---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're on safe ground to presume that…"
description: "\"We're on safe ground to presume that self-interest and hubris are at the core of the rebellion.\" — Michael S. Heiser"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg"
---

#  We're on safe ground to presume that self-interest and…

![“We're on safe ground to presume that self-interest and hubris are at the core of the rebellion.” quote by Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg)

> “We're on safe ground to presume that self-interest and hubris are at the core of the rebellion.”

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

## 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 suggests that selfish motives and excessive pride drive the rebellion's core.

**In simple terms:** Self‑interest and pride fuel the revolt.

Key Takeaway

Beware hubris and selfish agendas.

Themes

politics rebellion human nature

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- leadership decisions
- policy making
- activism
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

philosophy political theory

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives the rebellion’s leaders?
- Can altruism exist in such movements?

A Different Perspective

Not all rebels act from pure self‑interest; motives can be mixed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hubris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hubris/) [Rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebellion/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/)

## Related quotes

> [An Airoplane Is Always Safe At Ground. But It's Not Made For That. So Always Take Some Meaningful Risks In Life To Get Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/an-airoplane-is-always-safe-at-ground-but-it-s-not-made-for-that-so/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [Truth is the only safe ground to stand on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/truth-is-the-only-safe-ground-to-stand-on/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The minute you know you're on safe ground, you're dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/the-minute-you-know-you-re-on-safe-ground-you-re-dead/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [An Airoplane Is Always Safe At The Ground. But Its Not Made For That. So, Always Take Some Meaningful Risks In Life To Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/an-airoplane-is-always-safe-at-the-ground-but-its-not-made-for-that/)

Pacifiersucker

> [“We may go up, we may go down, we may do a 360 but still find ourselves here, on safe ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alysha-millet/we-may-go-up-we-may-go-down-we-may-do-a-360-but-still-find-ourselves/)

[Alysha Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alysha-millet/)

> [Rebellion against God results in being cast out of his service. God doesn't run the affairs of the spiritual world or our world with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/rebellion-against-god-results-in-being-cast-out-of-his-service-god/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think-they-are-indestructible-when/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [It was the hubris of each generation to think this anew, to think that their time was special, that all things would come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-was-the-hubris-of-each-generation-to-think-this-anew-to-think-that/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Nothing is more beautiful than to know all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasius-kircher/nothing-is-more-beautiful-than-to-know-all/)

Athanasius Kircher

> [In a lot of Western science fiction, you need some form of conflict, whether it's aliens or robots. I think in Western culture, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-breazeal/in-a-lot-of-western-science-fiction-you-need-some-form-of-conflict/)

[Cynthia Breazeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-breazeal/)

> [Continue to learn with humility, not hubris. Hubris is boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/continue-to-learn-with-humility-not-hubris-hubris-is-boring/)

[Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/)

> [“Jim Crow repeated the old strategies of the reptilian powers of the air: to convince human beings simultaneously and paradoxically that they are gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-d-moore/jim-crow-repeated-the-old-strategies-of-the-reptilian-powers-of-the/)

[Russell D. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-d-moore/)

> [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [My briefest ever definition of science fiction is 'Hubris clobbered by Nemesis.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/my-briefest-ever-definition-of-science-fiction-is-hubris-clobbered-by/)

[Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/)

> [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

## More by Michael S. Heiser

> [We think "reading the Bible in context" means thinking about the handful of verses before and after the verses we're looking at on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-think-reading-the-bible-in-context-means-thinking-about-the/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [If I were one of the gods who just wound up supervising humans, I'd want to influence the decision-makers to live according to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/if-i-were-one-of-the-gods-who-just-wound-up-supervising-humans-i-d/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [What I mean by context is worldview - having the ancient Israelite or first-century Jew in your head as you read. How would an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/what-i-mean-by-context-is-worldview-having-the-ancient-israelite-or/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [Why are you uncomfortable with the supernaturalist worldview of the biblical writers? Evangelicals don't want to just say, "Well, the inspired writers were wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/why-are-you-uncomfortable-with-the-supernaturalist-worldview-of-the/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [We like to pretend the core ideas of the faith are more palatable or workable within our modern rationalistic approach to Scripture than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-like-to-pretend-the-core-ideas-of-the-faith-are-more-palatable-or/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [Our contexts are foreign. They derive from church tradition that is thousands of years removed from the people who wrote Scripture and the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/our-contexts-are-foreign-they-derive-from-church-tradition-that-is/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [Rebellion against God results in being cast out of his service. God doesn't run the affairs of the spiritual world or our world with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/rebellion-against-god-results-in-being-cast-out-of-his-service-god/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [If you don't have the worldview of the people who produced the Bible - under inspiration no less, - you can't understand what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/if-you-don-t-have-the-worldview-of-the-people-who-produced-the-bible/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [The powers of darkness are still part of the spiritual world - they don't become something else when they rebel against God. Disembodied believers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/the-powers-of-darkness-are-still-part-of-the-spiritual-world-they-don/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [The truth is that we don't know much about the spiritual world except for what Scripture tells us, so it's unwise to think we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/the-truth-is-that-we-don-t-know-much-about-the-spiritual-world-except/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [Ruling the way God wants you to rule means fostering the ordered relationships he desires, not because he is a killjoy, but because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/ruling-the-way-god-wants-you-to-rule-means-fostering-the-ordered/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [God doesn't save us to perpetuate a particular Christian sub-culture. He saves us to advance a supernatural kingdom that is not of this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/god-doesn-t-save-us-to-perpetuate-a-particular-christian-sub-culture/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [“Conversations didn’t always end well. That sort of thing happens when you demand that creeds and traditions get in line behind the biblical text.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/conversations-didn-t-always-end-well-that-sort-of-thing-happens-when/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [We impose our modern worldview on the Bible to make it conform to our intellectual happy place. But we deceive ourselves into thinking this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-impose-our-modern-worldview-on-the-bible-to-make-it-conform-to-our/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

> [How much of what the biblical writers believed about the supernatural world do I believe? They weren't us. We are products of the Enlightenment;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/how-much-of-what-the-biblical-writers-believed-about-the-supernatural/)

[Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

[Explore all 23 Michael S. Heiser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/)

## More Hubris quotes

> [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [My briefest ever definition of science fiction is 'Hubris clobbered by Nemesis.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/my-briefest-ever-definition-of-science-fiction-is-hubris-clobbered-by/)

[Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/)

> [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [“Jim Crow repeated the old strategies of the reptilian powers of the air: to convince human beings simultaneously and paradoxically that they are gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-d-moore/jim-crow-repeated-the-old-strategies-of-the-reptilian-powers-of-the/)

[Russell D. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-d-moore/)

> [Continue to learn with humility, not hubris. Hubris is boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/continue-to-learn-with-humility-not-hubris-hubris-is-boring/)

[Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/)

> [In a lot of Western science fiction, you need some form of conflict, whether it's aliens or robots. I think in Western culture, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-breazeal/in-a-lot-of-western-science-fiction-you-need-some-form-of-conflict/)

[Cynthia Breazeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-breazeal/)

> [“Nothing is more beautiful than to know all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasius-kircher/nothing-is-more-beautiful-than-to-know-all/)

Athanasius Kircher

> [It was the hubris of each generation to think this anew, to think that their time was special, that all things would come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/it-was-the-hubris-of-each-generation-to-think-this-anew-to-think-that/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/empires-always-have-the-hubris-to-think-they-are-indestructible-when/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [If one sins against the laws of proportion and gives something too big to something too small to carry it - too big sails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-one-sins-against-the-laws-of-proportion-and-gives-something-too/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [It now appears that the world is filled with people who believe that everyone should be interested in everything they have to say about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/it-now-appears-that-the-world-is-filled-with-people-who-believe-that/)

[Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/)

> [Economists (and others) who are satisfied with nature-free equations develop a dangerous hubris about the potency of our species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hardin/economists-and-others-who-are-satisfied-with-nature-free-equations/)

[Garrett Hardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hardin/)

> [Amassing of wealth is an opportunity for good deeds, not hubris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/amassing-of-wealth-is-an-opportunity-for-good-deeds-not-hubris/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [The three chief virtues of a programmer are: Laziness, Impatience and Hubris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/the-three-chief-virtues-of-a-programmer-are-laziness-impatience-and/)

[Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/)

> [“No experience of the failure of his policy could shake his belief in its essential excellence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babara-tuchman/no-experience-of-the-failure-of-his-policy-could-shake-his-belief-in/)

Babara Tuchman

[Browse all 190 Hubris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hubris/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We're on safe ground to presume that self-interest and hubris are at the core of the rebellion.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael S. Heiser"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-self-interest-and-hubris-are-at/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hubris"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-self-interest-and-hubris-are-at/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/michael-s-heiser-25482_hubris_we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-sel_2566172.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We're on safe ground to presume that self-interest and hubris are at the core of the rebellion.” — Michael S. Heiser",
                "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": "Michael S. Heiser",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We're on safe ground to presume...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-self-interest-and-hubris-are-at/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/we-re-on-safe-ground-to-presume-that-self-interest-and-hubris-are-at/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
