--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is no good to think that other people…" description: "\"It is no good to think that other people are out to serve our interests.\" — Ivy Compton-Burnett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg" --- # It is no good to think that other people are out to serve… ![“It is no good to think that other people are out to serve our interests.” quote by Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg) > “It is no good to think that other people are out to serve our interests.” [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assuming others serve us leads to mistrust and conflict; recognize mutual agency. **In simple terms:** Don’t expect others to serve you. Key Takeaway Expect cooperation, not servitude. Themes trust autonomy relationships Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - teamwork - family dynamics - leadership - negotiation Key Concepts social psychology ethical behavior Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance self‑interest with trust? - When is it reasonable to suspect ulterior motives? A Different Perspective People may have hidden motives despite good intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-think/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Serve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-serve-415361/) [Self importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-importance/) [Serve Interests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serve-interests-1482010/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“It is time to take all that belongs to us and shape them to serve our interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/it-is-time-to-take-all-that-belongs-to-us-and-shape-them-to-serve-our/) [Anyaele Sam Chiyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anyaele-sam-chiyson/) > [Bureaucrats serve their own interests first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fitton/bureaucrats-serve-their-own-interests-first/) [Tom Fitton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fitton/) > [Invest in helping people know what matters to them and who matters to them (and why), and encourage them to continually experiment with how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-d-friedman/invest-in-helping-people-know-what-matters-to-them-and-who-matters-to/) [Stewart D. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-d-friedman/) > [In the end, the question is not, how do we use nature to serve our interests? It's how can we use humans to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/in-the-end-the-question-is-not-how-do-we-use-nature-to-serve-our/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“They accepted my donation, so they're aware they'd better serve my interests or I'll buy some leadership that will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/they-accepted-my-donation-so-they-re-aware-they-d-better-serve-my/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I'm cheering for America as always. Our interest ought to come first and to the extent that making temporary alliances with other countries serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/i-m-cheering-for-america-as-always-our-interest-ought-to-come-first/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [What concerns anyone so much as the time he has to live?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/what-concerns-anyone-so-much-as-the-time-he-has-to-live/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [People are here to serve. We cannot waste potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickson-gracie/people-are-here-to-serve-we-cannot-waste-potential/) [Rickson Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickson-gracie/) > [We've had enough career politicians in Helena who think the people are here to serve them. It's supposed to be the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gianforte/we-ve-had-enough-career-politicians-in-helena-who-think-the-people/) [Greg Gianforte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gianforte/) > [Laws should be made to serve the people. People should not be made to serve the laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-should-be-made-to-serve-the-people-people-should-not-be-made-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People serve a purpose in your life. It doesn't have to be your forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larsa-pippen/people-serve-a-purpose-in-your-life-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-your-forever/) [Larsa Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larsa-pippen/) > [You talk to people who serve you the food the same way you talk to the people you eat the food with. You talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-shear/you-talk-to-people-who-serve-you-the-food-the-same-way-you-talk-to/) [Claudia Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-shear/) > [“As people who serve other people, we can use that knowledge to craft our interactions based on the approximate age of the person with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-r-crawley/as-people-who-serve-other-people-we-can-use-that-knowledge-to-craft/) [Don R Crawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-r-crawley/) > [Every day, people serve their neighbors and our nation in many different ways, from helping a child learn and easing the loneliness of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/every-day-people-serve-their-neighbors-and-our-nation-in-many/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“You just had to be willing to let the people around you serve as supports, and take their share of it when it seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/you-just-had-to-be-willing-to-let-the-people-around-you-serve-as/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) ## More by Ivy Compton-Burnett > [Our desires have a way of getting bigger with our incomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/our-desires-have-a-way-of-getting-bigger-with-our-incomes/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [I never know why self-sacrifice is noble. Why is it better to sacrifice oneself than someone else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/i-never-know-why-self-sacrifice-is-noble-why-is-it-better-to/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [My youth is escaping without giving me anything it owes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/my-youth-is-escaping-without-giving-me-anything-it-owes-me/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [It will be a beautiful family talk, mean and worried and full of sorrow and spite and excitement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/it-will-be-a-beautiful-family-talk-mean-and-worried-and-full-of/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [“People do not like to lose their lives. That is the reason why they should not take other people's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/people-do-not-like-to-lose-their-lives-that-is-the-reason-why-they/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Never is a long word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/never-is-a-long-word/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [A person who can really be called an unselfish person, has no place in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/a-person-who-can-really-be-called-an-unselfish-person-has-no-place-in/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [We do not discuss the members of our family to their faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/we-do-not-discuss-the-members-of-our-family-to-their-faces/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [The plot is not very important to me, though a novel must have one, of course. It's just a line to hang the washing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/the-plot-is-not-very-important-to-me-though-a-novel-must-have-one-of/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Time is not a great healer. It is an indifferent and perfunctory one. Sometimes it does not heal at all. And sometimes when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/time-is-not-a-great-healer-it-is-an-indifferent-and-perfunctory-one/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [There are different kinds of wrong. The people sinned against are not always the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/there-are-different-kinds-of-wrong-the-people-sinned-against-are-not/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Pushing forty? She's hanging on for dear life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/pushing-forty-she-s-hanging-on-for-dear-life/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Well, Buttermere, this is a day that is good to live and breathe in, that makes a man feel in his prime. Standing here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/well-buttermere-this-is-a-day-that-is-good-to-live-and-breathe-in/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [Civilized life exacts its toll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/civilized-life-exacts-its-toll/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) > [We none of us talk to people as we do behind their backs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/we-none-of-us-talk-to-people-as-we-do-behind-their-backs/) [Ivy Compton-Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) [Explore all 65 Ivy Compton-Burnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/) ## More Interest quotes > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/) [Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [I could not identify with harming my child or giving up my child. But I could identify with giving up my child if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drea-de-matteo/i-could-not-identify-with-harming-my-child-or-giving-up-my-child-but/) [Drea De Matteo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drea-de-matteo/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I think another thing is that we don't really want exclusivity. We accept that it is in the artist's interest to be on sale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-think-another-thing-is-that-we-don-t-really-want-exclusivity-we/) [Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/) > [My dream is to play ordinary characters. I have no interest in playing a pretty girl or an NRI girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/my-dream-is-to-play-ordinary-characters-i-have-no-interest-in-playing/) [Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) [Browse all 9,703 Interest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is no good to think that other people are out to serve our interests.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ivy Compton-Burnett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people-are-out-to-serve-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Interest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people-are-out-to-serve-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/779/ivy-compton-burnett-10491_interest_it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people_2981926.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is no good to think that other people are out to serve our interests.” — Ivy Compton-Burnett", "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": "Ivy Compton-Burnett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-compton-burnett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is no good to think...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people-are-out-to-serve-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-compton-burnett/it-is-no-good-to-think-that-other-people-are-out-to-serve-our/#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 } } ] } ```