---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it is impossible for any mind of common…"
description: "\"it is impossible for any mind of common honesty not to be revolted by the contradictions in their principles and practice. They inveigh against the gov..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg"
---

#  it is impossible for any mind of common honesty not to be…

![“it is impossible for any mind of common honesty not to be revolted by the contradictions in their principles and practice. They inveigh against the governments of Europe, because, as they say, they favor the powerful and oppress the weak. ... &#91;yet&#93; you will see them with one hand hoisting the cap…” quote by Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg)

> “it is impossible for any mind of common honesty not to be revolted by the contradictions in their principles and practice. They inveigh against the governments of Europe, because, as they say, they favor the powerful and oppress the weak. ... \[yet\] you will see them with one hand hoisting the cap of liberty, and with the other flogging their slaves. You will see them one hour lecturing their mob on the indefeasible rights of man, and the next driving from their homes the children of the soil, whom they have bound themselves to protect by the most solemn treaties.”

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

## About This Quote

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

People often claim to uphold liberty while acting contrary to those principles, exposing hypocrisy in power structures.

**In simple terms:** People claim liberty but act against it.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge hypocrisy.

Themes

hypocrisy politics justice

Mood

critical reflective

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- activism
- policy critique
- public debate

Key Concepts

moral inconsistency power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile your values with your actions?
- What structures enable such contradictions?

A Different Perspective

Idealism can clash with self‑interest, limiting change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Contradictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictions/) [Driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Flogging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flogging/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Hypocrisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrisy/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Solemn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solemn/)

## Related quotes

> [“This is going to feel like a public flogging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-renee-jones/this-is-going-to-feel-like-a-public-flogging/)

[Lisa Renee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-renee-jones/)

> [I must say, though, that a man who has staked his whole life on the card of a woman's love and who, when that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-must-say-though-that-a-man-who-has-staked-his-whole-life-on-the/)

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

> [This is a good time to ask apologists for the Islamic regime, who degrades Islam? Who imposes stoning, forced marriage of underage girls and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/this-is-a-good-time-to-ask-apologists-for-the-islamic-regime-who/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [Flogging. The only solution to every problem. I warrant even the culprit himself doesn't know! It was just — his turn!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ustinov/flogging-the-only-solution-to-every-problem-i-warrant-even-the/)

[Peter Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ustinov/)

> [Well, I hope your hard self enjoys flogging the bishop tonight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/well-i-hope-your-hard-self-enjoys-flogging-the-bishop-tonight/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [I begin, then, with some remarks about 'the meaning of a word.' I think many persons now see all or part of what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-austin/i-begin-then-with-some-remarks-about-the-meaning-of-a-word-i-think/)

[J. L. Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-austin/)

> [And what I would say now is, yes, if a state enacted a law permitting flogging, it is immensely stupid, but it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/and-what-i-would-say-now-is-yes-if-a-state-enacted-a-law-permitting/)

[Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/)

> [It's right to flog a dead horse sometimes, when the previous flogging has not annihilated it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/it-s-right-to-flog-a-dead-horse-sometimes-when-the-previous-flogging/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [Sade has a curious ability to render every aspect of sexuality suspect, so that we see how the chaste kiss of the sentimental lover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/sade-has-a-curious-ability-to-render-every-aspect-of-sexuality/)

[Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/)

> [On the whole, money does artists much more good than harm. The idea that one benefits from cold water, crusts and debt collectors is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/on-the-whole-money-does-artists-much-more-good-than-harm-the-idea/)

[Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/)

> [“If there is a God, he must be taking revenge on me for the things I've done. I'll live in a perpetual hell with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-warner/if-there-is-a-god-he-must-be-taking-revenge-on-me-for-the-things-i-ve/)

Edith Warner

> [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [“Being Ymor’s right-hand man was like being gently flogged to death with scented bootlaces.   The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/being-ymor-s-right-hand-man-was-like-being-gently-flogged-to-death/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Whip us 'till we're on the floor, we'll turn around and ask for more, we're Phèdre's Boys! We like to hurt, we like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/whip-us-till-we-re-on-the-floor-we-ll-turn-around-and-ask-for-more-we/)

[Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/)

## More by Frances Trollope

> [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [To an American writer, I should think it must be a flattering distinction to escape the admiration of the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/to-an-american-writer-i-should-think-it-must-be-a-flattering/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [The total and universal want of manners, both in males and females, is ... remarkable ... that polish which removes the coarser and rougher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-total-and-universal-want-of-manners-both-in-males-and-females-is/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [ It is rarely \[Americans\] dine in society, except in taverns and boarding-houses. Then they eat with the greatest possible rapidity, and in total silence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-is-rarely-americans-dine-in-society-except-in-taverns-and-boarding/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [there is less alms-giving in America than in any other Christian country on the face of the globe. It is not in the temper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/there-is-less-alms-giving-in-america-than-in-any-other-christian/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [It seems hardly fair to quarrel with a place because its staple commodity is not pretty, but I am sure I should have liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-seems-hardly-fair-to-quarrel-with-a-place-because-its-staple/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [... it was not very unusual at Washington for a lady to take the arm of a gentleman, who was neither her husband, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-was-not-very-unusual-at-washington-for-a-lady-to-take-the-arm-of-a/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [I certainly do not lament the decadence of knight errantry, nor wish to exchange the protection of the laws for that of the doughtiest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/i-certainly-do-not-lament-the-decadence-of-knight-errantry-nor-wish/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [I never saw any people who appeared to live so much without amusement as the Cincinnatians… Were it not for the churches,... Ithink there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/i-never-saw-any-people-who-appeared-to-live-so-much-without-amusement/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [Is it to be imagined ... that women were made for no other purpose than to fabricate sweetmeats and gingerbread, construct shirts, darn stockings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/is-it-to-be-imagined-that-women-were-made-for-no-other-purpose-than/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [“Situated on an island which I think it will one day cover, it rises like Venice from the sea, and like that fairest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/situated-on-an-island-which-i-think-it-will-one-day-cover-it-rises/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [I draw from life - but I always pulp my acquaintance before serving them up. You would never recognize a pig in a sausage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/i-draw-from-life-but-i-always-pulp-my-acquaintance-before-serving/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [I heard an Englishman, who had been long resident in America, declare that in following, in meeting, or in overtaking, in the street, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/i-heard-an-englishman-who-had-been-long-resident-in-america-declare/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [The Yankee: In acuteness and perseverance, he resembles the Scotch. In frugal neatness, he resembles the Dutch. But in truth, a Yankee is nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-yankee-in-acuteness-and-perseverance-he-resembles-the-scotch-in/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [I have listened to much dull and heavy conversation in America, but rarely to any that I could strictly call silly (if I except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/i-have-listened-to-much-dull-and-heavy-conversation-in-america-but/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

[Explore all 26 Frances Trollope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

## More Bounds quotes

> [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/)

[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/)

> [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/)

[Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/)

> [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/)

[Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/)

> [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/)

Francis Landey Patton

> [Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/such-as-the-chain-of-causes-we-call-fate-such-is-the-chain-of-wishes/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/)

[Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/)

> [It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/it-is-only-when-our-life-proceeds-within-bounds-and-in-an-accepted/)

[Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/)

> [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

[Browse all 1,649 Bounds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "it is impossible for any mind of common honesty not to be revolted by the contradictions in their principles and practice. They inveigh against the governments of Europe, because, as they say, they favor the powerful and oppress the weak. ... [yet] you will see them with one hand hoisting the cap of liberty, and with the other flogging their slaves. You will see them one hour lecturing their mob on the indefeasible rights of man, and the next driving from their homes the children of the soil, whom they have bound themselves to protect by the most solemn treaties.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frances Trollope"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common-honesty-not-to-be-revolted-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bounds"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common-honesty-not-to-be-revolted-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e5/frances-trollope-22974_bounds_it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common_679123.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“it is impossible for any mind of common honesty not to be revolted by the contradictions in their principles…” — Frances Trollope",
                "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": "Frances Trollope",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "it is impossible for any mind...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common-honesty-not-to-be-revolted-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/it-is-impossible-for-any-mind-of-common-honesty-not-to-be-revolted-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
