--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of…" description: "\"Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.\" — Frans de Waal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png" --- # Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose… ![“Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.” quote by Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png) > “Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.” [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He warns against trusting people whose moral compass is the only barrier preventing harmful actions, suggesting deeper character assessment. **In simple terms:** Moral beliefs alone may not prevent bad behavior. Key Takeaway Evaluate actions, not just beliefs. Themes ethics trust behavioral assessment Mood cautious inquisitive Type psychological ethical When to use this quote - hiring decisions - friendship choices - leadership evaluation Key Concepts psychology of morality social judgment Questions to Reflect On - What actions reveal true character? - How do you test moral consistency? A Different Perspective Relying solely on stated beliefs can be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-system/) [Belief systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-systems/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [I'm just very wary that once you start military operations in any country, it's very difficult to predict what the outcome is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-just-very-wary-that-once-you-start-military-operations-in-any/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been accused of being aloof. I'm not. I'm just wary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/i-ve-been-accused-of-being-aloof-i-m-not-i-m-just-wary/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [“The foundation of morality on the human sentiments of what is acceptable behavior versus repulsive behavior has always made morals susceptible to change. Much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-foundation-of-morality-on-the-human-sentiments-of-what-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [I think that I probably inevitably fetishize nature, although I try not to, because it's kind of embarrassing, repulsive behavior. I think it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elvrum/i-think-that-i-probably-inevitably-fetishize-nature-although-i-try/) [Phil Elvrum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elvrum/) > [Do not speak of repulsive matters at table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-vanderbilt/do-not-speak-of-repulsive-matters-at-table/) [Amy Vanderbilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-vanderbilt/) > [During college, I found academics repulsive and forced myself to study subjects I didn't want to pursue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishaan-khatter/during-college-i-found-academics-repulsive-and-forced-myself-to-study/) [Ishaan Khatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishaan-khatter/) > [“Approach what you find repulsive, help the ones you think you cannot help, and go places that scare you. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machik-labdr-n/approach-what-you-find-repulsive-help-the-ones-you-think-you-cannot/) Machik Labdron > [“Alice started to understand why people found her repulsive. In stories, anyone who didn't look quite right, who wasn't a perfect human being, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-byng/alice-started-to-understand-why-people-found-her-repulsive-in-stories/) [Georgia Byng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-byng/) > [The idea of fame is repulsive, I want to save the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-antin/the-idea-of-fame-is-repulsive-i-want-to-save-the-world/) [Eleanor Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-antin/) > [“both touching and somehow repulsive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/both-touching-and-somehow-repulsive/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Felicity was horrible and snide, but then Felicity had been a repulsive earwig ever since she first grew a vocabulary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/felicity-was-horrible-and-snide-but-then-felicity-had-been-a/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! YOU'VE READ ABOUT IT IN THE NEWSPAPERS! NOW, SHUDDER AS YOU OBSERVE, BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES, THAT MOST RAREAND RAGIC OF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/ladies-and-gentlemen-you-ve-read-about-it-in-the-newspapers-now/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“I've noticed while cooking, how ingredients in their individual and naked state and be a bit repulsive but necessary, kind of like people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-ve-noticed-while-cooking-how-ingredients-in-their-individual-and/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Yet there must be something repulsive about her somewhere, something more repelling than just a pair of eyes that couldn't see, for she'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-butler/yet-there-must-be-something-repulsive-about-her-somewhere-something/) Beverly Butler > [Repulsive, humiliating advice usually comes from bad intentions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/repulsive-humiliating-advice-usually-comes-from-bad-intentions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Frans de Waal > [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-both-parties-have-a-stake-in-the-other-the-chances-of-them-killing/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/unlike-the-primate-hand-the-elephant-s-grasping-organ-is-also-its/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Science is not inherently good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/science-is-not-inherently-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [The possibility that empathy resides in parts of the brain so ancient that we share them with rats should give pause to anyone comparing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-possibility-that-empathy-resides-in-parts-of-the-brain-so-ancient/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“on August 16, 1996, when an eight-year-old female gorilla named Binti Jua helped a three-year-old boy who had fallen eighteen feet into the primate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/on-august-16-1996-when-an-eight-year-old-female-gorilla-named-binti/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [We start out postulating sharp boundaries, such as between humans and apes, or between apes and monkeys, but are in fact dealing with sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/we-start-out-postulating-sharp-boundaries-such-as-between-humans-and/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/personally-i-think-it-is-possible-to-build-a-society-that-is-moral-on/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“humans are a strange lot. We have the power to analyze and explore the world around us, yet panic as soon as the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humans-are-a-strange-lot-we-have-the-power-to-analyze-and-explore-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/armies-are-a-purely-human-invention-most-soldiers-who-go-to-war/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [There's actually a lot of evidence in primates and other animals that they return favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-s-actually-a-lot-of-evidence-in-primates-and-other-animals-that/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“In a world divided by chimpophiles and bonobophiles, we all had a good laugh when Stephen peeled his banana. (62)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-a-world-divided-by-chimpophiles-and-bonobophiles-we-all-had-a-good/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [In Africa, we have the bush meat trade, which means that, on a very large scale, animals are being killed in the forests and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/in-africa-we-have-the-bush-meat-trade-which-means-that-on-a-very/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [ Humanity is actually much more cooperative and empathic than \[it's\] given credit for. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humanity-is-actually-much-more-cooperative-and-empathic-than-it-s/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) [Explore all 143 Frans de Waal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! That's not right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-don-t-put-milk-in-chamomile-tea-that-s-disgusting-behavior-that-s/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) J. Willard Gibbs > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I think we've told a lot of lies about human behavior through film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/i-think-we-ve-told-a-lot-of-lies-about-human-behavior-through-film/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The strongest rebellion may be expressed in quiet, undramatic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/the-strongest-rebellion-may-be-expressed-in-quiet-undramatic-behavior/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [If you want good behavior, don't pay on a commission basis. Our judges aren't paid so much a case. We keep them pretty well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/if-you-want-good-behavior-don-t-pay-on-a-commission-basis-our-judges/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 4,218 Behavior quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between them and repulsive behavior.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frans de Waal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behavior" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/frans-de-waal-2997_behavior_perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-an_342978.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps it's just me, but I am wary of any persons whose belief system is the only thing standing between…” — Frans de Waal", "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": "Frans de Waal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Perhaps it's just me, but I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/perhaps-it-s-just-me-but-i-am-wary-of-any-persons-whose-belief-system/#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 } } ] } ```