---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People feel the need to compare because…"
description: "\"People feel the need to compare because that's how they're going to put it in some box. We're always putting things in boxes to know what it is and how..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg"
---

#  People feel the need to compare because that's how they're…

![“People feel the need to compare because that's how they're going to put it in some box. We're always putting things in boxes to know what it is and how to describe it.” quote by Louis Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg)

> “People feel the need to compare because that's how they're going to put it in some box. We're always putting things in boxes to know what it is and how to describe it.”

Louis Hofmann

## About This Quote

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

People categorize to understand and communicate, using mental boxes to simplify reality.

**In simple terms:** We compare to fit things into mental boxes.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge limiting categories.

Themes

cognition language identity social perception

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- marketing
- education
- personal relationships
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

categorization schema theory labeling

Questions to Reflect On

- How do your mental boxes shape your view?
- Can you see beyond labels?

A Different Perspective

Categories can oversimplify and exclude nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [It's very human to try to put things into boxes, and it's hard for us to reconcile with grey areas, and yet somehow, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/it-s-very-human-to-try-to-put-things-into-boxes-and-it-s-hard-for-us/)

[Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/)

> [I don't know why we have to put things in boxes of superlatives. That isolates them. Life is fluid, and the minute you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-know-why-we-have-to-put-things-in-boxes-of-superlatives-that/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [I am not going to box unfit, obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-groves/i-am-not-going-to-box-unfit-obviously/)

[George Groves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-groves/)

> [I don't think, that all my stuff could've been records. Some, maybe. The ones that I really wanted to be records, those are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/i-don-t-think-that-all-my-stuff-could-ve-been-records-some-maybe-the/)

[Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/)

> [Allan is good in transition, going box to box, leading counter attacks and breaks. He's mobile and brings protection defensively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite/allan-is-good-in-transition-going-box-to-box-leading-counter-attacks/)

[Tite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite/)

> [We have to have a successful box business if we are going to go beyond the box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/we-have-to-have-a-successful-box-business-if-we-are-going-to-go/)

[Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/)

> [I'm not going to put them all in a box and say they all cheat. There are some good guys and I have met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaunie-o-neal/i-m-not-going-to-put-them-all-in-a-box-and-say-they-all-cheat-there/)

[Shaunie O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaunie-o-neal/)

> [Now I don't put things in the boxes anymore. I'm just focusing on right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/now-i-don-t-put-things-in-the-boxes-anymore-i-m-just-focusing-on/)

[Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/)

> [“And so you know what I did with those sad things? I put them in boxes. I put the sad things in the boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/and-so-you-know-what-i-did-with-those-sad-things-i-put-them-in-boxes/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [It's normal when there's a new show on the air to say this is the new 'Game of Thrones' or this is the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-dreymon/it-s-normal-when-there-s-a-new-show-on-the-air-to-say-this-is-the-new/)

[Alexander Dreymon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-dreymon/)

> [I'm suspicious of the idea of categories in music and this idea of things being in boxes. To me, that seems unnatural. I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-richter/i-m-suspicious-of-the-idea-of-categories-in-music-and-this-idea-of/)

[Max Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-richter/)

> [To fashion stars out of dog dung, that is the Great Work. To take a negative experience and, by comparing it to something worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-david-neel/to-fashion-stars-out-of-dog-dung-that-is-the-great-work-to-take-a/)

[Alexandra David-Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-david-neel/)

> [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/)

[Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/)

> [Its extremely dangerous to compare anyone else to Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/its-extremely-dangerous-to-compare-anyone-else-to-shakespeare/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/)

[Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/)

## More by Louis Hofmann

> [I do belive in fate. It's hard to accept that it's maybe not possible to change anything and I don't really like the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/i-do-belive-in-fate-it-s-hard-to-accept-that-it-s-maybe-not-possible/)

Louis Hofmann

> [When you finish reading a script and you realise that you didn't think of anything else, that you were just focusing on the script…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/when-you-finish-reading-a-script-and-you-realise-that-you-didn-t/)

Louis Hofmann

> [I have finished school and so it's becoming a real job, and as an actor, you cannot always just play roles. To me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/i-have-finished-school-and-so-it-s-becoming-a-real-job-and-as-an/)

Louis Hofmann

Explore all 4 Louis Hofmann quotes

## More Boxes quotes

> [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/)

[Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/)

> [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/)

> [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/)

[Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/)

[David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/)

[Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/)

> [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader &amp; an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/)

[Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/)

> [I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care. For me, it's really about who I surround myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-could-party-in-a-cardboard-box-with-people-who-are-funny-and-don-t/)

[Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/)

> [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/)

[Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/)

> [A token of love comes in a box because love itself cannot be contained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnie-kirshenbaum/a-token-of-love-comes-in-a-box-because-love-itself-cannot-be-contained/)

[Binnie Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnie-kirshenbaum/)

> [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/)

[Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/)

Browse all 2,146 Boxes quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "People feel the need to compare because that's how they're going to put it in some box. We're always putting things in boxes to know what it is and how to describe it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Louis Hofmann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because-that-s-how-they-re-going-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boxes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because-that-s-how-they-re-going-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/louis-hofmann-71513_boxes_people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because_846683.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People feel the need to compare because that's how they're going to put it in some box. We're always putting…” — Louis Hofmann",
                "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": "Louis Hofmann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-hofmann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People feel the need to compare...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because-that-s-how-they-re-going-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-hofmann/people-feel-the-need-to-compare-because-that-s-how-they-re-going-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
