---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is more repugnant to me than…"
description: "\"Nothing is more repugnant to me than brotherly feelings grounded in the common baseness people see in one another.\" — Milan Kundera"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg"
---

#  Nothing is more repugnant to me than brotherly feelings…

![“Nothing is more repugnant to me than brotherly feelings grounded in the common baseness people see in one another.” quote by Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg)

> “Nothing is more repugnant to me than brotherly feelings grounded in the common baseness people see in one another.”

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker despises affection that is rooted in the shared moral failings they perceive in each other.

**In simple terms:** Brotherly love tied to common baseness is repugnant.

Key Takeaway

Affinity based on shared flaws feels corrosive.

Themes

human nature relationships morality disgust

Mood

cynical disillusioned

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- family members judging each other's habits
- political allies sharing corrupt practices
- friend groups bonding over shared vices

Key Concepts

ethical relativism psychology of resentment

Practical Applications

- Reflect on values before forming close bonds
- Seek relationships grounded in positive traits

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a bond healthy despite mutual flaws?
- Can recognizing shared baseness lead to collective improvement?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overgeneralize; shared imperfections can also foster empathy and growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Baseness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseness/) [Brotherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherly/) [Brotherly Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherly-feelings-1240980/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feelings Grounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-grounded-1240982/) [Grounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grounded/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Repugnant Brotherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repugnant-brotherly-1240981/)

## Related quotes

> [It isn't those who always addressing each other as comrade who necessarily show the most brotherly feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/it-isn-t-those-who-always-addressing-each-other-as-comrade-who/)

[Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/)

> [The tyrant, who in order to hold his power, suppresses every superiority, does away with good men, forbids education and light, controls every movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-tyrant-who-in-order-to-hold-his-power-suppresses-every/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [To think is to take a cunning revenge in which we camouflage our baseness and conceal our lower instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/to-think-is-to-take-a-cunning-revenge-in-which-we-camouflage-our/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

> [Advertizing, television and film all wield mighty powers to visually seduce us, while much fine art leaves us indifferent, confused or, at worst, repulsed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walford/advertizing-television-and-film-all-wield-mighty-powers-to-visually/)

[John Walford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walford/)

> [When the scale of sensuality bears down that of reason, the baseness of our nature conducts us to most preposterous conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-chamberlain/when-the-scale-of-sensuality-bears-down-that-of-reason-the-baseness/)

[Roger Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-chamberlain/)

> [ There is no more evil thing in this world than race prejudice, none at all. \[...\] It justifies and holds together more baseness, cruelty,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/there-is-no-more-evil-thing-in-this-world-than-race-prejudice-none-at/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [The motions of men must be such as suggest their dignity or their baseness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-motions-of-men-must-be-such-as-suggest-their-dignity-or-their/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [How many a father have I seen, A sober man, among his boys, Whose youth was full of foolish noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/how-many-a-father-have-i-seen-a-sober-man-among-his-boys-whose-youth/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [It (the heart) is supposed in popular language, to be the seat sometimes, of courage, sometimes of affection, sometimes of honesty, or baseness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/it-the-heart-is-supposed-in-popular-language-to-be-the-seat-sometimes/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [Those who profess contempt for men, and put them on a level with beasts, yet wish to be admired and believed by men, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/those-who-profess-contempt-for-men-and-put-them-on-a-level-with/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/a-nation-can-survive-its-fools-and-even-the-ambitious-but-it-cannot/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [I once did hold it, as our statists do, A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much How to forget that learning; but, sir,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-once-did-hold-it-as-our-statists-do-a-baseness-to-write-fair-and/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [No, no, there must be a limit to the baseness even of publishers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/no-no-there-must-be-a-limit-to-the-baseness-even-of-publishers/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/there-are-only-two-great-currents-in-the-history-of-mankind-the/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [O fools, awake! The rites ye sacred hold Are but a cheat contrived by men of old Who lusted after wealth and gained their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ma-arri/o-fools-awake-the-rites-ye-sacred-hold-are-but-a-cheat-contrived-by/)

[Al-Maʿarri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ma-arri/)

## More by Milan Kundera

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“From that time on they both looked forward to sleeping together. I might even say that the goal of their lovemaking was not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/from-that-time-on-they-both-looked-forward-to-sleeping-together-i/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Our lives may be separate, but they run in the same direction, like parallel lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/our-lives-may-be-separate-but-they-run-in-the-same-direction-like/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Having a child is to show an absolute accord with mankind. If I have a child, it's as though I'm saying: I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/having-a-child-is-to-show-an-absolute-accord-with-mankind-if-i-have-a/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Love is a battle," said Marie-Claude, still smiling. "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end." Love is a battle?" said Franz.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/love-is-a-battle-said-marie-claude-still-smiling-and-i-plan-to-go-on/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“He remained annoyed with himself until he realized that not knowing what he wanted was actually quite natural. We can never know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/he-remained-annoyed-with-himself-until-he-realized-that-not-knowing/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [When we ignore the body, we are more easily victimized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/when-we-ignore-the-body-we-are-more-easily-victimized-by-it/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Os extremos delimitam a fronteira para além da qual a vida termina, e a paixão pelo extremismo, tanto em arte como em política, é…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/os-extremos-delimitam-a-fronteira-para-al-m-da-qual-a-vida-termina-e/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

[Explore all 952 Milan Kundera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

## More Baseness quotes

> [O fools, awake! The rites ye sacred hold Are but a cheat contrived by men of old Who lusted after wealth and gained their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ma-arri/o-fools-awake-the-rites-ye-sacred-hold-are-but-a-cheat-contrived-by/)

[Al-Maʿarri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ma-arri/)

> [There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/there-are-only-two-great-currents-in-the-history-of-mankind-the/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [No, no, there must be a limit to the baseness even of publishers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/no-no-there-must-be-a-limit-to-the-baseness-even-of-publishers/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [I once did hold it, as our statists do, A baseness to write fair, and labour'd much How to forget that learning; but, sir,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-once-did-hold-it-as-our-statists-do-a-baseness-to-write-fair-and/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/a-nation-can-survive-its-fools-and-even-the-ambitious-but-it-cannot/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Those who profess contempt for men, and put them on a level with beasts, yet wish to be admired and believed by men, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/those-who-profess-contempt-for-men-and-put-them-on-a-level-with/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [It (the heart) is supposed in popular language, to be the seat sometimes, of courage, sometimes of affection, sometimes of honesty, or baseness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/it-the-heart-is-supposed-in-popular-language-to-be-the-seat-sometimes/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [How many a father have I seen, A sober man, among his boys, Whose youth was full of foolish noise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/how-many-a-father-have-i-seen-a-sober-man-among-his-boys-whose-youth/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [The motions of men must be such as suggest their dignity or their baseness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-motions-of-men-must-be-such-as-suggest-their-dignity-or-their/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [ There is no more evil thing in this world than race prejudice, none at all. \[...\] It justifies and holds together more baseness, cruelty,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/there-is-no-more-evil-thing-in-this-world-than-race-prejudice-none-at/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [When the scale of sensuality bears down that of reason, the baseness of our nature conducts us to most preposterous conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-chamberlain/when-the-scale-of-sensuality-bears-down-that-of-reason-the-baseness/)

[Roger Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-chamberlain/)

> [Advertizing, television and film all wield mighty powers to visually seduce us, while much fine art leaves us indifferent, confused or, at worst, repulsed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walford/advertizing-television-and-film-all-wield-mighty-powers-to-visually/)

[John Walford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walford/)

> [To think is to take a cunning revenge in which we camouflage our baseness and conceal our lower instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/to-think-is-to-take-a-cunning-revenge-in-which-we-camouflage-our/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

> [The tyrant, who in order to hold his power, suppresses every superiority, does away with good men, forbids education and light, controls every movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-tyrant-who-in-order-to-hold-his-power-suppresses-every/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Some kinds of baseness are nobly undergone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/some-kinds-of-baseness-are-nobly-undergone/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

[Browse all 58 Baseness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothing is more repugnant to me than brotherly feelings grounded in the common baseness people see in one another.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Milan Kundera"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-brotherly-feelings-grounded-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Baseness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-brotherly-feelings-grounded-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/milan-kundera-120_baseness_nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-bro_102617.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing is more repugnant to me than brotherly feelings grounded in the common baseness people see in one…” — Milan Kundera",
                "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": "Milan Kundera",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nothing is more repugnant to me...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-brotherly-feelings-grounded-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/nothing-is-more-repugnant-to-me-than-brotherly-feelings-grounded-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
