--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Demanding yet denying the human condition…" description: "\"“Demanding yet denying the human condition makes for an explosive contradiction. And explode it does, as you and I know. And we live in an age of confl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/952/jean-paul-sartre-220_harsh-truth_demanding-yet-denying-the-human-conditio_2799640.jpg" --- # Demanding yet denying the human condition makes for an… ![“Demanding yet denying the human condition makes for an explosive contradiction. And explode it does, as you and I know. And we live in an age of conflagration: it only needs the rising birth rate to worsen the food shortage, it only needs the newly born to fear living a little more than dying, and…” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/952/jean-paul-sartre-220_harsh-truth_demanding-yet-denying-the-human-conditio_2799640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/952/jean-paul-sartre-220_harsh-truth_demanding-yet-denying-the-human-conditio_2799640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/952/jean-paul-sartre-220_harsh-truth_demanding-yet-denying-the-human-conditio_2799640.jpg) > ““Demanding yet denying the human condition makes for an explosive contradiction. And explode it does, as you and I know. And we live in an age of conflagration: it only needs the rising birth rate to worsen the food shortage, it only needs the newly born to fear living a little more than dying, and for the torrent of violence to sweep away all the barriers. In Algeria and Angola, Europeans are massacred on sight. This is the age of the boomerang, the third stage of violence: it flies right back at us, it strikes us and, once again, we have no idea what hit us. The "liberals" remain stunned: they admit we had not been polite enough to the "natives," that it would have been wiser and fairer to grant them certain rights, wherever possible; they would have been only too happy to admit them in batches without a sponsor to that exclusive club -- the human species; and now this barbaric explosion of madness is putting them in the same boat as the wretched colonists. The metropolitan Left is in a quandary: it is well aware of the true fate of the "natives," the pitiless oppression they are subjected to, and does not condemn their revolt, knowing that we did everything to provoke it. But even so, it thinks, there are limits: these guerrillas should make every effort to show some chivalry; this would be the best way of proving they are men. Sometimes the Left berates them: "You're going too far; we cannot support you any longer." They don't care a shit for its support; it can shove it up its ass for what it's worth. As soon as the war began, they realized the harsh truth: we are all equally as good as each other. We have all taken advantage of them, they have nothing to prove, they won't give anyone preferential treatment. A single duty, a single objective: drive out colonialism by every means. And the most liberal among us would be prepared to accept this, at a pinch, but they cannot help seeing in this trial of strength a perfectly inhuman method used by subhumans to claim for themselves a charter for humanity: let them acquire it as quickly as possible, but in order to merit it, let them use nonviolent methods. Our noble souls are racist.”” [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Denial of humanity’s suffering fuels conflict; rising populations and fear exacerbate scarcity, leading to violent backlash against oppressors. **In simple terms:** Ignoring human suffering creates explosive conflict. Key Takeaway Address root causes of inequality. Themes violence colonialism human rights politics Mood somber urgent Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - activism - education - media reporting Key Concepts sociology ethics conflict theory Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do privileged societies have? - How can we break cycles of violence? 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This is the age of the boomerang, the third stage of violence: it flies right back at us, it strikes us and, once again, we have no idea what hit us. The \"liberals\" remain stunned: they admit we had not been polite enough to the \"natives,\" that it would have been wiser and fairer to grant them certain rights, wherever possible; they would have been only too happy to admit them in batches without a sponsor to that exclusive club -- the human species; and now this barbaric explosion of madness is putting them in the same boat as the wretched colonists. The metropolitan Left is in a quandary: it is well aware of the true fate of the \"natives,\" the pitiless oppression they are subjected to, and does not condemn their revolt, knowing that we did everything to provoke it. But even so, it thinks, there are limits: these guerrillas should make every effort to show some chivalry; this would be the best way of proving they are men. Sometimes the Left berates them: \"You're going too far; we cannot support you any longer.\" They don't care a shit for its support; it can shove it up its ass for what it's worth. As soon as the war began, they realized the harsh truth: we are all equally as good as each other. We have all taken advantage of them, they have nothing to prove, they won't give anyone preferential treatment. A single duty, a single objective: drive out colonialism by every means. And the most liberal among us would be prepared to accept this, at a pinch, but they cannot help seeing in this trial of strength a perfectly inhuman method used by subhumans to claim for themselves a charter for humanity: let them acquire it as quickly as possible, but in order to merit it, let them use nonviolent methods. 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