--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: there's a natural depravity in inanimate…" description: "\"there's a natural depravity in inanimate things that's quite shocking, when you think of it.\" — Josephine Pinckney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg" --- # there's a natural depravity in inanimate things that's… ![“there's a natural depravity in inanimate things that's quite shocking, when you think of it.” quote by Josephine Pinckney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg) > “there's a natural depravity in inanimate things that's quite shocking, when you think of it.” Josephine Pinckney ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even lifeless things can seem morally flawed, revealing human tendency to project vice onto objects. **In simple terms:** We often see badness in things that are just objects. Key Takeaway Recognize projection and avoid attributing moral weight to objects. Themes philosophy perception ethics Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - design critique - art analysis - environmental ethics Key Concepts anthropomorphism moral projection Questions to Reflect On - Do you attribute moral qualities to objects? - How does this affect your judgments? A Different Perspective Objects cannot be immoral; it's our perception that judges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depravity/) [Inanimate objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inanimate-objects/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It is when my umbrella turns inside out that I am convinced of the total depravity of inanimate things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-when-my-umbrella-turns-inside-out-that-i-am-convinced-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In Truth, none seem to have any Title to assert Human Nature to be necessarily and universally evil, but those whose own Minds afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/in-truth-none-seem-to-have-any-title-to-assert-human-nature-to-be/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [They were just kind of simultaneous - the film ending and the sets being destroyed. I was struck the first time I saw the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/they-were-just-kind-of-simultaneous-the-film-ending-and-the-sets/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [There's something quite shocking in this idea that everything is disposable and that people don't care for things anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-johannsson/there-s-something-quite-shocking-in-this-idea-that-everything-is/) [Johann Johannsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-johannsson/) > [I'm always really surprised by people who are comfortable revealing all of their secrets on TV or in a magazine. It's actually quite shocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabella-sciorra/i-m-always-really-surprised-by-people-who-are-comfortable-revealing/) [Annabella Sciorra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabella-sciorra/) > [It wouldn't surprise me in 10 to 15 years if heading wasn't involved in the game. The research and the momentum it's getting, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/it-wouldn-t-surprise-me-in-10-to-15-years-if-heading-wasn-t-involved/) [Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/) > [Inanimate objects are always correct and cannot, unfortunately, be reproached with anything. I have never observed a chair shift from one foot to another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-herbert/inanimate-objects-are-always-correct-and-cannot-unfortunately-be/) [Zbigniew Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-herbert/) > [Bombing is not especially inhumane. War itself is inhumane and the bombing plane, which is used to paralyse industry and transport, is a relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/bombing-is-not-especially-inhumane-war-itself-is-inhumane-and-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Inanimate objects have a life of their own, especially when they are the daily companions of a living soul. Without that life, they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-worth/inanimate-objects-have-a-life-of-their-own-especially-when-they-are/) [Jennifer Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-worth/) > [I wasn't into Tolkien at school really. But the story is timeless, the themes that it touches on are contained in cultures all around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-boyd/i-wasn-t-into-tolkien-at-school-really-but-the-story-is-timeless-the/) [Billy Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-boyd/) > [And I was very successful at baby photography... Strange isn't it? Because some of my portraits of babies were - I used dramatic lighting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-shulman/and-i-was-very-successful-at-baby-photography-strange-isn-t-it/) [Julius Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-shulman/) > [When I glanced at the chair, it started to shake. I’d like to think it was scared of me, but I rarely invoked that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-i-glanced-at-the-chair-it-started-to-shake-i-d-like-to-think-it/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [I love museums, but I always thought there was something funny about a group of strangers silently staring at works of inanimate objects together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiro-murai/i-love-museums-but-i-always-thought-there-was-something-funny-about-a/) [Hiro Murai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiro-murai/) > [Inanimate objects are sometimes parties to litigation. A ship has a legal personality, a fiction found useful for maritime purposes. The corporation sole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/inanimate-objects-are-sometimes-parties-to-litigation-a-ship-has-a/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, aplant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-find-very-reasonable-the-celtic-belief-that-the-souls-of-our-dearly/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## More by Josephine Pinckney > [Well, how'd we get to talking about our ancestors? People think we don't talk about anything else in Charleston.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/well-how-d-we-get-to-talking-about-our-ancestors-people-think-we-don/) Josephine Pinckney > [there's a lot more satisfaction in thinking about money than in spending it, if people only knew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/there-s-a-lot-more-satisfaction-in-thinking-about-money-than-in/) Josephine Pinckney > [The miraculous thing is that miracles do happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/the-miraculous-thing-is-that-miracles-do-happen/) Josephine Pinckney Explore all 4 Josephine Pinckney quotes ## More Depravity quotes > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“The shop was a monument to uninhibited human depravity, the kind that scars souls with permanent shadows. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/the-shop-was-a-monument-to-uninhibited-human-depravity-the-kind-that/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [If I created a new depravity I would be a priestess, while my imitators would founder, after my reign, in abominable filth...Don't you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/if-i-created-a-new-depravity-i-would-be-a-priestess-while-my/) [Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/) > [It is of interest to note that most secular humanists continue to belabor the horrors of the Inquisition in order to establish the moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guenter-lewy/it-is-of-interest-to-note-that-most-secular-humanists-continue-to/) Guenter Lewy > [It is when my umbrella turns inside out that I am convinced of the total depravity of inanimate things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-when-my-umbrella-turns-inside-out-that-i-am-convinced-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “All these institutions \[prisons\] seemed purposely invented for the production of depravity and vice, condensed to such a degree that no other conditions could… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/all-these-institutions-prisons-seemed-purposely-invented-for-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“When it comes to depravity, if you want to know, theirs and ours are no different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/when-it-comes-to-depravity-if-you-want-to-know-theirs-and-ours-are-no/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [The portions of a woman which appeal to man's depravity Are constructed with considerable care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/the-portions-of-a-woman-which-appeal-to-man-s-depravity-are/) [A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/) > [The depravity which sin has produced in human nature extends to the whole of it. There is no part of man's nature which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-denney/the-depravity-which-sin-has-produced-in-human-nature-extends-to-the/) [James Denney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-denney/) > [“The Articles of the Synod of Dort affirm that moral depravity is inflicted upon all the descendants of Adam at birth "by the just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-alexander-hodge/the-articles-of-the-synod-of-dort-affirm-that-moral-depravity-is/) [Archibald Alexander Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-alexander-hodge/) > [Someone who is perennially surprised that depravity exists, who continues to feel disillusioned (even incredulous) when confronted with evidence of what humans are capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/someone-who-is-perennially-surprised-that-depravity-exists-who/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [It's not what people do that scares me. It's what they hide. It's the secrets that keep us from bonding and create distrust. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/it-s-not-what-people-do-that-scares-me-it-s-what-they-hide-it-s-the/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [But this is not difficult, O Athenians! to escape death; but it is much more difficult to avoid depravity, for it runs swifter than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-this-is-not-difficult-o-athenians-to-escape-death-but-it-is-much/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Browse all 185 Depravity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depravity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "there's a natural depravity in inanimate things that's quite shocking, when you think of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josephine Pinckney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate-things-that-s-quite-shocking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depravity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate-things-that-s-quite-shocking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/josephine-pinckney-65219_depravity_there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate_1941242.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“there's a natural depravity in inanimate things that's quite shocking, when you think of it.” — Josephine Pinckney", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Josephine Pinckney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-pinckney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "there's a natural depravity in inanimate...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate-things-that-s-quite-shocking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-pinckney/there-s-a-natural-depravity-in-inanimate-things-that-s-quite-shocking/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```