--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As human beings, we ought to be…" description: "\"As human beings, we ought to be vulnerable. We shouldn't try to say that we can be self-sufficient or do everything that's necessary for a good life on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/martha-c-nussbaum-11905_good-life_as-human-beings-we-ought-to-be-vulnerabl_475195.jpg" --- # As human beings, we ought to be vulnerable. We shouldn't… ![“As human beings, we ought to be vulnerable. We shouldn't try to say that we can be self-sufficient or do everything that's necessary for a good life on our own, because we need other people.” quote by Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/martha-c-nussbaum-11905_good-life_as-human-beings-we-ought-to-be-vulnerabl_475195.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/martha-c-nussbaum-11905_good-life_as-human-beings-we-ought-to-be-vulnerabl_475195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce6/martha-c-nussbaum-11905_good-life_as-human-beings-we-ought-to-be-vulnerabl_475195.jpg) > “As human beings, we ought to be vulnerable. We shouldn't try to say that we can be self-sufficient or do everything that's necessary for a good life on our own, because we need other people.” [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings need vulnerability and interdependence for a flourishing life. **In simple terms:** We need others, not self-sufficiency. Key Takeaway Embrace interdependence. Themes community vulnerability humanity Mood empathetic thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - friendships - family support - teamwork - caregiving Key Concepts ethics social philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What relationships do you rely on? - How can you balance independence with dependence? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on vulnerability may be exploited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self sufficient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-sufficient/) ## Related quotes > [ \[We need to \] select immigrants based on their likelihood of success in U.S. society and their ability to be financially self- sufficient. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-to-select-immigrants-based-on-their-likelihood-of-success-in/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Confronted with the unhappy facts of exclusion, we sometimes reassure ourselves by telling stories: the poor boys who made it, theblacks who became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-keniston/confronted-with-the-unhappy-facts-of-exclusion-we-sometimes-reassure/) [Kenneth Keniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-keniston/) > [Humans call animals 'dumb'... after they robbed their entire own precious world. 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We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-have-been-preserved-these-many-years-in-peace-and-prosperity-we/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I think the Tata Group's greatest contribution to the growth of the Indian economy and Indian industry probably happened in the pre-independence era. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ratan-tata/i-think-the-tata-group-s-greatest-contribution-to-the-growth-of-the/) [Ratan Tata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ratan-tata/) > [I'm un-self-sufficient. I can't look after myself. I really can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-thomas/i-m-un-self-sufficient-i-can-t-look-after-myself-i-really-can-t/) [Gareth Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-thomas/) ## More by Martha C. Nussbaum > [I think that's what we really need in America, for people to hear each other. 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Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [The great philosophers of the past who wrote so beautifully - Rousseau, John Stuart Mill - had to write beautifully because they had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/the-great-philosophers-of-the-past-who-wrote-so-beautifully-rousseau/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) [Explore all 57 Martha C. Nussbaum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) ## More Good life quotes > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Remember, success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome. 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What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“Our lives together, our duet, also continues to evolve, and even if we can’t go back to how it was, we’re designing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/our-lives-together-our-duet-also-continues-to-evolve-and-even-if-we/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. 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