--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hold no preconceived prejudice against…" description: "\"“I hold no preconceived prejudice against anyone,\" he'd said, \"because to do so is utter folly for someone in my line of work. It's only ignorance that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/jeffrey-ford-35775_racism_i-hold-no-preconceived-prejudice-against_2223837.jpg" --- # I hold no preconceived prejudice against anyone," he'd… ![“I hold no preconceived prejudice against anyone," he'd said, "because to do so is utter folly for someone in my line of work. It's only ignorance that causes individuals to label an entire race as either good or bad. These are generalities so broad as to be both worthless and dangerous. I deal…” quote by Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/jeffrey-ford-35775_racism_i-hold-no-preconceived-prejudice-against_2223837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/jeffrey-ford-35775_racism_i-hold-no-preconceived-prejudice-against_2223837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/837/jeffrey-ford-35775_racism_i-hold-no-preconceived-prejudice-against_2223837.jpg) > ““I hold no preconceived prejudice against anyone," he'd said, "because to do so is utter folly for someone in my line of work. It's only ignorance that causes individuals to label an entire race as either good or bad. These are generalities so broad as to be both worthless and dangerous. I deal only in specifics. God as they say, is in the details. I must focus on the unique traits of the individual in order to tailor an illusion that will ultimately enchant. To see others in this manner is to never give in to labeling. To fail to do this is the equivalent of putting on a blindfold. Do you understand? The devil is in the details.”” [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that judging people by race is foolish; focus on individual details to avoid harmful generalizations. **In simple terms:** Avoid racial labels; see people as individuals. Key Takeaway Treat each person uniquely. Themes bias individuality ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - hiring - customer service - creative design - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology social perception detail orientation Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure you see the person beyond stereotypes? - What risks arise from focusing only on specifics? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on details can lead to analysis paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) ## Related quotes > [“We men are the slaves of prejudice,' he had once said to her. 'But when a woman decides to sleep with a man, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/we-men-are-the-slaves-of-prejudice-he-had-once-said-to-her-but-when-a/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/) John P Lintz Sr > [It's good to remember that in crises, natural crises, human beings forget for awhile their ignorances, their biases, their prejudices. For a little while,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/it-s-good-to-remember-that-in-crises-natural-crises-human-beings/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Apes throw tantrum when they are insecure, pursuit of delusion soothes the vegetated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/apes-throw-tantrum-when-they-are-insecure-pursuit-of-delusion-soothes/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the disasters. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/we-took-the-traditional-lands-and-smashed-the-traditional-way-of-life/) [Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/) > [We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-may-think-of-peace-as-the-absence-of-war-that-if-the-great-powers/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“People talk about history and things like slavery, genocide, and religious persecution as horrors that happened in the past because we were ignorant. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-matthew-nespoli/people-talk-about-history-and-things-like-slavery-genocide-and/) [J. Matthew Nespoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-matthew-nespoli/) > [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [An opinion may be controverted; a prejudice, never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/an-opinion-may-be-controverted-a-prejudice-never/) [Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [I hate prejudice on any level. I don't care if it's somebody being discriminated against because of the color of their skin or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/i-hate-prejudice-on-any-level-i-don-t-care-if-it-s-somebody-being/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-dealing-with-people-remember-you-are-not-dealing-with-creatures/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More by Jeffrey Ford > [“To our benefit, death isn't affected by an economic failure, and it never takes a holiday. In addition, a bereaved rich man is easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/to-our-benefit-death-isn-t-affected-by-an-economic-failure-and-it/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“Illegal' takes on a whole new meaning when you're loaded like Barnes. The rich have a separate rule book. To them if it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/illegal-takes-on-a-whole-new-meaning-when-you-re-loaded-like-barnes/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“As we followed him down a hall to a back bedroom, he told us that he owned the house. “Unfortunately, it’s not haunted,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/as-we-followed-him-down-a-hall-to-a-back-bedroom-he-told-us-that-he/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“I thought of a line from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “As idle as a painted ship / Upon a painted ocean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/i-thought-of-a-line-from-the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-as-idle-as-a/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“He was a good con man, but not a great con man. He wasn't ruthless enough. He had all the tricks, all the techniques,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/he-was-a-good-con-man-but-not-a-great-con-man-he-wasn-t-ruthless/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“It’s every man for himself,” he said, and went back to reading. After my mother had died and he’d been laid off from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/it-s-every-man-for-himself-he-said-and-went-back-to-reading-after-my/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“May God be everywhere you are about to look and absent where you already have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/may-god-be-everywhere-you-are-about-to-look-and-absent-where-you/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“Romance," said Antony. "A con so crazy that by the time the bullet's in the chamber, you don't know if you've taken someone or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/romance-said-antony-a-con-so-crazy-that-by-the-time-the-bullet-s-in/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“As Schell had taught me, "a con starts when there is something you want and you are blocked from attaining it by certain obstacles.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/as-schell-had-taught-me-a-con-starts-when-there-is-something-you-want/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“Simplicity and subtlety make for the best con. A distraction should lead the mark's attention upward, either toward the sky or to some better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/simplicity-and-subtlety-make-for-the-best-con-a-distraction-should/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“Hanging out with you is like an extra job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/hanging-out-with-you-is-like-an-extra-job/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) > [“No one gives a shit if you write a book or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-ford/no-one-gives-a-shit-if-you-write-a-book-or-not/) [Jeffrey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) [Explore all 13 Jeffrey Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-ford/) ## More Ignorance quotes > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self, then ignorance is better than such knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-sanai/if-knowledge-does-not-liberate-the-self-from-the-self-then-ignorance/) [Hakim Sanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-sanai/) > [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-only-victories-which-leave-no-regret-are-those-which-are-gained/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/) John P Lintz Sr > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) [Browse all 5,657 Ignorance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I hold no preconceived prejudice against anyone,\" he'd said, \"because to do so is utter folly for someone in my line of work. It's only ignorance that causes individuals to label an entire race as either good or bad. These are generalities so broad as to be both worthless and dangerous. I deal only in specifics. God as they say, is in the details. I must focus on the unique traits of the individual in order to tailor an illusion that will ultimately enchant. To see others in this manner is to never give in to labeling. To fail to do this is the equivalent of putting on a blindfold. Do you understand? 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