---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty…"
description: "\"“Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.”\" — Neal Shusterman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png"
---

#  Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states…

![“Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png)

> ““Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.””

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

## About This Quote

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

Humanity contains both innocence and guilt simultaneously; both aspects are equally valid.

**In simple terms:** People are both good and bad at the same time.

Key Takeaway

Accept the duality within ourselves and others.

Themes

morality duality human nature

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- self‑assessment
- social analysis

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways do you see innocence and guilt coexisting in a person?
- How does acknowledging both affect judgment?

A Different Perspective

Oversimplifying can ignore context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-guilty-1428843/) [Humanity Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-innocent-1428842/) [Innocent Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent-humanity-1428844/) [States Undeniably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states-undeniably-2999698/)

## Related quotes

> [“Everyone is guilty of something, and everyone still harbors a memory of childhood innocence, no matter how many layers of life wrap around it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/everyone-is-guilty-of-something-and-everyone-still-harbors-a-memory/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“And as I see it they are all innocent. Even the guilty. Everyone is guilty of something, and everyone still harbors a memory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-as-i-see-it-they-are-all-innocent-even-the-guilty-everyone-is/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/)

[Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/)

> [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [“Once the switch of parenthood is thrown, it changes you for ever &amp; you can never escape the extra pull of humanity it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/once-the-switch-of-parenthood-is-thrown-it-changes-you-for-ever-you/)

[Richard hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/)

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth-is-not-infinite-and-that-our/)

[Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Neal Shusterman

> [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. Do I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-come-anywhere-near-my-daughter-i-will-see-to-it-that-you-are/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“And you know the darkness beyond despair, just as intimately as you know the soaring heights. Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“There was never anything wrong with my life. Perhaps that was the problem... The crack in my life was the fact that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/there-was-never-anything-wrong-with-my-life-perhaps-that-was-the/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“But fate is a freak when it comes to messing with your future in ways you don't see coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-fate-is-a-freak-when-it-comes-to-messing-with-your-future-in-ways/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [“The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they are told. Maybe not the first time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-sad-truth-about-humanity-risa-was-quick-to-realize-is-that-people/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

[Explore all 573 Neal Shusterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

## More Humanity quotes

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth-is-not-infinite-and-that-our/)

[Gabriel Tarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-tarde/)

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“Once the switch of parenthood is thrown, it changes you for ever &amp; you can never escape the extra pull of humanity it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/once-the-switch-of-parenthood-is-thrown-it-changes-you-for-ever-you/)

[Richard hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/)

> [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/)

[Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

> [He is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/he-is-not-humanity-deified-he-is-not-godhead-humanized-he-is-god-he/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-not-lose-faith-in-humanity-humanity-is-like-an-ocean-if-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 9,796 Humanity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neal Shusterman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty-and-both-states-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Humanity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty-and-both-states-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/neal-shusterman-412_humanity_humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty_1116464.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.” — Neal Shusterman",
                "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": "Neal Shusterman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty-and-both-states-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/humanity-is-innocent-humanity-is-guilty-and-both-states-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
