--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I distrust Great Men. They produce a…" description: "\"I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I always feel a little man's pleasure when the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg" --- # I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity… ![“I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I always feel a little man's pleasure when they come a cropper.” quote by E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg) > “I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I always feel a little man's pleasure when they come a cropper.” [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great individuals often create rigid systems and violence, and there is a subtle pleasure in seeing them fail. **In simple terms:** Power can breed uniformity and bloodshed. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek balance. Themes power authority rebellion human frailty Mood critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political movements - corporate leadership - historical analysis - social activism Key Concepts tyranny despotism ethical critique Questions to Reflect On - What structures do you challenge? - How can you promote humane leadership? A Different Perspective Not all great men are tyrants; nuance is required. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) [Blood Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood-feel-1541186/) [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Distrust Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust-great-1541185/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Man Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-pleasure-543178/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Pool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pool/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Uniformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniformity/) ## Related quotes > [I distrust Great Men... I believe in aristocracy, though... Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-its-members-are/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [If you live around dummies and fake blood for six months, it becomes a part of you. It's fake blood, but sometimes I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-sik-choi/if-you-live-around-dummies-and-fake-blood-for-six-months-it-becomes-a/) [Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/) > [I have Algerian, Turkish, Swedish, Spanish blood: I feel like a citizen of the world. Life and cinema don't have borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/i-have-algerian-turkish-swedish-spanish-blood-i-feel-like-a-citizen/) [Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/) > [“I try to grasp the colour of my blood and all I feel is life slipping through the colourless veins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/i-try-to-grasp-the-colour-of-my-blood-and-all-i-feel-is-life-slipping/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms, no pride, no remorse. There is only a weary indifference that will follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audie-murphy/now-i-have-shed-my-first-blood-i-feel-no-qualms-no-pride-no-remorse/) [Audie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audie-murphy/) > [Women are like remote controls. It gives a man pleasure, hed be lost without it, and while he doesnt always know the right buttons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-are-like-remote-controls-it-gives-a-man-pleasure-hed-be-lost/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man of pleasure is a man of pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/a-man-of-pleasure-is-a-man-of-pains/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [“Would you agree," he said, "that man's sole duty is to produce as much pleasure as possible?" "Only if the pleasure produced is equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hubbard/would-you-agree-he-said-that-man-s-sole-duty-is-to-produce-as-much/) [Susan Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hubbard/) > [The most powerful drive in the ascent of man is his pleasure in his own skill. He loves to do what he does well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-most-powerful-drive-in-the-ascent-of-man-is-his-pleasure-in-his/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [A young man of pleasure is a man of pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/a-young-man-of-pleasure-is-a-man-of-pains/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [A man without pleasure is a man without any idea what life is about](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/a-man-without-pleasure-is-a-man-without-any-idea-what-life-is-about/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [“Killing a man is indeed a pleasure unmatched in this world. Perhaps it’s a pleasure we could share.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-snoek-brown/killing-a-man-is-indeed-a-pleasure-unmatched-in-this-world-perhaps-it/) [Samuel Snoek-Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-snoek-brown/) > [“A quote from A BORN VICTIM: “Women are beautiful. That's it,” Mike blurted out. “Of course men like to look at them. Why wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-quote-from-a-born-victim-women-are-beautiful-that-s-it-mike-blurted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I guess one man's trash is the next man's treasure, one man's pain is the next man's pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fort-minor/i-guess-one-man-s-trash-is-the-next-man-s-treasure-one-man-s-pain-is/) [Fort Minor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fort-minor/) > [Well one man's trash is another man's treasure One man's pain is another man's pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/well-one-man-s-trash-is-another-man-s-treasure-one-man-s-pain-is/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) ## More by E. M. Forster > [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Reverence is fatal to literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/reverence-is-fatal-to-literature/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-so-difficult-at-least-i-find-it-difficult-to-understand-people/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/railway-termini-are-our-gates-to-the-glorious-and-the-unknown/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Ah, but you see, I didn't want to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/ah-but-you-see-i-didn-t-want-to-be-fair/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-final-test-for-a-novel-will-be-our-affection-for-it-as-it-is-the/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for It will probably be interesting, and it is sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/america-is-rather-like-life-you-can-usually-find-in-it-what-you-look/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [All men are equal — all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/all-men-are-equal-all-men-that-is-to-say-who-possess-umbrellas/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Before the civil war, Pottibakia was a normal member of the Comity of Nations. She erected tariff walls, broke treaties, persecuted minorities, obstructed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/before-the-civil-war-pottibakia-was-a-normal-member-of-the-comity-of/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/chess-is-a-forcing-house-where-the-fruits-of-character-can-ripen-more/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I distrust Great Men... I believe in aristocracy, though... Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-its-members-are/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Liking one person is an extra reason for liking another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/liking-one-person-is-an-extra-reason-for-liking-another/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor-they-are-unthinkable-and-only/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) [Explore all 287 E. M. Forster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## More Blood quotes > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Don't trust everyone, because one day you will shed tears of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/don-t-trust-everyone-because-one-day-you-will-shed-tears-of-blood/) [SunShine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [I have no intention of retiring. Even my blood sugar is better when I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-even-my-blood-sugar-is-better-when-i/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [What about you three, where are you going?" Even before Halt answered, Will knew what he was going to say. But that didn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/what-about-you-three-where-are-you-going-even-before-halt-answered/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [A day without blood is like a day without sunshine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lee-ermey/a-day-without-blood-is-like-a-day-without-sunshine/) [R. Lee Ermey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-lee-ermey/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Browse all 6,234 Blood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I always feel a little man's pleasure when they come a cropper.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. M. Forster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-desert-of-uniformity-around-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-desert-of-uniformity-around-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/495/e-m-forster-1118_blood_i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-dese_1743501.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I distrust Great Men. They produce a desert of uniformity around them and often a pool of blood too, and I…” — E. M. Forster", "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": "E. M. Forster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I distrust Great Men. They produce...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-desert-of-uniformity-around-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-they-produce-a-desert-of-uniformity-around-them/#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 } } ] } ```