--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know what a scoundrel is like…" description: "\"I don't know what a scoundrel is like, but I know what a respectable man is like, and it's enough to make one's flesh creep.\" — Joseph de Maistre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7db/joseph-de-maistre-11359_enough_i-don-t-know-what-a-scoundrel-is-like-bu_2230677.jpg" --- # I don't know what a scoundrel is like, but I know what a… ![“I don't know what a scoundrel is like, but I know what a respectable man is like, and it's enough to make one's flesh creep.” quote by Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7db/joseph-de-maistre-11359_enough_i-don-t-know-what-a-scoundrel-is-like-bu_2230677.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7db/joseph-de-maistre-11359_enough_i-don-t-know-what-a-scoundrel-is-like-bu_2230677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7db/joseph-de-maistre-11359_enough_i-don-t-know-what-a-scoundrel-is-like-bu_2230677.jpg) > “I don't know what a scoundrel is like, but I know what a respectable man is like, and it's enough to make one's flesh creep.” [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker distinguishes between a morally corrupt person and a respectable one, feeling revulsion toward the latter's hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** Respectable people can seem creepy when they hide moral flaws. Key Takeaway Beware of superficial respectability. Themes morality hypocrisy disgust Mood skeptical reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - political discourse - personal relationships - leadership evaluation Key Concepts ethical judgment social perception Questions to Reflect On - What makes a respectable person seem unsettling? - How do we discern genuine virtue? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize and ignore nuance in individual character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Flesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flesh/) [Know Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-respectable-5017569/) [Know Scoundrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-scoundrel-5017568/) [Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable/) [Respectable man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable-man/) [Scoundrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scoundrel/) [Scoundrel Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scoundrel-like-3814004/) ## Related quotes > [I have no idea what the mind of a lowlife scoundrel is like, but I know what the mind of an honest man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-hermant/i-have-no-idea-what-the-mind-of-a-lowlife-scoundrel-is-like-but-i/) [Abel Hermant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-hermant/) > [“But I’m not the only one to question your methods, am I? I gather that Miss Butterfield took issue with them as well.” He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/but-i-m-not-the-only-one-to-question-your-methods-am-i-i-gather-that/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [The most dangerous lechers and creeps are not drunks wearing rags on the street, but respectable men wearing hairspray, pinstripes, and wedding rings who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/the-most-dangerous-lechers-and-creeps-are-not-drunks-wearing-rags-on/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) > [An honest, sensible, humane man, . . . laboring to do good rather than be rich, to be useful rather than make a show,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/an-honest-sensible-humane-man-laboring-to-do-good-rather-than-be-rich/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The people who kill and torture and tell lies in the name of their sacred causes, these are never the publicans and the sinners.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-people-who-kill-and-torture-and-tell-lies-in-the-name-of-their/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I think you'll have to marry me, Miss Fielding." 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Isn't he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/reviewing-the-day-s-lessons-isn-t-it-joyful-friends-come-from-far-isn/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-more-things-a-man-is-ashamed-of-the-more-respectable-he-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“I do not dislike him. 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