--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The…" description: "\"Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The shame of rote arguments isn't just that they're cliches, though they are, but that they tend to hide from us ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/michelle-dean-7717_bad_bad-criticism-recites-rote-arguments-the_352708.jpg" --- # Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The shame of rote… ![“Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The shame of rote arguments isn't just that they're cliches, though they are, but that they tend to hide from us why a critic is actually thinking what they're thinking.” quote by Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/michelle-dean-7717_bad_bad-criticism-recites-rote-arguments-the_352708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/michelle-dean-7717_bad_bad-criticism-recites-rote-arguments-the_352708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/michelle-dean-7717_bad_bad-criticism-recites-rote-arguments-the_352708.jpg) > “Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The shame of rote arguments isn't just that they're cliches, though they are, but that they tend to hide from us why a critic is actually thinking what they're thinking.” [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critics often repeat clichés, obscuring their true reasoning and limiting insight. **In simple terms:** Cliché criticism hides real thoughts. Key Takeaway Seek deeper analysis. Themes criticism communication logic Mood analytical critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic review - media commentary - public debate Key Concepts rhetoric intellectual honesty Questions to Reflect On - How can we expose underlying assumptions? - What benefits come from questioning clichés? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex arguments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [When I first prepared this particular talk... I realized that my usual approach is usually critical. That is, a lot of the things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/when-i-first-prepared-this-particular-talk-i-realized-that-my-usual/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [Guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, they'll take bad criticism in a good way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-payton/guys-like-kobe-bryant-lebron-james-kevin-garnett-they-ll-take-bad/) [Gary Payton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-payton/) > [Bad criticism has followed things like comic books or TV, and they put down a medium. A medium cannot be inherently good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-stoll/bad-criticism-has-followed-things-like-comic-books-or-tv-and-they-put/) [Corey Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-stoll/) > [A bad short story or novel or poem leaves one comparatively calm because it does not exist, unless it gets a fake prestige throughbeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-bad-short-story-or-novel-or-poem-leaves-one-comparatively-calm/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“So the challenge, as you contemplate your next opportunity to be boring or remarkable, is to answer these two questions: (1) "If I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/so-the-challenge-as-you-contemplate-your-next-opportunity-to-be/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [It's a healthy thing to get some bad criticism. I'm still here and I'm fine, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hawes/it-s-a-healthy-thing-to-get-some-bad-criticism-i-m-still-here-and-i-m/) [Keeley Hawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hawes/) > [The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-way-to-deal-with-superstition-is-not-to-be-polite-to-it-but-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Children learn what they live. If a child lives with criticism... he learns to condemn. If he lives with hostility... he learns to fight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-nolte/children-learn-what-they-live-if-a-child-lives-with-criticism-he/) [Dorothy Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-nolte/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I don't mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal, it is quite hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inzamam-ul-haq/i-don-t-mind-positive-criticism-but-when-it-is-negative-and-personal/) [Inzamam-ul-Haq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inzamam-ul-haq/) > [I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-m-more-comfortable-modelling-as-a-man-because-i-don-t-get-any/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) ## More by Michelle Dean > [There is an unfortunate side effect of being a person of few words: Sometimes people will assume you are less intelligent than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-is-an-unfortunate-side-effect-of-being-a-person-of-few-words/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Poems are ideally suited, in some ways, to social media because they pack so much meaning into so little language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/poems-are-ideally-suited-in-some-ways-to-social-media-because-they/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [The diversity of perspective, the unwillingness to generalise - those are good traits in countries as they are in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/the-diversity-of-perspective-the-unwillingness-to-generalise-those/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [When Paul Beatty's 'The Sellout' was first published in America in 2015, it was a small release. It got a rave review in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/when-paul-beatty-s-the-sellout-was-first-published-in-america-in-2015/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hollywood versions of watershed moments in American history are generally high-minded shlock. 'JFK,' 'The People vs. Larry Flynt,' even 'Lincoln': all of these boast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/hollywood-versions-of-watershed-moments-in-american-history-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I still think, most of the time, when people called shows like 'The Sopranos' or 'Deadwood' 'art' that they were correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/i-still-think-most-of-the-time-when-people-called-shows-like-the/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Saying that you spend Christmas alone is, to most middle-class Americans, akin to confessing a terminal illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/saying-that-you-spend-christmas-alone-is-to-most-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [There are many things to like about 'Mr. Robot,' the most ephemeral and yet memorable of them being the opening credits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-are-many-things-to-like-about-mr-robot-the-most-ephemeral-and/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Research can be a boon to a novelist - there are more things in heaven and Earth than can be dreamt of in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/research-can-be-a-boon-to-a-novelist-there-are-more-things-in-heaven/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Writing a novel about feminism can be a thankless task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/writing-a-novel-about-feminism-can-be-a-thankless-task/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Feminists are disappointed in each other a lot, a natural side effect of being involved in a movement, which naturally implies that progress toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/feminists-are-disappointed-in-each-other-a-lot-a-natural-side-effect/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hillbilly stereotypes have always made it easier for middle-class whites to presume that racism is the exclusive province of 'that kind' of person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/hillbilly-stereotypes-have-always-made-it-easier-for-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Book awards - in America, at least - are not like the Oscars. Awards are not cumulative, and in the case of something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/book-awards-in-america-at-least-are-not-like-the-oscars-awards-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I tend to judge a piece of criticism by how smart I find the argument. This, I know,, is not how everyone does it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/i-tend-to-judge-a-piece-of-criticism-by-how-smart-i-find-the-argument/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) [Explore all 88 Michelle Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## More Bad quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/) [Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/) > [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) Browse all 7,973 Bad quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bad criticism recites rote arguments. 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