---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...I believed passionately that…"
description: "\"...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of horned men who divided their time equally between the burning of Nancy Drew books and the dev..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg"
---

#  ...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of…

![“...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of horned men who divided their time equally between the burning of Nancy Drew books and the devising of a plan of nuclear attack that would land the largest and most lethal bomb squarely upon the third-grade class of Thomas Jefferson School…” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg)

> “...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of horned men who divided their time equally between the burning of Nancy Drew books and the devising of a plan of nuclear attack that would land the largest and most lethal bomb squarely upon the third-grade class of Thomas Jefferson School in Morristown, New Jersey.”

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## About This Quote

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

Satirically exaggerates fear of communism, mocking absurd conspiracy thinking.

**In simple terms:** Absurd fears are often baseless.

Key Takeaway

Question extreme narratives.

Themes

politics satire fear

Mood

witty critical

Type

satirical humorous

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- media consumption
- education
- public debate

Key Concepts

conspiracy theory historical paranoia

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we cling to extreme stereotypes?
- How does humor reveal truth?

A Different Perspective

Satire may be misread as literal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atomic bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atomic-bomb/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) [Burning Nancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-nancy-3699038/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists/) [Communists Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists-race-3699036/) [Devising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devising/) [Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/) [Equally Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equally-burning-3699037/) [Grades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grades/) [Jersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jersey/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nancy/) [Nancy drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nancy-drew/) [New jersey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-jersey/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Passionately Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionately-communists-3699035/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Third grade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-grade/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/)

[Alfred Aho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-aho/)

> [Christ taught us truth; the Devil teaches us falsehood, and strives in every way to contradict every truth; devising various calumnies against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/christ-taught-us-truth-the-devil-teaches-us-falsehood-and-strives-in/)

[John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/)

> [It is however pretty evident, on general principles, that in devising for mathematical truths a new form in which to record and throw themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-lovelace/it-is-however-pretty-evident-on-general-principles-that-in-devising/)

[Ada Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-lovelace/)

> [The scientific method ... is nothing but the exclusion of subjective opinions as far as possible, by the devising of experiments where observation can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-de-beer/the-scientific-method-is-nothing-but-the-exclusion-of-subjective/)

[Gavin de Beer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-de-beer/)

> [Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/black-and-third-world-people-are-expected-to-educate-white-people-as/)

[Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/)

> [If the desire to get somewhere is strong enough in a person, his whole being, conscious and unconscious, is always at work, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-philip-grove/if-the-desire-to-get-somewhere-is-strong-enough-in-a-person-his-whole/)

[Frederick Philip Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-philip-grove/)

> [To those who study her, Nature reveals herself as extraordinarily fertile and ingenious in devising means, but she has no ends which the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/to-those-who-study-her-nature-reveals-herself-as-extraordinarily/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [There was one field in which man was unsurpassed; he showed unlimited ingenuity in devising bigger and more efficient ways to kill off, enslave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/there-was-one-field-in-which-man-was-unsurpassed-he-showed-unlimited/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [With support from institutions like the United Nations as well as the donor community, governments can strengthen their national technological and scientific capacities by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-abu-ghazaleh/with-support-from-institutions-like-the-united-nations-as-well-as-the/)

[Talal Abu-Ghazaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-abu-ghazaleh/)

> [There is the happiness which comes from creative effort. The joy of dreaming, creating, building, whether in painting a picture, writing an epic, singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/there-is-the-happiness-which-comes-from-creative-effort-the-joy-of/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [Work outside of school hours was a necessity at an early age, and with such time as I had I turned toward interests of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-carlson/work-outside-of-school-hours-was-a-necessity-at-an-early-age-and-with/)

[Chester Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-carlson/)

> [ God does not play dice \[with the universe\]. \[Ger., Gott wurfelt nicht.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/god-does-not-play-dice-with-the-universe-ger-gott-wurfelt-nicht/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Science has so accustomed us to devising and accepting theories to account for the facts we observe, however fantastic, that our minds must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/science-has-so-accustomed-us-to-devising-and-accepting-theories-to/)

[Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/)

> [I am often thought of as being remarkably bright, and yet my brains, more often than not, are busily devising new and interesting ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/i-am-often-thought-of-as-being-remarkably-bright-and-yet-my-brains/)

[Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/)

> [Adults devise a plan and follow it, children do what feels good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/adults-devise-a-plan-and-follow-it-children-do-what-feels-good/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

## More by Fran Lebowitz

> [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

[Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## More Atomic bomb quotes

> [Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/gee-i-wish-we-had-one-of-them-doomsday-machines-things/)

[Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/)

> [“If we do not stop these mar-makers not,...it will soon be too late. We are the only nation that can halt this crusade. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/if-we-do-not-stop-these-mar-makers-not-it-will-soon-be-too-late-we/)

[James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/)

> [We have genuflected before the god of science only to find that it has given us the atomic bomb, producing fears and anxieties that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-genuflected-before-the-god-of-science-only-to-find-that-it/)

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

> [“when an atomic bomb is detonated above the earth’s atmosphere, it can generate a “pulse wave,” which travels at the speed of light, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-forstchen/when-an-atomic-bomb-is-detonated-above-the-earth-s-atmosphere-it-can/)

[William R. Forstchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-forstchen/)

> [“I come and stand at every door But none can hear my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz-m-hikmet/i-come-and-stand-at-every-door-but-none-can-hear-my-silent-tread-i/)

[Nazim Hikmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz-m-hikmet/)

> [“Who wants to serve in a police vice squad, spending hours peeking into men’s johns to detect acts of homosexuality? Who wants a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/who-wants-to-serve-in-a-police-vice-squad-spending-hours-peeking-into/)

[Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/)

> [We know have the power of God in many ways: the atomic bomb, the ability to create life in a test tube, cloning, artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/we-know-have-the-power-of-god-in-many-ways-the-atomic-bomb-the/)

[James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/)

> [In some ways more painful is the fact that their experience appears to be fading from the collective memory of humankind. Having never experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadatoshi-akiba/in-some-ways-more-painful-is-the-fact-that-their-experience-appears/)

[Tadatoshi Akiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadatoshi-akiba/)

> [I like ada BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer-2/i-like-ada-booooooooooooootttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/)

[J Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer-2/)

> [The ginkgo tree is from the era of dinosaurs, but while the dinosaur has been extinguished, the modern ginkgo has not changed. After the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-nakanishi/the-ginkgo-tree-is-from-the-era-of-dinosaurs-but-while-the-dinosaur/)

[Koji Nakanishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-nakanishi/)

> [If some nuclear properties of the heavy elements had been a little different from what they turned out to be, it might have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/if-some-nuclear-properties-of-the-heavy-elements-had-been-a-little/)

[Emilio G. Segre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-g-segre/)

> [I had been conscious of depression and so I voiced to (Sec. Of War Stimson) my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-had-been-conscious-of-depression-and-so-i-voiced-to-sec-of-war/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The cumulative amount of man-made global pollution that's in the atmosphere now traps as much extra heat energy every day as would be released…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-cumulative-amount-of-man-made-global-pollution-that-s-in-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [“The best defense industry is to build good relationships with your neighbors! The best missile, the best tank, the best atomic bomb is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-best-defense-industry-is-to-build-good-relationships-with-your/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I was born in the middle of the Second World War when the United States dropped their atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-was-born-in-the-middle-of-the-second-world-war-when-the-united/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

[Browse all 232 Atomic bomb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atomic-bomb/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of horned men who divided their time equally between the burning of Nancy Drew books and the devising of a plan of nuclear attack that would land the largest and most lethal bomb squarely upon the third-grade class of Thomas Jefferson School in Morristown, New Jersey.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fran Lebowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-believed-passionately-that-communists-were-a-race-of-horned-men-who/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atomic bomb"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-believed-passionately-that-communists-were-a-race-of-horned-men-who/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7d/fran-lebowitz-690_atomic-bomb_i-believed-passionately-that-communists_1215108.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...I believed passionately that Communists were a race of horned men who divided their time equally between…” — Fran Lebowitz",
                "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": "Fran Lebowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "...I believed passionately that Communists were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-believed-passionately-that-communists-were-a-race-of-horned-men-who/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-believed-passionately-that-communists-were-a-race-of-horned-men-who/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
