--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In verity we are the poor. This humanity…" description: "\"In verity we are the poor. This humanity we would claim for ourselves is the legacy, not only of the Enlightenment, but of the thousands and thousands ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png" --- # In verity we are the poor. This humanity we would claim… ![“In verity we are the poor. This humanity we would claim for ourselves is the legacy, not only of the Enlightenment, but of the thousands and thousands of European peasants and poor townspeople who came here bringing their humanity and their sufferings with them. It is the absence of a stable upper…” quote by Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png) > “In verity we are the poor. This humanity we would claim for ourselves is the legacy, not only of the Enlightenment, but of the thousands and thousands of European peasants and poor townspeople who came here bringing their humanity and their sufferings with them. It is the absence of a stable upper class that is responsible for much of the vulgarity of the American scene. Should we blush before the visitor for this deficiency?” [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that American culture’s vulgarity stems from the lack of a stable upper class, and that the hardships of European peasants shaped its humanity. **In simple terms:** American vulgarity linked to missing elite class and immigrant suffering. Key Takeaway Recognize how class instability affects culture. Themes culture class immigration history identity Mood critical reflective Type analytical historical When to use this quote - urban development - political analysis - social policy - education reform - media critique Key Concepts social stratification cultural inheritance historical legacy Questions to Reflect On - How does class structure influence cultural values? - What role do immigrants play in shaping national identity? A Different Perspective It may overlook positive contributions of lower classes and overgeneralize. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Deficiency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deficiency/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Peasants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peasants/) [Peasants Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peasants-poor-5310496/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-humanity-1138508/) [Poor Townspeople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-townspeople-5310497/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Stable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stable/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Upper class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-class/) [Visitors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visitors/) [Vulgarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulgarity/) ## Related quotes > [Are there not thousands in the world who love their fellows even to the death, who feel the giant agony of the world, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/are-there-not-thousands-in-the-world-who-love-their-fellows-even-to/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“Poor Humanity, crazed with fear, was fleeing in all directions on hearing the thundering pace of the Plague, War, Hunger and Death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicente-blasco-ib-ez/poor-humanity-crazed-with-fear-was-fleeing-in-all-directions-on/) [Vicente Blasco Ibáñez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicente-blasco-ib-ez/) > [Poor humanity!--so dependent, so insignificant, and yet so great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/poor-humanity-so-dependent-so-insignificant-and-yet-so-great/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [How prone poor Humanity is to dam up the minutest remnants of its freedom, and build an artificial roof to prevent it looking up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-t-a-hoffmann/how-prone-poor-humanity-is-to-dam-up-the-minutest-remnants-of-its/) [E. T. A. Hoffmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-t-a-hoffmann/) > [“Poor humanity! I often feel that the tableland of sanity upon which most of us dwell, is small in area, with unfenced precipices on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-galton/poor-humanity-i-often-feel-that-the-tableland-of-sanity-upon-which/) [Francis Galton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-galton/) > [“This humanity we would claim for ourselves is the legacy, not only of the Enlightenment, but of the thousands of European peasants and poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/this-humanity-we-would-claim-for-ourselves-is-the-legacy-not-only-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [And that's where I think vulnerability comes in - the fact that we're figuring out that there is strength in actually being vulnerable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rege-jean-page/and-that-s-where-i-think-vulnerability-comes-in-the-fact-that-we-re/) [Rege-Jean Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rege-jean-page/) > [I was born in Paris in 1950. I had a strict upper-class Catholic education but I never really fitted in the system and revolted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-gautier/i-was-born-in-paris-in-1950-i-had-a-strict-upper-class-catholic/) [Francois Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-gautier/) > [In the United States, the working class are Democrats. The middle class are Republicans. The upper class are Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/in-the-united-states-the-working-class-are-democrats-the-middle-class/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [I'm interested in illuminating the enormous disparity between vast poverty and the tiny upper class... This vast inequity is unfair by definition, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-mcdonell/i-m-interested-in-illuminating-the-enormous-disparity-between-vast/) [Nick McDonell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-mcdonell/) > [“We spend to pretend that we’re upper-class. And when the dust clears—when bankruptcy hits or a family member bails us out of our stupidity—there’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/we-spend-to-pretend-that-we-re-upper-class-and-when-the-dust-clears/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Tomorrow everybody - or practically everybody - will have had the education of the upper class of yesterday, and will expect equivalent opportunities. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/tomorrow-everybody-or-practically-everybody-will-have-had-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [How shall we ever know if it's morning if there's no servant to pull up the blinds?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-barrie/how-shall-we-ever-know-if-it-s-morning-if-there-s-no-servant-to-pull/) [James M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-barrie/) > [The American middle class always wants to be upper class and is scared to death of being lower class. It's a highly mobile group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-american-middle-class-always-wants-to-be-upper-class-and-is/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [I have a class prejudice - against the upper class, which is foolish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-have-a-class-prejudice-against-the-upper-class-which-is-foolish/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) ## More by Mary McCarthy > [From what I have seen, I am driven to the conclusion that religion is only good for good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/from-what-i-have-seen-i-am-driven-to-the-conclusion-that-religion-is/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Yet friendship, I believe, is essential to intellectuals. It is probably the growth hormone the mind requires as it begins its activity of producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/yet-friendship-i-believe-is-essential-to-intellectuals-it-is-probably/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Any sizeable Portuguese town looks like a superstitious bride's finery - something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/any-sizeable-portuguese-town-looks-like-a-superstitious-bride-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The desire to believe the best of people is a prerequisite for intercourse with strangers; suspicion is reserved for friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-desire-to-believe-the-best-of-people-is-a-prerequisite-for/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [ “She considered \[her\] life, which had not been a life but only a sort of greeting, a Hello There.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/she-considered-her-life-which-had-not-been-a-life-but-only-a-sort-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [America is indeed a revelation, though not quite the one that was planned. Given a clean slate, man, it was hoped, would write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/america-is-indeed-a-revelation-though-not-quite-the-one-that-was/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The happy ending is our national belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-happy-ending-is-our-national-belief/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Making love, we are all more alike than we are when we are talking or acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/making-love-we-are-all-more-alike-than-we-are-when-we-are-talking-or/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-america-children-are-instructed-in-the-virtues-of-the-system-they/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The only form of action open to a child is to break something or strike someone, its mother or another child; it cannot cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-only-form-of-action-open-to-a-child-is-to-break-something-or/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Combativeness was, I suppose, the dominant trait in my grandmother's nature. An aggressive churchgoer, she was quite without Christian feeling; the mercy of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/combativeness-was-i-suppose-the-dominant-trait-in-my-grandmother-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I'm afraid I'm not sufficiently inhibited about the things that other women are inhibited about for me. They feel that you've given away trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/i-m-afraid-i-m-not-sufficiently-inhibited-about-the-things-that-other/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Be truthful... and pay attention. I would also recommend the avoidance of credit cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/be-truthful-and-pay-attention-i-would-also-recommend-the-avoidance-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [All ideas advanced to deal with the Florentine noise problem, the Florentine traffic problem, are Utopian, and nobody believes in them, just as nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/all-ideas-advanced-to-deal-with-the-florentine-noise-problem-the/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) [Explore all 154 Mary McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In verity we are the poor. This humanity we would claim for ourselves is the legacy, not only of the Enlightenment, but of the thousands and thousands of European peasants and poor townspeople who came here bringing their humanity and their sufferings with them. It is the absence of a stable upper class that is responsible for much of the vulgarity of the American scene. Should we blush before the visitor for this deficiency?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity-we-would-claim-for-ourselves/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity-we-would-claim-for-ourselves/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/874/mary-mccarthy-2691_absence_in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity_3090188.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In verity we are the poor. This humanity we would claim for ourselves is the legacy, not only of the…” — Mary McCarthy", "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": "Mary McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In verity we are the poor....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity-we-would-claim-for-ourselves/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-verity-we-are-the-poor-this-humanity-we-would-claim-for-ourselves/#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 } } ] } ```