--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scratch a socialist and you find a snob." description: "\"Scratch a socialist and you find a snob.\" — Mary McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png" --- # Scratch a socialist and you find a snob. ![“Scratch a socialist and you find a snob.” quote by Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png) > “Scratch a socialist and you find a snob.” [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. Criticizing socialism reveals an underlying snobbery, exposing elitist attitudes within the critique. **In simple terms:** Criticizing socialism can expose snobbery. Key Takeaway Examine personal biases. Themes politics class elitism Mood analytical critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political debates - academic discussions - media commentary Key Concepts social theory philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions underlie your critiques? - How can you address bias? A Different Perspective Not all critiques stem from snobbery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Snob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snob/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Socialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialist/) ## Related quotes > [Revision, once well done, becomes a sort of automatic itch which you scratch in the next work without thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romulus-linney/revision-once-well-done-becomes-a-sort-of-automatic-itch-which-you/) [Romulus Linney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romulus-linney/) > [Film is an itch I have yet to scratch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-michele/film-is-an-itch-i-have-yet-to-scratch/) [Lea Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-michele/) > [Scratch an actor and you'll find an actress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/scratch-an-actor-and-you-ll-find-an-actress/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [One must scratch that part of the body or mind that itches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aminu-kano/one-must-scratch-that-part-of-the-body-or-mind-that-itches/) [Aminu Kano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aminu-kano/) > [Scratch me and you will find the Nonconformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austen-chamberlain/scratch-me-and-you-will-find-the-nonconformist/) [Austen Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austen-chamberlain/) > [Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands and all you can do is scratch it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/madam-you-have-between-your-legs-an-instrument-capable-of-giving/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [When I really have to push and grope and scratch and claw to make a story work, that's a telltale sign that maybe something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-kelley/when-i-really-have-to-push-and-grope-and-scratch-and-claw-to-make-a/) [David E. Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-kelley/) > [When you scratch the surface, every one of us has something that we deeply want to contribute to the world. All we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/when-you-scratch-the-surface-every-one-of-us-has-something-that-we/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [One learns to itch where one can scratch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-learns-to-itch-where-one-can-scratch/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Letter from Mr. B: Why does a back scratch feel better coming from somebody else than if you do it yourself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/letter-from-mr-b-why-does-a-back-scratch-feel-better-coming-from/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [Everyone has to scratch on walls somewhere or they go crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/everyone-has-to-scratch-on-walls-somewhere-or-they-go-crazy/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [We live one day at a time and scratch where it itches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-royal/we-live-one-day-at-a-time-and-scratch-where-it-itches/) [Darrell Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-royal/) > [I only scream and scratch when something's only 'really good' or 'good', I want to be great, or let's go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-renner/i-only-scream-and-scratch-when-something-s-only-really-good-or-good-i/) [Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-renner/) > [When one thing ends, you put it away and start from scratch on the next thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-metcalf/when-one-thing-ends-you-put-it-away-and-start-from-scratch-on-the/) [Laurie Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-metcalf/) > [He would like to start from scratch. Where is scratch?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/he-would-like-to-start-from-scratch-where-is-scratch/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) ## 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 Scratch quotes > [My videos, the ones I produced and co-directed and came up with a treatment from scratch - those are my babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/my-videos-the-ones-i-produced-and-co-directed-and-came-up-with-a/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I keep up to scratch on the sax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-macmurray/i-keep-up-to-scratch-on-the-sax/) [Fred MacMurray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-macmurray/) > [There's music to dance to and make love to, music to cry to. I'm starting from scratch, coming fresh. But my sound still embodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-debarge/there-s-music-to-dance-to-and-make-love-to-music-to-cry-to-i-m/) [El DeBarge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-debarge/) > [I'm not a DJ - I don't know how to scratch or mix records, but I know how to party, and I know music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-rose/i-m-not-a-dj-i-don-t-know-how-to-scratch-or-mix-records-but-i-know/) [Amber Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-rose/) > [I have a simple philosophy. Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roosevelt-longworth/i-have-a-simple-philosophy-fill-what-s-empty-empty-what-s-full-and/) [Alice Roosevelt Longworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roosevelt-longworth/) > [Most of the brothers don't make the kind of scratch I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-maxwell/most-of-the-brothers-don-t-make-the-kind-of-scratch-i-do/) Cedric Maxwell > [Even when I make pizza, I make it from the scratch and prepare the dough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/even-when-i-make-pizza-i-make-it-from-the-scratch-and-prepare-the/) [Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/) > [“A ball is a great place to dance, or a great thing to dribble. A ball is also a great thing to scratch when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-ball-is-a-great-place-to-dance-or-a-great-thing-to-dribble-a-ball/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [People often want the big dramatic works, not the smaller quieter ones, but I don't worry about how it fits together anymore; I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/people-often-want-the-big-dramatic-works-not-the-smaller-quieter-ones/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [I would love to take a cooking class from Gandhi. Maybe I could teach him how to cook, and he could teach me his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/i-would-love-to-take-a-cooking-class-from-gandhi-maybe-i-could-teach/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [Revision, once well done, becomes a sort of automatic itch which you scratch in the next work without thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romulus-linney/revision-once-well-done-becomes-a-sort-of-automatic-itch-which-you/) [Romulus Linney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romulus-linney/) > [I feel so much more comfortable when I'm working on material which makes other people scratch their heads and ask, 'You're going to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-feel-so-much-more-comfortable-when-i-m-working-on-material-which/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [And now I even have to scratch my back myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenz-hart-us-songwriter/and-now-i-even-have-to-scratch-my-back-myself/) Lorenz Hart US Songwriter > [How often do you get to build a pro football league from scratch?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-luck/how-often-do-you-get-to-build-a-pro-football-league-from-scratch/) [Oliver Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-luck/) > [“I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches." by Alice Roosevelt Longworth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudy-conn/i-have-a-simple-philosophy-fill-what-s-empty-empty-what-s-full/) [Claudy Conn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudy-conn/) Browse all 260 Scratch quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Scratch a socialist and you find a snob.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Scratch" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed7/mary-mccarthy-2691_scratch_scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob_1842169.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Scratch a socialist and you find a snob.” — 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": "Scratch a socialist and you find...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/scratch-a-socialist-and-you-find-a-snob/#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 } } ] } ```