--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we apparently have failed to grasp…" description: "\"What we apparently have failed to grasp is that, in this new world in which we live, the collective hunger of great masses of people, wherever they may..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg" --- # What we apparently have failed to grasp is that, in this… ![“What we apparently have failed to grasp is that, in this new world in which we live, the collective hunger of great masses of people, wherever they may be, will affect our long-range welfare, just as though they were our own people.” quote by Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg) > “What we apparently have failed to grasp is that, in this new world in which we live, the collective hunger of great masses of people, wherever they may be, will affect our long-range welfare, just as though they were our own people.” [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights that global interconnectedness means the suffering of distant peoples impacts everyone’s long‑term well‑being. **In simple terms:** World problems affect us all. Key Takeaway Act with global empathy. Themes globalism empathy interdependence Mood concerned hopeful Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - humanitarian aid - education - media coverage - international law Key Concepts human rights social responsibility policy making Questions to Reflect On - How can we translate empathy into policy? - What role should individuals play in global welfare? A Different Perspective Addressing distant suffering can be politically challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collective Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-hunger-878807/) [Collectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectives/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Hunger Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger-great-547013/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Masses People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masses-people-392920/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [New world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-world/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Range](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/range/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [A healthful hunger for a great idea is the beauty and blessedness of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ingelow/a-healthful-hunger-for-a-great-idea-is-the-beauty-and-blessedness-of/) [Jean Ingelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ingelow/) > [Hunger's a great spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/hunger-s-a-great-spur/) [Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/) > [“Eating as a simple means of ending hunger is one of the great liberties of being alone ... It is a pleasure to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-ferrari-adler/eating-as-a-simple-means-of-ending-hunger-is-one-of-the-great/) [Jenni Ferrari-Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-ferrari-adler/) > [Wit, like hunger, will be with great difficulty restrained from falling on vice and ignorance, where there is great plenty and variety of food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/wit-like-hunger-will-be-with-great-difficulty-restrained-from-falling/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [“O Virgins, sacrosanct, if I have ever, for your sake, suffered vigils,cold,, and hunger, great need makes me entreat my recompense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/o-virgins-sacrosanct-if-i-have-ever-for-your-sake-suffered-vigils/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [“you cannot organise masses of people effectively without relying on some fictional myths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/you-cannot-organise-masses-of-people-effectively-without-relying-on/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/three-initiates/the-masses-of-people-are-carried-along-obedient-to-environment-the/) [Three Initiates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/three-initiates/) > [In addition to the leadership of the Party, a decisive factor is our population of 600 million. More people mean a greater ferment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/in-addition-to-the-leadership-of-the-party-a-decisive-factor-is-our/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [I want the great masses of my people to take a greater pride in their appearance and to give their hair proper attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madam-c-j-walker/i-want-the-great-masses-of-my-people-to-take-a-greater-pride-in-their-2/) [Madam C. J. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madam-c-j-walker/) > [“This metropolitan world, then, is a world where flesh and blood is less real than paper and ink and celluloid. It is a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/this-metropolitan-world-then-is-a-world-where-flesh-and-blood-is-less/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-parks/at-the-time-i-was-arrested-i-had-no-idea-it-would-turn-into-this-it/) [Rosa Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-parks/) > [Since the masses of the people are inconstant, full of unruly desires, passionate, and reckless of consequences, they must be filled with fears to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-the-masses-of-the-people-are-inconstant-full-of-unruly-desires/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The masses of the people of Africa are crying for unity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/the-masses-of-the-people-of-africa-are-crying-for-unity/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-great-masses-of-the-people-will-more-easily-fall-victims-to-a-big/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Particularly the broad masses of the people can be moved only by the power of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/particularly-the-broad-masses-of-the-people-can-be-moved-only-by-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) ## More by Eleanor Roosevelt > [My experience has been that work is almost the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/my-experience-has-been-that-work-is-almost-the-best-way-to-pull/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [experience should teach us that it is always the unexpected that does occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/experience-should-teach-us-that-it-is-always-the-unexpected-that-does/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [To be mature you have to realize what you value most... Not to arrive at a clear understanding of one's own values is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/to-be-mature-you-have-to-realize-what-you-value-most-not-to-arrive-at/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I'm enormously interested in freedom and retaining the right to have whatever economy we want and to shape it as we want and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-m-enormously-interested-in-freedom-and-retaining-the-right-to-have/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [When you look fear in the face, you are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/when-you-look-fear-in-the-face-you-are-able-to-say-to-yourself-i/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [The destiny of human rights is in the hands of all our citizens in all our communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/the-destiny-of-human-rights-is-in-the-hands-of-all-our-citizens-in/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [You can never really live anyone else's life, not even your child's. The influence you exert is through your own life, and what you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/you-can-never-really-live-anyone-else-s-life-not-even-your-child-s/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“One of the things I believe most intensely is that every child’s why should be answered with care—and with respect. If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-of-the-things-i-believe-most-intensely-is-that-every-child-s-why/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [What we must learn to do is to create unbreakable bonds between the sciences and the humanities. We cannot procrastinate. The world of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-must-learn-to-do-is-to-create-unbreakable-bonds-between-the/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/never-allow-a-person-to-tell-you-no-who-doesn-t-have-the-power-to-say/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/do-not-stop-thinking-of-life-as-an-adventure-you-have-no-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/we-stand-today-at-the-threshold-of-a-great-event-both-in-the-life-of/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [All of us ... should remember that no amount of flag-waving, pledging allegiance, or fervent singing of the national anthem is evidence that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-of-us-should-remember-that-no-amount-of-flag-waving-pledging/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Some friends leave footprints in your heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/some-friends-leave-footprints-in-your-heart/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [If we want a free and peaceful world, if we want to make the deserts bloom and man grow to greater dignity as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/if-we-want-a-free-and-peaceful-world-if-we-want-to-make-the-deserts/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) [Explore all 612 Eleanor Roosevelt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) ## More Collectives quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [There is a way in which the collective knowledge of mankind expresses itself, for the finite individual, through mere daily living . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/there-is-a-way-in-which-the-collective-knowledge-of-mankind-expresses/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Through Sahaja Yoga what happens to you, that you become a collective personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/through-sahaja-yoga-what-happens-to-you-that-you-become-a-collective/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We seem to have lost contact with the earlier, more profound functions of art, which have always had to do with personal and collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-london/we-seem-to-have-lost-contact-with-the-earlier-more-profound-functions/) [Peter London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-london/) > [If you need someone to come out of the sewer with a wire you don't hire someone who needs laborious collective instruction. You let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-need-someone-to-come-out-of-the-sewer-with-a-wire-you-don-t/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [Man, in the collective sense, is the hero of science. Man, in the collective sense, is the hero of Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/man-in-the-collective-sense-is-the-hero-of-science-man-in-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) [Browse all 1,039 Collectives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What we apparently have failed to grasp is that, in this new world in which we live, the collective hunger of great masses of people, wherever they may be, will affect our long-range welfare, just as though they were our own people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eleanor Roosevelt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp-is-that-in-this-new-world-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collectives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp-is-that-in-this-new-world-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/eleanor-roosevelt-381_collectives_what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp_1672927.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What we apparently have failed to grasp is that, in this new world in which we live, the collective hunger…” — Eleanor Roosevelt", "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": "Eleanor Roosevelt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What we apparently have failed to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp-is-that-in-this-new-world-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/what-we-apparently-have-failed-to-grasp-is-that-in-this-new-world-in/#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 } } ] } ```