--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are disgusted by the things that we…" description: "\"We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we desire what disgusts us.\" — Mario Cuomo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png" --- # We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we… ![“We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we desire what disgusts us.” quote by Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png) > “We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we desire what disgusts us.” [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire and revulsion are intertwined; we are attracted to what we find morally troubling. **In simple terms:** People often want what they consider wrong. Key Takeaway Recognize and reconcile conflicting desires. Themes desire morality psychology conflict Mood introspective critical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - consumer behavior - political rhetoric - personal relationships Key Concepts cognitive dissonance ethical theory human nature Questions to Reflect On - Why do we crave forbidden things? - How can we align values with desires? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex moral reasoning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ## Related quotes > [“He disgusted them the way a fat spider that you can't bring yourslef to crush in your own hand disgusts you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-disgusted-them-the-way-a-fat-spider-that-you-can-t-bring-yourslef/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [If something about the human body disgusts you, the fault lies with the manufacturer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/if-something-about-the-human-body-disgusts-you-the-fault-lies-with/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) > [I wonder what disgusts you more, the fact that I’m a demon, or the fact that when I touch you, it doesn’t matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/i-wonder-what-disgusts-you-more-the-fact-that-i-m-a-demon-or-the-fact/) [Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/) > [Nothing human disgusts me unless it's unkind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/nothing-human-disgusts-me-unless-it-s-unkind/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Once one has been to these challenging terrible places they’re always strangely drawn back… because there’s nothing that can compare to seeing the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-eldon/once-one-has-been-to-these-challenging-terrible-places-they-re-always/) [Dan Eldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-eldon/) > [No one should ever be bored. … One can be horrified, or disgusted, but one can’t be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/no-one-should-ever-be-bored-one-can-be-horrified-or-disgusted-but-one/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [“The fact that I ever raised my hand against a woman disgusts me. It was a f\*\*king atrocious, unforgivable way to behave, and there’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/the-fact-that-i-ever-raised-my-hand-against-a-woman-disgusts-me-it/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Conservatism, ever more timorous and narrow, disgusts the children, and drives them for a mouthful of fresh air into radicalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/conservatism-ever-more-timorous-and-narrow-disgusts-the-children-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Women are constituted in such a way that all truth (regarding men, love, children, society, the purpose of life) disgusts them, and in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/women-are-constituted-in-such-a-way-that-all-truth-regarding-men-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I've never had sex. Never wanted to. Not with a man or a woman or an animal, though my family jokes about it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-phillips/i-ve-never-had-sex-never-wanted-to-not-with-a-man-or-a-woman-or-an/) [Marie Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-phillips/) > [The way to perfection is through a series of disgusts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/the-way-to-perfection-is-through-a-series-of-disgusts/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [China once again disgusts the world, portraying the image of a cruel, perverted people devoid of any feelings towards animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-bardot/china-once-again-disgusts-the-world-portraying-the-image-of-a-cruel/) [Brigitte Bardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-bardot/) > [“Nothing human disgusts me unless its unkind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/nothing-human-disgusts-me-unless-its-unkind/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“If in our day there are so many men that pass before the Cross wagging their head, who gaze at our altars with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-bougaud/if-in-our-day-there-are-so-many-men-that-pass-before-the-cross/) Emile Bougaud > [“So powerful are race- and status-based disgusts that explorers have starved to death rather than eat like the locals. British polar exploration suffered heavily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/so-powerful-are-race-and-status-based-disgusts-that-explorers-have/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## More by Mario Cuomo > [There is a respectable body of economic thought that holds that casino gambling is actually economically regressive to a state and a community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/there-is-a-respectable-body-of-economic-thought-that-holds-that/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [We believe in a government that is characterized by fairness and reasonableness, a reasonableness that goes beyond labels, that doesn't distort or promise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-believe-in-a-government-that-is-characterized-by-fairness-and/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [America was born in outrageous ambition, so bold as to be improbable. The deprived, the oppressed, the powerless from all over the globe came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/america-was-born-in-outrageous-ambition-so-bold-as-to-be-improbable/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [The biggest aggravation in the Arab world, the biggest reason for their anger toward us and the creation of those suicide terrorists, is Israel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-biggest-aggravation-in-the-arab-world-the-biggest-reason-for/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [Nobody has ever gotten a bigger push than Bill Clinton gave to Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/nobody-has-ever-gotten-a-bigger-push-than-bill-clinton-gave-to-obama/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [It is not a government's obligation to provide services, but to see that they are provided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/it-is-not-a-government-s-obligation-to-provide-services-but-to-see/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/my-favorite-thought-about-abraham-lincoln-is-he-believed-in-two/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [9/11 occurs, and you're going to rebuild, and after awhile, the memory will be there, but there will be something new there, and different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/9-11-occurs-and-you-re-going-to-rebuild-and-after-awhile-the-memory/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [The Mafia is a question every time an Italian raises his head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-mafia-is-a-question-every-time-an-italian-raises-his-head/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [People asked me what I want as an epitaph: 'He tried'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/people-asked-me-what-i-want-as-an-epitaph-he-tried/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [I had not even thought of running for president until one day in 1991, at a small fund-raiser, completely unanticipated, someone stood up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-had-not-even-thought-of-running-for-president-until-one-day-in-1991/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to believe as a Jew, a Protestant, or non-believer, or as anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-protect-my-right-to-be-a-catholic-by-preserving-your-right-to/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [I love immigrants. Legal, illegal - they're not to be despised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/i-love-immigrants-legal-illegal-they-re-not-to-be-despised/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [Barack Obama is probably one of the brightest in terms of sheer intelligence... also probably the best orator we've ever had as a president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/barack-obama-is-probably-one-of-the-brightest-in-terms-of-sheer/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [The American people need no course in philosophy or political science of church history to know that God should not be made into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-american-people-need-no-course-in-philosophy-or-political-science/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) [Explore all 105 Mario Cuomo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we desire what disgusts us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mario Cuomo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-desire-and-we-desire-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-desire-and-we-desire-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/mario-cuomo-4807_desire_we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-d_524670.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are disgusted by the things that we desire, and we desire what disgusts us.” — Mario Cuomo", "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": "Mario Cuomo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are disgusted by the things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-desire-and-we-desire-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/we-are-disgusted-by-the-things-that-we-desire-and-we-desire-what/#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 } } ] } ```