--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trust a nitwit society like this one to…" description: "\"Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there are only two categories - fag and straight.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg" --- # Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there… ![“Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there are only two categories - fag and straight.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg) > “Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there are only two categories - fag and straight.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal labeling reduces complex identities to simplistic binaries, ignoring nuance. **In simple terms:** Labels oversimplify human diversity. Key Takeaway Reject binary thinking. Themes identity society binary thinking inclusion Mood critical empathetic Type social commentary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - policy making - education - null - null Key Concepts gender sexuality social constructs Questions to Reflect On - How can you promote nuanced understanding? - What impacts do binary labels have on individuals? A Different Perspective Binary labels can be deeply entrenched socially. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Categories Fag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/categories-fag-4858953/) [Fag Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fag-straight-4858952/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Nitwit Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nitwit-society-4858954/) [Society Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-like-251818/) [Straight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [If we were in India now, there would be servants standing in the corners of this room and I wouldn't notice them. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/if-we-were-in-india-now-there-would-be-servants-standing-in-the/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [Society, like nature, is one body, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/society-like-nature-is-one-body-really/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“Because language and society are so closely linked, it is possible, in some cases, to encourage social change by directing attention towards linguistic reflections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-trudgill/because-language-and-society-are-so-closely-linked-it-is-possible-in/) [Peter Trudgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-trudgill/) > [I do not think you want too much sincerity in society. It would be like an iron girder in a house of cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-do-not-think-you-want-too-much-sincerity-in-society-it-would-be/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Whatever we, as prospective participants unaware of our specific features, would desire society to be like is what, morally speaking, we ought to institute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pogge/whatever-we-as-prospective-participants-unaware-of-our-specific/) [Thomas Pogge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pogge/) > [Traditional society was more like a set of concentric circles of meaningful structures, while modern man must learn how to find meaning in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/traditional-society-was-more-like-a-set-of-concentric-circles-of/) [Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/) > [Society is like this card game here, cousin. We got dealt our hand before we were even born, and as we grow we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/society-is-like-this-card-game-here-cousin-we-got-dealt-our-hand/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“Not a passing phenomenon nor an external force, the companies had become a way of life, a part of society itself, used and joined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/not-a-passing-phenomenon-nor-an-external-force-the-companies-had/) [Barbara W. Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-w-tuchman/) > [I don't think even ungodly people realize what a society would be like that had no godly influence at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-don-t-think-even-ungodly-people-realize-what-a-society-would-be/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Human society is like an arch, kept from falling by the mutual pressure of its parts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/human-society-is-like-an-arch-kept-from-falling-by-the-mutual/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [We live in a society where you may not like everything that is happening around you. However, just because you don't like it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/we-live-in-a-society-where-you-may-not-like-everything-that-is/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [“National Sarcasm Society: Like We Need Your Support.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/national-sarcasm-society-like-we-need-your-support/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [We live in society. Our security is dependent on our position in society. So whether we like it or not, a certain amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/we-live-in-society-our-security-is-dependent-on-our-position-in/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [Society is like a large piece of frozen water; and skating well is the great art of social life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/society-is-like-a-large-piece-of-frozen-water-and-skating-well-is-the/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Homosexuality quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [You're on Facebook, and you're supposed to know your sexual orientation at 13... Nobody really knows what's going on at that time, and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/you-re-on-facebook-and-you-re-supposed-to-know-your-sexual/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I had to smile when stories emerged questioning whether I was gay. Obviously I knew I wasn't but people were curiously desperate to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-had-to-smile-when-stories-emerged-questioning-whether-i-was-gay/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Since 'coming out,' I've marched in gay pride parades all around the world, I've filled my home full of rainbow tat and I've become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/since-coming-out-i-ve-marched-in-gay-pride-parades-all-around-the/) [Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/) > [“Now, in the old days, Indians used to be forgiving of any kind of eccentricity. In fact, weird people were often celebrated. Epileptics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/now-in-the-old-days-indians-used-to-be-forgiving-of-any-kind-of/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I think, even though homophobia still exists, there is much more of a dialogue and a taboo around being homophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-think-even-though-homophobia-still-exists-there-is-much-more-of-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/) [Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/) > [I'm homosexual. How and why are idle questions. It's a little like wanting to know why my eyes are green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/i-m-homosexual-how-and-why-are-idle-questions-it-s-a-little-like/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [Unless you're of a certain age, you may not know my name, but you can Google it - I was a pretty big movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/unless-you-re-of-a-certain-age-you-may-not-know-my-name-but-you-can/) [Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/) > [I didn't want to be gay. I wanted to be... I wanted an easy life. And you know what? I am gay, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/i-didn-t-want-to-be-gay-i-wanted-to-be-i-wanted-an-easy-life-and-you/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) > [I believe that those who promote discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or any other grounds are gravely mistaken about the values that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/i-believe-that-those-who-promote-discrimination-on-the-basis-of/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) [Browse all 3,495 Homosexuality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there are only two categories - fag and straight.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gore Vidal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to-think-that-there-are-only-two/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Homosexuality" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to-think-that-there-are-only-two/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52f/gore-vidal-466_trust_trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to_1392677.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Trust a nitwit society like this one to think that there are only two categories - fag and straight.” — Gore Vidal", "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": "Gore Vidal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Trust a nitwit society like this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to-think-that-there-are-only-two/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/trust-a-nitwit-society-like-this-one-to-think-that-there-are-only-two/#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 } } ] } ```