affects you wherever you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/your-environment-affects-you-wherever-you-are/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“The second tunnel’s a Ministry of Defence tunnel...dug for a nuclear bomb shelter. The entrance is in the garden center at Woolworth’s in Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-second-tunnel-s-a-ministry-of-defence-tunnel-dug-for-a-nuclear/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“Loyalty looks simple... but it ain't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/loyalty-looks-simple-but-it-ain-t/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“Only the trombonist played on. That's trombonists for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/only-the-trombonist-played-on-that-s-trombonists-for-you/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [War's an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/war-s-an-auction-where-whoever-can-pay-the-most-in-damage-and-still/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [The human world is made of stories, not people. The people the stories use to tell themselves are not to be blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-human-world-is-made-of-stories-not-people-the-people-the-stories/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [So little is actually worthy of belief or disbelief. Better to strive to coexist than seek to disapprove . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/so-little-is-actually-worthy-of-belief-or-disbelief-better-to-strive/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [I elbowed my way into the grubby café, bought a pie that tasted of shoe polish and a pot of tea with cork crumbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-elbowed-my-way-into-the-grubby-caf-bought-a-pie-that-tasted-of-shoe/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“A classical LP was playing... ... Jealous and sweet, this music was, sobbing and gorgeous, muddy and crystal. But if the right words existed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/a-classical-lp-was-playing-jealous-and-sweet-this-music-was-sobbing/)

[david mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [How lazily "xperts" dismiss what they fail to understand!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/how-lazily-xperts-dismiss-what-they-fail-to-understand/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“Writing poetry's,' I looked around the solarium, but Madame Crommelynck's got a tractor beam, 'sort of . . . gay.' '"Gay"? A merry activity?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/writing-poetry-s-i-looked-around-the-solarium-but-madame-crommelynck/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

[Explore all 748 David Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

## More Beings Despise quotes

> [I no longer feel any allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despise being one myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-no-longer-feel-any-allegiance-to-these-monsters-called-human-beings/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [The attempt to force human beings to despise themselves is what I call hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/the-attempt-to-force-human-beings-to-despise-themselves-is-what-i/)

[Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/)

> [why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautiful-and-good-and-seek-to/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

Browse all 4 Beings Despise quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most. She could not understand it. She could not begin to understand.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Mitchell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-wondered-why-human-beings/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beings Despise"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-wondered-why-human-beings/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/570/david-mitchell-264_beings-despise_mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-won_2906163.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek…” — David Mitchell",
                "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": "David Mitchell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Mrs.Comb tightened her headscarf and wondered...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-wondered-why-human-beings/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-wondered-why-human-beings/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
