---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’ve found that most people are generally…"
description: "\"“I’ve found that most people are generally a danger only to themselves.”\" — Eliza Maxwell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg"
---

#  I’ve found that most people are generally a danger only to…

![“I’ve found that most people are generally a danger only to themselves.” quote by Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg)

> ““I’ve found that most people are generally a danger only to themselves.””

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She observes that most people pose a danger primarily to themselves, suggesting self‑destructive behavior outweighs harm to others.

**In simple terms:** People often harm themselves more than others.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and mitigate self‑destructive tendencies.

Themes

psychology self‑awareness behavior risk individualism

Mood

introspective cautionary

Type

psychological motivational

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- personal development workshops
- self‑reflection exercises

Key Concepts

self‑sabotage mental health personal responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- What habits cause you personal harm?
- How can you protect yourself from self‑damage?

A Different Perspective

Not all external threats are significant; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [People generally pay attention to what they already know about and what they care about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-zuckerman/people-generally-pay-attention-to-what-they-already-know-about-and/)

[Ethan Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-zuckerman/)

> [It has seemed to me that most people are generally good, in every race and in every country where I have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/it-has-seemed-to-me-that-most-people-are-generally-good-in-every-race/)

[Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/)

> [I like working-class people, generally speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/i-like-working-class-people-generally-speaking/)

[Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/)

> [“She knew that people generally behaved only as well as they had to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisy-goodwin/she-knew-that-people-generally-behaved-only-as-well-as-they-had-to/)

[Daisy Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisy-goodwin/)

> [Every man becomes, to a certain degree, what the people he generally converses with are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-becomes-to-a-certain-degree-what-the-people-he-generally/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People generally let me be me. People are aware that I'm not someone particularly begging for attention. They hold back a bit with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/people-generally-let-me-be-me-people-are-aware-that-i-m-not-someone/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

> [People generally quarrel because they cannot argue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/people-generally-quarrel-because-they-cannot-argue/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [People generally think that it is the world, the environment, external relationships, which stand in one's way, in the way of ones' good fortune...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/people-generally-think-that-it-is-the-world-the-environment-external/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [People generally have more feeling for canals and roads than education. However, I hope we can advance them with equal pace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/people-generally-have-more-feeling-for-canals-and-roads-than/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/in-truth-people-can-generally-make-time-for-what-they-choose-to-do-it/)

[John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/)

> [“People generally believe that which they wish to believe and disbelieve that which is unpleasant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-l-petersen/people-generally-believe-that-which-they-wish-to-believe-and/)

Rodney L. Petersen

> [People generally fall into one of three groups: the few who make things happen, the many who watch things happen, and the overwhelming majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/people-generally-fall-into-one-of-three-groups-the-few-who-make/)

[Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/)

> [People generally like to subscribe to celebrities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristan-perich/people-generally-like-to-subscribe-to-celebrities/)

[Tristan Perich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristan-perich/)

> [I think people generally have a good heart and the intention to help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-kompany/i-think-people-generally-have-a-good-heart-and-the-intention-to-help/)

[Vincent Kompany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-kompany/)

> [A well governed people are generally a people who do not think much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-siegfried/a-well-governed-people-are-generally-a-people-who-do-not-think-much/)

Andre Siegfried

## More by Eliza Maxwell

> [“Livingston hadn’t drawn on his own strength to recover from his daughter’s death; he’d drawn on the strength of his wife, so freely given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/livingston-hadn-t-drawn-on-his-own-strength-to-recover-from-his/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“When you see a fight in front of you, son, there’s one thing you need to ask yourself. Is this the hill I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/when-you-see-a-fight-in-front-of-you-son-there-s-one-thing-you-need/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“I believe that life is full of tragedy. Some lives more than others. But I also believe that comfort can be found with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/i-believe-that-life-is-full-of-tragedy-some-lives-more-than-others/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“Too many words made Jonah feel like blackbirds were flying at his face, too fast and too many for him to catch. Made him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/too-many-words-made-jonah-feel-like-blackbirds-were-flying-at-his/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“It’s a monstrous thing, Hadley, to be a parent. To see your child hurt and be powerless to mend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/it-s-a-monstrous-thing-hadley-to-be-a-parent-to-see-your-child-hurt/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“Death was heavier than Henry expected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/death-was-heavier-than-henry-expected/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“The part of the deep night when it’s impractical to do anything useful, but sleep won’t come, so the mind swirls around in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/the-part-of-the-deep-night-when-it-s-impractical-to-do-anything/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“Oh, just shut the hell up. God didn’t create man to go stinking up town and scaring little children. I’ll tell you what God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/oh-just-shut-the-hell-up-god-didn-t-create-man-to-go-stinking-up-town/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“The tall, stately pines that grew in drier soils soon gave way to the curving, dripping beauty of the cypress that thrived in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/the-tall-stately-pines-that-grew-in-drier-soils-soon-gave-way-to-the/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“The stray thought occurred to him that if it weren’t for women, in all their cloaks of unfathomed mysteries, men would lead very boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/the-stray-thought-occurred-to-him-that-if-it-weren-t-for-women-in-all/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“She gave him a small smile. “Me too. But you know what my dad used to say? Wish in one hand, Alice, honey, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/she-gave-him-a-small-smile-me-too-but-you-know-what-my-dad-used-to/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“She'd swallowed sadness before it became tears and chocked on anger until she nearly suffocated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/she-d-swallowed-sadness-before-it-became-tears-and-chocked-on-anger/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“No, he didn’t drink because he’d seen every kind of reason for diving into a bottle, seen them up close and personal. But he’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/no-he-didn-t-drink-because-he-d-seen-every-kind-of-reason-for-diving/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“Pain was real. Pain was life. Pain was love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/pain-was-real-pain-was-life-pain-was-love/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

> [“he’d never seen a solitary soul come out the back end of a bottle any better off than they had gone in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/he-d-never-seen-a-solitary-soul-come-out-the-back-end-of-a-bottle-any/)

[Eliza Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

[Explore all 22 Eliza Maxwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/)

## More Danger quotes

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [“Anything you fear is a shackle to ur soul. It is a phobia that tethers and blinds ur ability to see and comprehend your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/anything-you-fear-is-a-shackle-to-ur-soul-it-is-a-phobia-that-tethers/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/)

[Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/)

> [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

> [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [“I’ll always come back to you,” he said. “Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-ll-always-come-back-to-you-he-said-always/)

[Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/)

> [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [A sea setting us upon the ice has brought us close to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hudson/a-sea-setting-us-upon-the-ice-has-brought-us-close-to-danger/)

[Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hudson/)

> [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [There's a danger in starting a fire, you'll never know how many bridges you'll burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-danger-in-starting-a-fire-you-ll-never-know-how-many/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

[Browse all 5,463 Danger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I’ve found that most people are generally a danger only to themselves.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eliza Maxwell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generally-a-danger-only-to-themselves/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Danger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generally-a-danger-only-to-themselves/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b56/eliza-maxwell-25740_danger_i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generall_1806651.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I’ve found that most people are generally a danger only to themselves.” — Eliza Maxwell",
                "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": "Eliza Maxwell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-maxwell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I’ve found that most people are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generally-a-danger-only-to-themselves/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-maxwell/i-ve-found-that-most-people-are-generally-a-danger-only-to-themselves/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
