--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few people can distinguish the genuinely…" description: "\"Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.\" — Juvenal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png" --- # Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the… ![“Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.” quote by Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png) > “Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.” [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often cannot tell true virtue from false appearances, leading to misjudgment. **In simple terms:** Hard to see real goodness. Key Takeaway Question appearances, seek truth. Themes perception virtue judgment Mood skeptical reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political analysis - personal relationships - media consumption Key Concepts moral philosophy critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify goodness? - What biases affect your judgments? A Different Perspective Even with effort, bias can cloud discernment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Distinguish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguish/) [Distinguish Genuinely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguish-genuinely-1512524/) [Genuinely Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genuinely-good-1038352/) [Good Reverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-reverse-1512526/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Distinguish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-distinguish-1512525/) [Reverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverse/) ## Related quotes > [When you look at the books about well-being, you see one word - it's happiness. People do not distinguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/when-you-look-at-the-books-about-well-being-you-see-one-word-it-s/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Genuinely good remarks surprise their author as well as his audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/genuinely-good-remarks-surprise-their-author-as-well-as-his-audience/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“You'll never be alone in tough times, if you are genuinely a good-hearted person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garima-soni-words-world/you-ll-never-be-alone-in-tough-times-if-you-are-genuinely-a-good/) [Garima Soni - words world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garima-soni-words-world/) > [Octavia Spencer rocks. But just as a human being, she's so down-to-earth. Talk about being pleasantly surprised. You walk onto set, and she's making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciara-bravo/octavia-spencer-rocks-but-just-as-a-human-being-she-s-so-down-to/) [Ciara Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciara-bravo/) > [I like to think of myself as a genuinely good person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-miller/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-a-genuinely-good-person/) [Stephen Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-miller/) > [I believe people are genuinely good. I don’t like to see the bad in people, so because of that, I could see myself falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hutcherson/i-believe-people-are-genuinely-good-i-don-t-like-to-see-the-bad-in/) [Josh Hutcherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hutcherson/) > [Prudence therefore consists in knowing how to distinguish degrees of disadvantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/prudence-therefore-consists-in-knowing-how-to-distinguish-degrees-of/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [I don't have time to distinguish between the unfortunate and the incompetent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-have-time-to-distinguish-between-the-unfortunate-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We have within us, from the start, that which will distinguish us from the vulgar herd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-within-us-from-the-start-that-which-will-distinguish-us-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not love at first sight, it's having the sight, to distinguish true love, from just mere beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/it-s-not-love-at-first-sight-it-s-having-the-sight-to-distinguish/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [He, who knows how to distinguish between true and false, must have an adequate idea of true and false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/he-who-knows-how-to-distinguish-between-true-and-false-must-have-an/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [You have to always try to think about them like real people first, and not just heroes. They have to be real characters. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-berlanti/you-have-to-always-try-to-think-about-them-like-real-people-first-and/) [Greg Berlanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-berlanti/) > [Who can really distinguish between the sea and what's reflected in it? Or tell the difference between the falling rain and loneliness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/who-can-really-distinguish-between-the-sea-and-what-s-reflected-in-it/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [As adults feign disinterest in science - children can grab hold of it to distinguish themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-macleod/as-adults-feign-disinterest-in-science-children-can-grab-hold-of-it/) [Norman Macleod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-macleod/) > [I think it is important to learn to distinguish between being childlike and being childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-it-is-important-to-learn-to-distinguish-between-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Juvenal > [Where have you ever found that man who stopped short after the perpetration of a single crime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/where-have-you-ever-found-that-man-who-stopped-short-after-the/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Everything in Rome has its price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/everything-in-rome-has-its-price/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Astrology reveals the will of the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/astrology-reveals-the-will-of-the-gods/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [ Indignation leads to the making of poetry. \[Lat., Facit indignatio versum.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/indignation-leads-to-the-making-of-poetry-lat-facit-indignatio-versum/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [The short bloom of our brief and narrow life flies fast away. While we are calling for flowers and wine and women, old age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/the-short-bloom-of-our-brief-and-narrow-life-flies-fast-away-while-we/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Some men make money not for the sake of living, but ache In the blindness of greed and live just for their fortune's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/some-men-make-money-not-for-the-sake-of-living-but-ache-in-the/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who will watch the watchers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/quis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes-who-will-watch-the-watchers/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [All things may be bought in Rome with money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/all-things-may-be-bought-in-rome-with-money/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Who is to guard the guards themselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/who-is-to-guard-the-guards-themselves/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Dedicate one's life to truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/dedicate-one-s-life-to-truth/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [A sound mind in a sound body is a thing to be prayed for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/a-sound-mind-in-a-sound-body-is-a-thing-to-be-prayed-for/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Only death reveals what a nothing the body of man is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/only-death-reveals-what-a-nothing-the-body-of-man-is/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [“show me the apartment 235 that lets you sleep! In this city sleep costs millions, and that’s the root of the trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/show-me-the-apartment-235-that-lets-you-sleep-in-this-city-sleep/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [ When a man's life is at stake no delay is too long. \[Lat., Nulla unquam de morte cunctatio longa est.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/when-a-man-s-life-is-at-stake-no-delay-is-too-long-lat-nulla-unquam/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [What man have you ever seen who was contented with one crime only?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/what-man-have-you-ever-seen-who-was-contented-with-one-crime-only/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) [Explore all 328 Juvenal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Juvenal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely-good-from-the-reverse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely-good-from-the-reverse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/juvenal-918_character_few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely_2550050.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Few people can distinguish the genuinely good from the reverse.” — Juvenal", "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": "Juvenal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Few people can distinguish the genuinely...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely-good-from-the-reverse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/few-people-can-distinguish-the-genuinely-good-from-the-reverse/#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 } } ] } ```