---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: less a person than a collection of…"
description: "\"“less a person than a collection of terrible traits.”\" — Michael Wolff"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg"
---

#  less a person than a collection of terrible traits.

![“less a person than a collection of terrible traits.” quote by Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg)

> ““less a person than a collection of terrible traits.””

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The phrase suggests a person is defined more by negative traits than by their humanity.

**In simple terms:** Person reduced to bad traits.

Key Takeaway

Avoid labeling people solely by flaws.

Themes

psychology identity stigma humanity

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- media analysis
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

character assessment social judgment

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we see the whole person?
- What impact does labeling have?

A Different Perspective

Simplistic judgments ignore complexity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Collection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-collection-4520565/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Traits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-traits-4267348/) [Traits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traits/)

## Related quotes

> [“Trump is less a person than a collection of terrible traits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-is-less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terrible-traits/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [I am an emotional and fragile person. I observe life, I am perceptive and can read a person's body language. I have a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madhur-bhandarkar/i-am-an-emotional-and-fragile-person-i-observe-life-i-am-perceptive/)

[Madhur Bhandarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madhur-bhandarkar/)

> [I broke up with my first girlfriend because I was out of love. I was crushing so hard on her for a whole year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/i-broke-up-with-my-first-girlfriend-because-i-was-out-of-love-i-was/)

[Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/)

> [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [The single most valuable human trait, the one quality every schoolchild and adult should be taught to nurture, is, quite simply, kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/the-single-most-valuable-human-trait-the-one-quality-every/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [No one is born with good character; it's not a hereditary trait. And it isn't determined by a single noble act. Character is established…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/no-one-is-born-with-good-character-it-s-not-a-hereditary-trait-and-it/)

[Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/)

> [I regard individuality as the most precious trait we have, because without it there is no creativity, there is no consciousness, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-regard-individuality-as-the-most-precious-trait-we-have-because/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [The biggest thing that comes out of improv that gets built on is just character traits. You know, for me the singing was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/the-biggest-thing-that-comes-out-of-improv-that-gets-built-on-is-just/)

[Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/)

> [ I never left my roots. You can identify me as someone that didn't become high and mighty. Humility is a defining \[trait\] all of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-williams/i-never-left-my-roots-you-can-identify-me-as-someone-that-didn-t/)

[Serena Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-williams/)

> [The brain, Schopenhauer says, is the 'one great tool' that has enabled a creature endowed with neither sharp teeth nor claws to survive in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-young/the-brain-schopenhauer-says-is-the-one-great-tool-that-has-enabled-a/)

[Julian Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-young/)

> [Although self-control is inheritable and does run in families and has a genetic component, it's more like height than anything else. Height is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrie-moffitt/although-self-control-is-inheritable-and-does-run-in-families-and-has/)

[Terrie Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrie-moffitt/)

> [You must give soldiers reasons to have confidence and pride in themselves, in their leaders, and in their units. Only then will you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-dunaway/you-must-give-soldiers-reasons-to-have-confidence-and-pride-in/)

[George W. Dunaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-dunaway/)

> [My best personality trait that I think I'm very approachable. And my worst is that I can be moody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-iglesias/my-best-personality-trait-that-i-think-i-m-very-approachable-and-my/)

[Enrique Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-iglesias/)

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

> [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/)

[Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/)

## More by Michael Wolff

> [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“he could yet make a case for a straight line from Nixon to Trump.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/he-could-yet-make-a-case-for-a-straight-line-from-nixon-to-trump/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“it confirmed Bannon’s worst fear: Trump, in his true heart, was a marshmallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/it-confirmed-bannon-s-worst-fear-trump-in-his-true-heart-was-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“An important aspect of Kaplan’s New York Observer and its self-conscious inside media baseball was that the paper became the prime school for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/an-important-aspect-of-kaplan-s-new-york-observer-and-its-self/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The candidate who billed himself as a billionaire—ten times over—refused even to invest his own money in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-candidate-who-billed-himself-as-a-billionaire-ten-times-over/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [If institutions don't grow, they... well, I don't know what happens to them, because they always grow. I suppose the point is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/if-institutions-don-t-grow-they-well-i-don-t-know-what-happens-to/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Even though Trump liked to portray his business as an empire, it was actually a discrete holding company and boutique enterprise,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/even-though-trump-liked-to-portray-his-business-as-an-empire-it-was/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“the organizational premise of the Trump White House: the family would always prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-organizational-premise-of-the-trump-white-house-the-family-would/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Trump, who referred to the Chinese leader as “Mr. X-i”; the president was told to think of him as a woman and call him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-who-referred-to-the-chinese-leader-as-mr-x-i-the-president-was/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Donald Trump, even more than his father, was perceived as a vulgarian—after all, he put his name on his buildings, quite a déclassé thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-even-more-than-his-father-was-perceived-as-a-vulgarian/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-index-that-appeared-in-the-print-version-of-this-title-does-not/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Trump liked to say that one of the things that made life worth living was getting your friends’ wives into bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/trump-liked-to-say-that-one-of-the-things-that-made-life-worth-living/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“The kids”—Jared and Ivanka—exhibited an increasingly panicked sense that the FBI and DOJ were moving beyond Russian election interference and into family finances. “Ivanka…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-kids-jared-and-ivanka-exhibited-an-increasingly-panicked-sense/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [I am old enough to think the word 'journalist' is not all that noble a designation. Journalist - that record keeper, quote taker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/i-am-old-enough-to-think-the-word-journalist-is-not-all-that-noble-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

> [“Politics had seemed to become, even well before the age of Trump, a mortal affair. It was now zero-sum: When one side profited, another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/politics-had-seemed-to-become-even-well-before-the-age-of-trump-a/)

[Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

[Explore all 570 Michael Wolff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/)

## More Person quotes

> [“Always resemble yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-white/always-resemble-yourself/)

[Cynthia White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-white/)

> [“They're threatened by you,' she said. 'You chose to do something they'd never have the gumption to choose for themselves. Being their own person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/they-re-threatened-by-you-she-said-you-chose-to-do-something-they-d/)

[Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/)

> [I think a person has to just be herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nixon/i-think-a-person-has-to-just-be-herself/)

[Pat Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nixon/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Sometimes, the person you trust most is the one who trusts you the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/sometimes-the-person-you-trust-most-is-the-one-who-trusts-you-the/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/)

[Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/)

> [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/)

[Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/)

> [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/)

[Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/)

> [I'm not the sort of person who would want to just lie on the sofa watching TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-m-not-the-sort-of-person-who-would-want-to-just-lie-on-the-sofa/)

[Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/)

> [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Be proud of who you are &amp; who you represent.You are unique, there is no other exactly like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/be-proud-of-who-you-are-who-you-represent-you-are-unique-there-is-no/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [“if you act (and dress) as if you have a fascinating inner life, you may soon find that you actually do—and that you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-act-and-dress-as-if-you-have-a-fascinating-inner-life-you-may/)

[Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/)

[Browse all 19,722 Person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“less a person than a collection of terrible traits.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Wolff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terrible-traits/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Person"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terrible-traits/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/michael-wolff-423_person_less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terri_540543.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“less a person than a collection of terrible traits.” — Michael Wolff",
                "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 Wolff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“less a person than a collection...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terrible-traits/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/less-a-person-than-a-collection-of-terrible-traits/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
