Guy Quote by George Saunders
“It was like either: (A) I was a terrible guy who was knowingly doing this rotten thing over and over, or (B) it wasn’t so rotten, really, just normal, and the way to confirm it was normal was to keep doing it, over and over.”
About This Quote
Source Short Story: “The New World”, George Saunders, 2005
Repeated harmful actions become normalized when they are continuously justified, blurring moral judgment.
In simple terms: Doing bad things repeatedly can feel normal.
Key Takeaway
Question and challenge repeated harmful patterns.
Themes
ethics
behavior
normalization
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- organizational culture
- social movements
Key Concepts
moral psychology
habit formation
Questions to Reflect On
- What habits have you normalized that may be harmful?
- How can you break the cycle of justification?
A Different Perspective
Normalization can mask underlying damage, making it harder to change.
