--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The critics slap labels on you and then…" description: "\"The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk inside their terms.\" — Doris Lessing" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png" --- # The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk… ![“The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk inside their terms.” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png) > “The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk inside their terms.” [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques critics for imposing labels and expecting conformity to their terms. **In simple terms:** Critics label and demand conformity. Key Takeaway Resist imposed labels. Themes criticism identity power dynamics Mood defiant thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic expression - public discourse - personal identity - media interaction Key Concepts labeling authenticity social pressure Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to being labeled? - Can you define yourself beyond critics’ terms? A Different Perspective Labels can limit creative freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) [Critics Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics-slap-3611687/) [Inside Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside-terms-3611689/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Labels Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels-expect-3037894/) [Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slap/) [Slap Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slap-labels-3611688/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) ## Related quotes > [“We inhabit a world in which we tend to put labels on each other and expect that we will then march through life wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-webb/we-inhabit-a-world-in-which-we-tend-to-put-labels-on-each-other-and/) [Nick Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-webb/) > [These are clothes my friends and I could wear. This ain't Prada. I don't want to be one of those celebrities that slaps their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-hilton/these-are-clothes-my-friends-and-i-could-wear-this-ain-t-prada-i-don/) [Nicky Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-hilton/) > [The first slap-jack given me for dinner was a cake of flour, partially fried in a pan of fat bacon. I nibbled about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-smith/the-first-slap-jack-given-me-for-dinner-was-a-cake-of-flour-partially/) [James Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-smith/) > [To see the butcher slap the steak before he laid it on the block, and give his knife a sharpening, was to forget breakfast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/to-see-the-butcher-slap-the-steak-before-he-laid-it-on-the-block-and/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [My mom can still slap me silly and my dad still threatens to ground me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-hamels/my-mom-can-still-slap-me-silly-and-my-dad-still-threatens-to-ground-me/) [Cole Hamels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-hamels/) > [Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's a heavy mist before my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stewart/champagne-s-funny-stuff-i-m-used-to-whiskey-whiskey-is-a-slap-on-the/) [James Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stewart/) > [Shane lowered his glasses on his nose and gave me his version of a severe stare. I leaned a little toward Luther. "Is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/shane-lowered-his-glasses-on-his-nose-and-gave-me-his-version-of-a/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [We did 'Friends Like These' on BBC and 'Slap Bang' on ITV which didn't work as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-donnelly/we-did-friends-like-these-on-bbc-and-slap-bang-on-itv-which-didn-t/) [Declan Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-donnelly/) > [Death isn't enough. It doesn't remove the stain. But a slap, a whiplash, square on the face, does. 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I’ll leave you and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hildreth/if-you-ever-lay-a-hand-on-me-slap-me-hit-me-grab-me-push-me-anything/) [Scott Hildreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hildreth/) > [Why slap them on the wrist with feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/why-slap-them-on-the-wrist-with-feather-when-you-can-belt-them-over/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Saiman picked up a coffee mug, stared at it, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces. We looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/saiman-picked-up-a-coffee-mug-stared-at-it-and-hurled-it-against-the/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I want to slap on you, but I don't want a slut on my hand!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-slap-on-you-but-i-don-t-want-a-slut-on-my-hand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Doris Lessing > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. 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For me to walk into a shop or look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-remember-world-war-ii-when-there-were-very-few-books-very-little/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“While she strode rapidly through the ward to the door at the other end, she was able to see that every bed or cot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/while-she-strode-rapidly-through-the-ward-to-the-door-at-the-other/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More Criticism quotes > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I don't mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal, it is quite hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/i-don-t-mind-positive-criticism-but-when-it-is-negative-and-personal/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [People believe that criticism should be objective, whatever that means, but I really don't understand what people mean by that. I guess if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/people-believe-that-criticism-should-be-objective-whatever-that-means/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [I welcome criticism. I come from a - I wouldn't say mean, but you've got to have tough skin to be in my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saweetie/i-welcome-criticism-i-come-from-a-i-wouldn-t-say-mean-but-you-ve-got/) [Saweetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saweetie/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) [Browse all 3,954 Criticism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk inside their terms.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Doris Lessing" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then-expect-you-to-talk-inside/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Criticism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then-expect-you-to-talk-inside/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11c/doris-lessing-501_criticism_the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then_2824174.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The critics slap labels on you and then expect you to talk inside their terms.” — Doris Lessing", "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": "Doris Lessing", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The critics slap labels on you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then-expect-you-to-talk-inside/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-critics-slap-labels-on-you-and-then-expect-you-to-talk-inside/#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 } } ] } ```