--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: why human beings despise what is…" description: "\"why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most\" — David Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg" --- # why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and… ![“why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most” quote by David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg) > “why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most” [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. The quote reflects humanity's paradox of destroying what is valuable while craving it, highlighting self‑sabotaging behavior. **In simple terms:** People often ruin what they love. Key Takeaway Beware of self‑destructive impulses. Themes human nature paradox destruction beauty good psychology Mood reflective somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal relationships - environmental stewardship - cultural preservation - ethical decision‑making Key Concepts self‑sabotage cognitive dissonance value perception Questions to Reflect On - Why do we harm what we need most? - How can we protect valuable things from our own actions? A Different Perspective Changing ingrained habits is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/mrs-comb-tightened-her-headscarf-and-wondered-why-human-beings/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“There is beauty all around us, and the light finds us when we realize, we are all part of that beauty and worth the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-althouse/there-is-beauty-all-around-us-and-the-light-finds-us-when-we-realize/) [Tom Althouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-althouse/) > [“Oddly enough, we can destroy the very things that allowed us to pursue our agendas in the first place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/oddly-enough-we-can-destroy-the-very-things-that-allowed-us-to-pursue/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I can't destroy things so beautiful." "Time will destroy them if you don't. Time destroys everything. But if you destroy them, it will mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-can-t-destroy-things-so-beautiful-time-will-destroy-them-if-you-don/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [I destroy things every day in the act of working and often recall a picture I had considered finished in order to rework it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-auerbach/i-destroy-things-every-day-in-the-act-of-working-and-often-recall-a/) [Frank Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-auerbach/) > [“Sometimes you have to destroy things, even people, in order to save them. (7)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/sometimes-you-have-to-destroy-things-even-people-in-order-to-save/) [Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/) > [“What is wrong with me? Why do I destroy the things I love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/staci-hart/what-is-wrong-with-me-why-do-i-destroy-the-things-i-love/) [Staci Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/staci-hart/) > [We destroy things with our curiosity. We shatter with our best intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/we-destroy-things-with-our-curiosity-we-shatter-with-our-best/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [I like the idea of something greater than us. We destroy things with our curiosity. We shatter with our best intentions. We are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/i-like-the-idea-of-something-greater-than-us-we-destroy-things-with/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [I drive a Nissan Versa and would never spend real money on a car because I destroy things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/i-drive-a-nissan-versa-and-would-never-spend-real-money-on-a-car/) [Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/) > [Human beings have a need, generally, to destroy things. The Freudian principle of civilisation is correct. There's always, always a difference between the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/human-beings-have-a-need-generally-to-destroy-things-the-freudian/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Lestat: I despise you! I ought to destroy you-finish what I started when I made you. Turn you into ashes and sift them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/lestat-i-despise-you-i-ought-to-destroy-you-finish-what-i-started/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [It was beautiful and rare, and you have every right to despise me." She stood pressed to the wall, not moving. "When you came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-was-beautiful-and-rare-and-you-have-every-right-to-despise-me-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## 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 Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautiful-and-good-and-seek-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautiful-and-good-and-seek-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/david-mitchell-264_beautiful_why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautif_2783128.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“why human beings despise what is beautiful and good, and seek to destroy the things they need the most” — 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": "why human beings despise what is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautiful-and-good-and-seek-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/why-human-beings-despise-what-is-beautiful-and-good-and-seek-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 } } ] } ```