---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who is the wrong person to criticise? You"
description: "\"“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You”\" — Idries Shah"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg"
---

#  Who is the wrong person to criticise? You

![“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You” quote by Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg)

> ““Who is the wrong person to criticise? You””

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote questions who is appropriate to criticize, implying that anyone can be a target of critique.

**In simple terms:** Anyone can be criticized.

Key Takeaway

Critique is universal.

Themes

criticism authority ethics

Mood

provocative skeptical

Type

rhetorical question

When to use this quote

- workplace performance reviews
- public debates
- online comment sections

Key Concepts

power dynamics

Practical Applications

- establish clear, fair critique guidelines
- use constructive language

Questions to Reflect On

- When does criticism become oppression?
- Who decides the standards for criticism?

A Different Perspective

Overgeneralizing may ignore legitimate power imbalances that protect vulnerable groups.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Criticise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticise/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Criticise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-criticise-1121990/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) [Wrong person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-person/)

## Related quotes

> [Learn to be as analytical about things of which you are credulous as you are of those which you criticise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/learn-to-be-as-analytical-about-things-of-which-you-are-credulous-as/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [The techniques are all means of dealing with one simple idea: She wrote it. (That is, the "wrong" person--in this case, female--has created the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-russ/the-techniques-are-all-means-of-dealing-with-one-simple-idea-she/)

[Joanna Russ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-russ/)

> [The Wrong person won't give you what you want, but they'll make sure they get what they want from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/the-wrong-person-won-t-give-you-what-you-want-but-they-ll-make-sure/)

[Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/)

> [“it's weird how we try our best to build our lives , and then we simply fall in love with the wrong person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-r-girl/it-s-weird-how-we-try-our-best-to-build-our-lives-and-then-we-simply/)

[O.R. girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-r-girl/)

> [Criticise us on our cricket but don't get abusive with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarfaraz-ahmed/criticise-us-on-our-cricket-but-don-t-get-abusive-with-us/)

[Sarfaraz Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarfaraz-ahmed/)

> [Some people will always think I've got the eyes of Satan. Others will think I'm a TV god. People have the right to criticise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-kyle/some-people-will-always-think-i-ve-got-the-eyes-of-satan-others-will/)

[Jeremy Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-kyle/)

> [I wouldn't criticise Carlo Ancelotti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-villas-boas/i-wouldn-t-criticise-carlo-ancelotti/)

[Andre Villas-Boas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-villas-boas/)

> [Some people will appreciate U Some will criticize U In both d case U are d beneficiary One will motivate U, while d other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blossom/some-people-will-appreciate-u-some-will-criticize-u-in-both-d-case-u/)

[Blossom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blossom/)

> [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Personally, I hope that we British continue to criticise America - just as I hope Americans will criticise us. That is what friends do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/personally-i-hope-that-we-british-continue-to-criticise-america-just/)

[Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/)

> [In my world, I have to keep my counsel at times, accept players are going to criticise various things, accuse you of various things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/in-my-world-i-have-to-keep-my-counsel-at-times-accept-players-are/)

[Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/)

> [A law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/a-law-which-attempts-to-say-you-can-criticise-and-ridicule-ideas-as/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [It was just this interesting, my first, the first time you hear your child in any way criticize you. It's the worst review of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tea-leoni/it-was-just-this-interesting-my-first-the-first-time-you-hear-your/)

[Tea Leoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tea-leoni/)

> [The worst thing is when people criticise you and you go, 'Yeah, you're right.' It's really hard to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckley/the-worst-thing-is-when-people-criticise-you-and-you-go-yeah-you-re/)

[James Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckley/)

> [Choosing how you live should be up to you not the people that would criticise your well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hayward/choosing-how-you-live-should-be-up-to-you-not-the-people-that-would/)

[Courtney Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hayward/)

## More by Idries Shah

> [“To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and from preconceptions; and not to try to avoid what is your lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/to-be-a-sufi-is-to-detach-from-fixed-ideas-and-from-preconceptions/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Teach honesty by all means - you do know what it is, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/teach-honesty-by-all-means-you-do-know-what-it-is-don-t-you/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Sufism is transmitted by means of the human exemplar, the teacher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sufism-is-transmitted-by-means-of-the-human-exemplar-the-teacher/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“No existe práctica en aislamiento.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/no-existe-pr-ctica-en-aislamiento/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [A king who feared wasps once decreed that they were abolished. As it happened, they did him no harm. But he was eventually stung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/a-king-who-feared-wasps-once-decreed-that-they-were-abolished-as-it/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Do not tell your secrets to everyone in this headquarters, Earth. We have surveyed it well. There was nobody to whom to entrust secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/do-not-tell-your-secrets-to-everyone-in-this-headquarters-earth-we/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Sufis are those who have expunged from their minds the human tendencies of envy and enmity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/sufis-are-those-who-have-expunged-from-their-minds-the-human/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“Yes, the world is an illusion. But Truth is always being shown there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/yes-the-world-is-an-illusion-but-truth-is-always-being-shown-there/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [It is the message, not the man, which is important to the Sufis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/it-is-the-message-not-the-man-which-is-important-to-the-sufis/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [The human being, whether he realises it or not, is trusting someone or something every moment of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/the-human-being-whether-he-realises-it-or-not-is-trusting-someone-or/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“You may be able to get the bone down your throat But if it reaches your stomach it will tear your navel. (Gulistan)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/you-may-be-able-to-get-the-bone-down-your-throat-but-if-it-reaches/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [“People are always trying to understand. There is only one way to do that. It is to discover &lt; + i + &gt;why&lt; +…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/people-are-always-trying-to-understand-there-is-only-one-way-to-do/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [We view Sufism not as an ideology that molds people to the right way of belief or action, but as an art or science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/we-view-sufism-not-as-an-ideology-that-molds-people-to-the-right-way/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [ “Saadi: Be a true renouncer, (zahid) and \[you can even\] ware satin.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/saadi-be-a-true-renouncer-zahid-and-you-can-even-ware-satin/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

[Explore all 365 Idries Shah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

## More Criticise quotes

> [Choosing how you live should be up to you not the people that would criticise your well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hayward/choosing-how-you-live-should-be-up-to-you-not-the-people-that-would/)

[Courtney Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hayward/)

> [The worst thing is when people criticise you and you go, 'Yeah, you're right.' It's really hard to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckley/the-worst-thing-is-when-people-criticise-you-and-you-go-yeah-you-re/)

[James Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckley/)

> [It was just this interesting, my first, the first time you hear your child in any way criticize you. It's the worst review of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tea-leoni/it-was-just-this-interesting-my-first-the-first-time-you-hear-your/)

[Tea Leoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tea-leoni/)

> [A law which attempts to say you can criticise and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/a-law-which-attempts-to-say-you-can-criticise-and-ridicule-ideas-as/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [In my world, I have to keep my counsel at times, accept players are going to criticise various things, accuse you of various things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/in-my-world-i-have-to-keep-my-counsel-at-times-accept-players-are/)

[Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/)

> [Personally, I hope that we British continue to criticise America - just as I hope Americans will criticise us. That is what friends do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/personally-i-hope-that-we-british-continue-to-criticise-america-just/)

[Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/)

> [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

> [Some people will appreciate U Some will criticize U In both d case U are d beneficiary One will motivate U, while d other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blossom/some-people-will-appreciate-u-some-will-criticize-u-in-both-d-case-u/)

[Blossom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blossom/)

> [I wouldn't criticise Carlo Ancelotti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-villas-boas/i-wouldn-t-criticise-carlo-ancelotti/)

[Andre Villas-Boas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-villas-boas/)

> [Some people will always think I've got the eyes of Satan. Others will think I'm a TV god. People have the right to criticise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-kyle/some-people-will-always-think-i-ve-got-the-eyes-of-satan-others-will/)

[Jeremy Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-kyle/)

> [Criticise us on our cricket but don't get abusive with us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarfaraz-ahmed/criticise-us-on-our-cricket-but-don-t-get-abusive-with-us/)

[Sarfaraz Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarfaraz-ahmed/)

> [“Wanamaker learned this lesson early, but I personally had to blunder through this old world for a third of a century before it even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/wanamaker-learned-this-lesson-early-but-i-personally-had-to-blunder/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [A country where a man is afraid to criticise another one is no socialist country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enver-hoxha/a-country-where-a-man-is-afraid-to-criticise-another-one-is-no/)

[Enver Hoxha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enver-hoxha/)

> [It's not a gift of mine, but one given to me, to be able to criticise myself and not be crushed, by myself or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/it-s-not-a-gift-of-mine-but-one-given-to-me-to-be-able-to-criticise/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [Why is contemporary China short of works that speak directly? Because we writers cannot speak directly, or rather we can only speak in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murong-xuecun/why-is-contemporary-china-short-of-works-that-speak-directly-because/)

[Murong Xuecun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murong-xuecun/)

[Browse all 214 Criticise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticise/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Idries Shah"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Criticise"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/idries-shah-450_criticise_who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you_89956.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Who is the wrong person to criticise? You” — Idries Shah",
                "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": "Idries Shah",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Who is the wrong person to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/who-is-the-wrong-person-to-criticise-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
