--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is always useful to think badly about…" description: "\"It is always useful to think badly about people one has exploited or plans to exploit.\" — James W. Loewen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/742/james-w-loewen-12569_exploits_it-is-always-useful-to-think-badly-about_2372887.png" --- # It is always useful to think badly about people one has… ![“It is always useful to think badly about people one has exploited or plans to exploit.” quote by James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/742/james-w-loewen-12569_exploits_it-is-always-useful-to-think-badly-about_2372887.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/742/james-w-loewen-12569_exploits_it-is-always-useful-to-think-badly-about_2372887.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/742/james-w-loewen-12569_exploits_it-is-always-useful-to-think-badly-about_2372887.png) > “It is always useful to think badly about people one has exploited or plans to exploit.” [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflecting critically on those we exploit reveals moral blind spots and can curb future harm. **In simple terms:** Thinking badly about exploite helps expose injustice. Key Takeaway Question your own complicity. Themes ethics power self‑reflection Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - social activism - organizational leadership - personal decision making Key Concepts moral psychology critical theory Questions to Reflect On - How does this perspective change your behavior? - What actions can follow critical reflection? A Different Perspective May lead to cynicism if not balanced with constructive solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It is always useful to think badly about people one has exploited or plans to exploit... No one likes to think of him or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/it-is-always-useful-to-think-badly-about-people-one-has-exploited-or-2/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“And I notice too often that the most unfeeling of people relieve their shuttered hearts by cooing over babies, who when grown , will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/and-i-notice-too-often-that-the-most-unfeeling-of-people-relieve/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Segregations, by which I mean people living in a certain area, was a planned system. It was made that way. And what you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/segregations-by-which-i-mean-people-living-in-a-certain-area-was-a/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [That's the age that people are exploited, exploitable, and they're easily manipulated. The problem with me is, you can't manipulate me anymore. I've seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/that-s-the-age-that-people-are-exploited-exploitable-and-they-re/) [Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/) > [I think critics are very useful. But I think that they, in a way, betray their position when they stop people looking for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-think-critics-are-very-useful-but-i-think-that-they-in-a-way-betray/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Mistakes are at the very base of human thought, embedded there, feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/mistakes-are-at-the-very-base-of-human-thought-embedded-there-feeding/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“I like to be busy,” she says. “And useful. I think those are pretty basic human desires—don’t you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-like-to-be-busy-she-says-and-useful-i-think-those-are-pretty-basic/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“It is more useful to think in terms of themes that pervade many activities, such as low cost, a particular notion of customer service,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-porter/it-is-more-useful-to-think-in-terms-of-themes-that-pervade-many/) [Michael E. Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-porter/) > [“As much as possible, it is useful to think of all other beings as being just like me. 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I was young and in love, and that rarely leads to wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rysa-walker/try-not-to-think-too-badly-of-me-as-you-read-it-i-was-young-and-in/) [Rysa Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rysa-walker/) > [I'm from the Midwest, so I always assumed, 'Well, I have to think badly of myself, because that's being humble.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-michael-key/i-m-from-the-midwest-so-i-always-assumed-well-i-have-to-think-badly/) [Keegan-Michael Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-michael-key/) > [“The real you, the inner you, loves and adores you; but you cut off that power when you think badly of yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-fitzmaurice/the-real-you-the-inner-you-loves-and-adores-you-but-you-cut-off-that/) [Sue Fitzmaurice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-fitzmaurice/) > [“If you study a lot because you are worried that others will think badly of you for being ignorant and you'll feel stupid, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-study-a-lot-because-you-are-worried-that-others-will-think/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [If 10 out of 10 news articles about Jordi Alba are negative, it's normal that people think badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordi-alba/if-10-out-of-10-news-articles-about-jordi-alba-are-negative-it-s/) [Jordi Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordi-alba/) ## More by James W. Loewen > [Many Americans have never owned a book. And others have never owned a non-fiction book. Providing them with a 300-page paperback would get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/many-americans-have-never-owned-a-book-and-others-have-never-owned-a/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Textbooks pretty much have no real drama. They have no real storyline. To the extent they have a storyline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/textbooks-pretty-much-have-no-real-drama-they-have-no-real-storyline/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Taking ideas seriously does not fit with the rhetorical style of textbooks, which presents events so as to make them seem foreordained along a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/taking-ideas-seriously-does-not-fit-with-the-rhetorical-style-of/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Cherishing Columbus is a characteristic of white history, not American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/cherishing-columbus-is-a-characteristic-of-white-history-not-american/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [I often suggest in workshops that if you have 30 students in your American History course in 11th grade, or whatever grade level, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/i-often-suggest-in-workshops-that-if-you-have-30-students-in-your/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Unfortunately, marketing textbooks is like marketing fishing lures: the point is to catch fishermen, not fish. Thus many adopted textbooks are flashy to catch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/unfortunately-marketing-textbooks-is-like-marketing-fishing-lures-the/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [As a result of the sufferings and hard labor they endured, the Indians choose and have chosen suicide. Occasionally a hundred have committed mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/as-a-result-of-the-sufferings-and-hard-labor-they-endured-the-indians/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [I think the first important thing is that usually most textbooks are not written by their authors. And so by author I mean the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/i-think-the-first-important-thing-is-that-usually-most-textbooks-are/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Teachers need to teach the subject rather than to teach the textbook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/teachers-need-to-teach-the-subject-rather-than-to-teach-the-textbook/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“No matter how thoroughly Native Americans acculturated, they could not succeed in white society. Whites would not let them. "Indians were always regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/no-matter-how-thoroughly-native-americans-acculturated-they-could-not/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“We seem to feel that a person like Helen Keller can be an inspiration only so long as she remains uncontroversial, one-dimensional. We don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/we-seem-to-feel-that-a-person-like-helen-keller-can-be-an-inspiration/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Nobody would ever want to read a textbook about the Civil War and then interrupt that for two pages about water rights in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/nobody-would-ever-want-to-read-a-textbook-about-the-civil-war-and/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Students will start finding history interesting when their teachers and textbooks stop lying to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/students-will-start-finding-history-interesting-when-their-teachers/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“Students exit history textbooks without having developed the ability to think coherently about social life. Even”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/students-exit-history-textbooks-without-having-developed-the-ability/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [History can be a weapon, and it can be used against you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/history-can-be-a-weapon-and-it-can-be-used-against-you/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) [Explore all 54 James W. Loewen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) ## More Exploits quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Why not exploit, enslave, or exterminate a class that everybody is taught to regard as inferior?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/why-not-exploit-enslave-or-exterminate-a-class-that-everybody-is/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [There are believers who by God's grace, have climbed the mountains of full assurance and near communion, their place is with the eagle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-are-believers-who-by-god-s-grace-have-climbed-the-mountains-of/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Dogmatic religion has been used to fantastic effect over thousands of years to fuel and exploit emotions like fear and guilt, and the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/dogmatic-religion-has-been-used-to-fantastic-effect-over-thousands-of/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [I love to read about the exploits of technical mountain climbers, but I've never done any vertical climbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/i-love-to-read-about-the-exploits-of-technical-mountain-climbers-but/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [Fools make researches and wise men exploit them - that is our earthly way of dealing with the question, and we thank Heaven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/fools-make-researches-and-wise-men-exploit-them-that-is-our-earthly/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Relativity was a highly technical new theory that gave new meanings to familiar concepts and even to the nature of the theory itself. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-c-cassidy/relativity-was-a-highly-technical-new-theory-that-gave-new-meanings/) David C. Cassidy > [The game is played out of instinct, but everyone on the ice has habits - good and bad. So the key to the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gretzky/the-game-is-played-out-of-instinct-but-everyone-on-the-ice-has-habits/) [Wayne Gretzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gretzky/) > [When the world grinds you down, bent to tear you apart, cling to what you hold dear, and stay true to your heart. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/when-the-world-grinds-you-down-bent-to-tear-you-apart-cling-to-what/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [Anarchists are opposed to violence; everyone knows that. The main plank of anarchism is the removal of violence from human relations. It is life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errico-malatesta/anarchists-are-opposed-to-violence-everyone-knows-that-the-main-plank/) [Errico Malatesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errico-malatesta/) > [Men who cannot exploit the co-operative benefits derived from institutions in modern knowledge economies are discriminated against by girls and so have fewer children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wills/men-who-cannot-exploit-the-co-operative-benefits-derived-from/) Christopher Wills > [What I have absolutely no sympathy with is the legislator, the man who seeks, for his own profit, to exploit the weaknesses of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/what-i-have-absolutely-no-sympathy-with-is-the-legislator-the-man-who/) [Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/) > [It's a terrible thing to be a worker exploited in the capitalist system. The only worse thing is to be a worker unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-be-a-worker-exploited-in-the-capitalist/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [If we're not there making the argument then the cultural gulf that Republicans try to exploit saying, "Ah, these city slickers: they're all looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-re-not-there-making-the-argument-then-the-cultural-gulf-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) Browse all 323 Exploits quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is always useful to think badly about people one has exploited or plans to exploit.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James W. 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