--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: we can simultaneously be human and…" description: "\"“we can simultaneously be human and monster—that both of those possibilities are in all of us.”\" — Matthew Quick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png" --- # we can simultaneously be human and monster—that both of… ![“we can simultaneously be human and monster—that both of those possibilities are in all of us.” quote by Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png) > ““we can simultaneously be human and monster—that both of those possibilities are in all of us.”” [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature contains both compassionate and destructive capacities, and individuals can embody both simultaneously. **In simple terms:** We can be kind and cruel at once. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage our inner contradictions. Themes humanity duality self‑awareness Mood introspective hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - conflict resolution - team dynamics - mental health care Key Concepts psychology morality identity Questions to Reflect On - What inner conflicts shape your actions? - How can we nurture the humane side while restraining the monstrous? A Different Perspective Focusing only on one side neglects the full complexity of character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Monster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-monster-531523/) [Monster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster/) [Monster Possibilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster-possibilities-5289753/) [Possibilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibilities/) [Simultaneously Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simultaneously-human-5289752/) ## Related quotes > [The problem here is with a human being, not with a monster, not with an animal. The human being does things that even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-malkin/the-problem-here-is-with-a-human-being-not-with-a-monster-not-with-an/) [Peter Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-malkin/) > [If you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level any reflection of themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-want-to-make-a-human-being-into-a-monster-deny-them-at-the/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I wanted to make a human monster. His name is Coffin Baby. The idea is based on a group of people from Pasadena whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobe-hooper/i-wanted-to-make-a-human-monster-his-name-is-coffin-baby-the-idea-is/) [Tobe Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobe-hooper/) > [“Monster a person though monster not human. Monster like music. Like Beatles! Like Schumann! World full of stupid. World full of noise. Monster feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-finney-boylan/monster-a-person-though-monster-not-human-monster-like-music-like/) [Jennifer Finney Boylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-finney-boylan/) > [“In the matter of prejudice...we are all the same. Goddess and demon, human and monster: none of us understand difference, but at least some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/in-the-matter-of-prejudice-we-are-all-the-same-goddess-and-demon/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [“He looked... very alone then, a single human in a monster-infested world, a fading bright spot surrounded by shadow. And despite my best intentions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/he-looked-very-alone-then-a-single-human-in-a-monster-infested-world/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [Every human have monster inside them, it's up to us how we control that monster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh/every-human-have-monster-inside-them-it-s-up-to-us-how-we-control/) [Rajesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh/) > [She raised her head finally. He looked the same, but then, he always did. She'd seem him kill twice, and he betrayed no reaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/she-raised-her-head-finally-he-looked-the-same-but-then-he-always-did/) [Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/) > [“When you’re a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. She would like to restrain from cruelty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/when-you-re-a-monster-she-thought-you-are-thanked-and-praised-for-not/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [It's not a monster movie. It's a supernatural thriller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-wood/it-s-not-a-monster-movie-it-s-a-supernatural-thriller/) [Ed Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-wood/) > [“..the world seems full of good men--even if there are monsters in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/the-world-seems-full-of-good-men-even-if-there-are-monsters-in-it/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“Monsters are made”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/monsters-are-made/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [“Personally, I’m a mess of conflicting impulses—I’m independent and greedy and I also want to belong and share and be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/personally-i-m-a-mess-of-conflicting-impulses-i-m-independent-and/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [“Monsters are divine portents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/monsters-are-divine-portents/) [Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More by Matthew Quick > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly. Literature tries to document this reality, while showing us it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/life-is-not-a-pg-feel-good-movie-real-life-often-ends-badly/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“Like maybe he really, truly believes I'm worth listening to, worth saving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/like-maybe-he-really-truly-believes-i-m-worth-listening-to-worth/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [...I am now watching the movie of my life as I live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-am-now-watching-the-movie-of-my-life-as-i-live-it/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [You need to make time for family no matter what happens in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/you-need-to-make-time-for-family-no-matter-what-happens-in-your-life/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [When she needed help most, she was abandoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/when-she-needed-help-most-she-was-abandoned/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I am so happy. I am so impossibly happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-am-so-happy-i-am-so-impossibly-happy/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“the only way you could meet my crazy was by doing something crazy for yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/the-only-way-you-could-meet-my-crazy-was-by-doing-something-crazy-for/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [When I travel round the country, people can't place my accent; if there's someone in the audience, they'll be like, 'You're from Philadelphia', but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/when-i-travel-round-the-country-people-can-t-place-my-accent-if-there/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“Empiezo a comprender que tenemos una clase de amistad en la que no se necesitan muchas palabras.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/empiezo-a-comprender-que-tenemos-una-clase-de-amistad-en-la-que-no-se/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [When she needed help most, she was abandoned--and only when she offered help to others was she beloved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/when-she-needed-help-most-she-was-abandoned-and-only-when-she-offered/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“Sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship, Leonard. It really does.” “Here’s looking at you, kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/sounds-like-the-start-of-a-beautiful-friendship-leonard-it-really/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“The whole time I pretend I have mental telepathy. And with my mind only, I’ll say — or think? — to the target, 'Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/the-whole-time-i-pretend-i-have-mental-telepathy-and-with-my-mind/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Someday an opportunity will come. Think about Harry Potter. His life is terrible, but then a letter arrives, he gets on a train, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/someday-an-opportunity-will-come-think-about-harry-potter-his-life-is/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) [Explore all 240 Matthew Quick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) ## More Human quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [I found out about Sister Song through Poppy Liu, who's on the show 'Hacks.' Reproductive rights are human rights, and I wanted to shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-found-out-about-sister-song-through-poppy-liu-who-s-on-the-show/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) [Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/) [Hanns Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanns-eisler/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) [Browse all 8,656 Human quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“we can simultaneously be human and monster—that both of those possibilities are in all of us.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Quick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monster-that-both-of-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monster-that-both-of-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d74/matthew-quick-1377_human_we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monst_664730.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“we can simultaneously be human and monster—that both of those possibilities are in all of us.” — Matthew Quick", "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": "Matthew Quick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“we can simultaneously be human and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monster-that-both-of-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/we-can-simultaneously-be-human-and-monster-that-both-of-those/#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 } } ] } ```