--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How come he cannot recognize his own…" description: "\"“How come he cannot recognize his own cruelty now turned against him? How come he can't see his own savagery as a colonist in the savagery of these opp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/jean-paul-sartre-220_arrogant_how-come-he-cannot-recognize-his-own-cru_1197385.png" --- # How come he cannot recognize his own cruelty now turned… ![“How come he cannot recognize his own cruelty now turned against him? How come he can't see his own savagery as a colonist in the savagery of these oppressed peasants who have absorbed it through every pore and for which they can find no cure? The answer is simple: this arrogant individual, whose…” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/jean-paul-sartre-220_arrogant_how-come-he-cannot-recognize-his-own-cru_1197385.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/jean-paul-sartre-220_arrogant_how-come-he-cannot-recognize-his-own-cru_1197385.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6d/jean-paul-sartre-220_arrogant_how-come-he-cannot-recognize-his-own-cru_1197385.png) > ““How come he cannot recognize his own cruelty now turned against him? How come he can't see his own savagery as a colonist in the savagery of these oppressed peasants who have absorbed it through every pore and for which they can find no cure? The answer is simple: this arrogant individual, whose power of authority and fear of losing it has gone to his head, has difficulty remembering he was once a man; he thinks he is a whip or a gun; he is convinced that the domestication of the "inferior races" is obtained by governing their reflexes. He disregards the human memory, the indelible reminders; and then, above all, there is this that perhaps he never know: we only become what we are by radically negating deep down what others have done to us.”” [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. Powerful individuals often fail to see their own oppression when they become the oppressor, forgetting their humanity and the impact of their actions. **In simple terms:** People in power can become blind to their own cruelty. Key Takeaway Recognize and question your own authority and bias. Themes power oppression humanity identity colonialism Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political leadership - colonial administration - personal reflection - activism - education Key Concepts existentialism psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does authority distort self‑perception? - Can recognizing one's own cruelty change behavior? 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There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) ## More by Jean-Paul Sartre > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“she has suddenly emptied herself of me, and all other consciousness in the world has also emptied itself of me. It seems funny. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-has-suddenly-emptied-herself-of-me-and-all-other-consciousness-in/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [ \[Stéphane Mallarmé\] theory of the hermetic is a mistake, but he can be only difficult to read when he has difficult things to say. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/st-phane-mallarm-theory-of-the-hermetic-is-a-mistake-but-he-can-be/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-can-always-choose-but-i-ought-to-know-that-if-i-do-not-choose-i-am/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“She smiled. 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