---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that a lot of terrorists have…"
description: "\"I think that a lot of terrorists have been middle class and, more surprisingly, many of them have been people who were not directly affected by the thi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg"
---

#  I think that a lot of terrorists have been middle class…

![“I think that a lot of terrorists have been middle class and, more surprisingly, many of them have been people who were not directly affected by the things they're angry about.” quote by Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg)

> “I think that a lot of terrorists have been middle class and, more surprisingly, many of them have been people who were not directly affected by the things they're angry about.”

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Many terrorists come from comfortable backgrounds and are not directly harmed by their grievances.

**In simple terms:** Terrorism often stems from indirect grievances, not personal loss.

Key Takeaway

Address root causes beyond immediate victims.

Themes

terrorism socioeconomic motivations

Mood

analytical concerned

Type

political social commentary

When to use this quote

- policy making
- community outreach
- education programs

Key Concepts

radicalization social alienation

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do privileged individuals turn to violence?
- How can societies reduce indirect grievances?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on victims may overlook systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Lot Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot-terrorists-2140120/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Surprisingly People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprisingly-people-2140121/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) [Terrorists Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists-middle-2140119/)

## Related quotes

> [You can look at the propaganda on a lot of the terrorists sites, and what Donald Trump says about Muslims is used to recruit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/you-can-look-at-the-propaganda-on-a-lot-of-the-terrorists-sites-and/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I am not disputing the need for this money. What I am disputing and calling attention to is the fact that we are taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spratt/i-am-not-disputing-the-need-for-this-money-what-i-am-disputing-and/)

[John Spratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spratt/)

> [What makes a terrorist? Are the drivers primarily political or economic? Princeton economist Alan Krueger has made a great study of this question...What Makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-m-barnett/what-makes-a-terrorist-are-the-drivers-primarily-political-or/)

[Thomas P.M. Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-m-barnett/)

> [Terrorists have goals beyond their supposed pacts with God. They are authors, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/terrorists-have-goals-beyond-their-supposed-pacts-with-god-they-are/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [I think people have turned terrorists into these larger-than-life devils and so are unable to write about them in the obvious way, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-think-people-have-turned-terrorists-into-these-larger-than-life/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [Terrorists are people, too - they are given to error. Naipaul and then DeLillo do a good job in their novels of drawing this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/terrorists-are-people-too-they-are-given-to-error-naipaul-and-then/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [“Read it to me.” “Seriously?” he said quietly. “You want me to read you poetry? Like saving your life ten times wasn’t enough?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brynn-kelly/read-it-to-me-seriously-he-said-quietly-you-want-me-to-read-you/)

[Brynn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brynn-kelly/)

> [In my experience, given how large the border is and given how many people are coming across the border, I mean, look, if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zinke/in-my-experience-given-how-large-the-border-is-and-given-how-many/)

[Ryan Zinke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zinke/)

> [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Terrorists have no need for the nuances of politics. Of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-akart/terrorists-have-no-need-for-the-nuances-of-politics-of/)

[Bobby Akart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-akart/)

> [The terrorists who committed the 2003 Istanbul attacks were locals, that is, Turks. And when filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered in the Netherlands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-schily/the-terrorists-who-committed-the-2003-istanbul-attacks-were-locals/)

[Otto Schily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-schily/)

> [Banning the burkini doesn't produce terrorists. But it does make the people who are already alienated, who are already disenfranchised, I many cases, economically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leiter/banning-the-burkini-doesn-t-produce-terrorists-but-it-does-make-the/)

[Michael Leiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leiter/)

> [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/)

[Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/)

> [“If the public insists it has the right to know, which I very much doubt, perhaps the people should go and face for themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell/if-the-public-insists-it-has-the-right-to-know-which-i-very-much/)

[Marcus Luttrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-luttrell/)

> [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## More by Karan Mahajan

> [When we talk about 9/11 and 26/11 - which is the shorthand for the Mumbai attacks in 2008 - we're talking about the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/when-we-talk-about-9-11-and-26-11-which-is-the-shorthand-for-the/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [I'm more interested than Philip Roth in understanding women, even if I do it imperfectly. But that book, Portnoy's Complaint, is literary punk in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-m-more-interested-than-philip-roth-in-understanding-women-even-if-i/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [You can say that a small attack is one in which relatively few people die, but the minute you say that, you can sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/you-can-say-that-a-small-attack-is-one-in-which-relatively-few-people/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [There's a hustling, but also a self-centred vibe you can get from people in Delhi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/there-s-a-hustling-but-also-a-self-centred-vibe-you-can-get-from/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [I think Indians will pick up on a lot of the direct commentary on Delhi, which Americans will obviously miss, while Americans might get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-think-indians-will-pick-up-on-a-lot-of-the-direct-commentary-on/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [In Delhi, where I grew up, commerce is brusque. You don't ask each other how your day has been. You might not even smile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/in-delhi-where-i-grew-up-commerce-is-brusque-you-don-t-ask-each-other/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [In some ways, the best novel about terrorism, though it's not a novel, is 'The Looming Tower' by Lawrence Wright or 'Perfect Soldiers' by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/in-some-ways-the-best-novel-about-terrorism-though-it-s-not-a-novel/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [Literature has become too psychological. We discount the physical, when in fact much of life is physical. People's personalities are partly formed by, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/literature-has-become-too-psychological-we-discount-the-physical-when/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [When more Chinese started coming after the Gold Rush, employed on large projects like the Pacific Railroad, anti-Chinese sentiment became shrill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/when-more-chinese-started-coming-after-the-gold-rush-employed-on/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [“What has she got? Nothing but years and years of heartbreak, of being pushed physically, I am sure, into the country of her mother’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/what-has-she-got-nothing-but-years-and-years-of-heartbreak-of-being/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [It's easier to set off a bomb that kills innocent civilians in a market than it is to plot an assassination, but that obviously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/it-s-easier-to-set-off-a-bomb-that-kills-innocent-civilians-in-a/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [How do you prevent attacks from becoming the very fabric of lived life in a city? Of course it's very easy to say you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/how-do-you-prevent-attacks-from-becoming-the-very-fabric-of-lived/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [If India hadn't become a troubled space for me, somehow I wouldn't have any reason to write about it. So the fact that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/if-india-hadn-t-become-a-troubled-space-for-me-somehow-i-wouldn-t/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [I don't know what you can do if it's reported that there's been a small attack in the second- or third-largest city in country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-don-t-know-what-you-can-do-if-it-s-reported-that-there-s-been-a/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

> [The West, in the form of American capitalism, is seen as having won, but people are beginning to offer alternatives again, sometimes in retrograde…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/the-west-in-the-form-of-american-capitalism-is-seen-as-having-won-but/)

[Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

[Explore all 98 Karan Mahajan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/)

## More Angry quotes

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

[Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/)

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/)

[David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/)

> [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/)

[Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/)

> [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

> [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/)

[Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/)

> [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/)

[Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/)

> [I'm an angry guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gandolfini/i-m-an-angry-guy/)

[James Gandolfini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gandolfini/)

> [Apparently, I'm the angriest man. I don't know. It's just an interpretation. If it was someone else, they might be called focused or competitive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/apparently-i-m-the-angriest-man-i-don-t-know-it-s-just-an/)

[Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/)

> [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/)

[Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/)

> [Of course I get angry, but I want to use my brain a little bit and not just smash things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/of-course-i-get-angry-but-i-want-to-use-my-brain-a-little-bit-and-not/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

[Browse all 3,857 Angry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think that a lot of terrorists have been middle class and, more surprisingly, many of them have been people who were not directly affected by the things they're angry about.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Karan Mahajan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-been-middle-class-and-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Angry"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-been-middle-class-and-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aac/karan-mahajan-6691_angry_i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-be_2624705.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think that a lot of terrorists have been middle class and, more surprisingly, many of them have been…” — Karan Mahajan",
                "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": "Karan Mahajan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think that a lot of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-been-middle-class-and-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-think-that-a-lot-of-terrorists-have-been-middle-class-and-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
