--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've never seen a study, but my sense is…" description: "\"I've never seen a study, but my sense is that these are people who feel really aggrieved. These people think, \"I've done everything right all my life, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg" --- # I've never seen a study, but my sense is that these are… ![“I've never seen a study, but my sense is that these are people who feel really aggrieved. These people think, "I've done everything right all my life, I'm a god-fearing Christian, I'm white, I'm male, I've worked hard, and I carry a gun. I do everything I'm supposed to do. And I'm getting…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg) > “I've never seen a study, but my sense is that these are people who feel really aggrieved. These people think, "I've done everything right all my life, I'm a god-fearing Christian, I'm white, I'm male, I've worked hard, and I carry a gun. I do everything I'm supposed to do. And I'm getting shafted." And in fact they are getting shafted. For 30 years their wages have stagnated or declined, the social conditions have worsened, the children are going crazy, there are no schools, there's nothing, so somebody must be doing something to them, and they want to know who it is.” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## 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 describes a grievance‑driven worldview where privileged individuals blame external forces for personal and societal decline, despite evidence of systemic stagnation. **In simple terms:** People blame others for their problems despite their own advantages. Key Takeaway Recognize systemic factors over personal blame. Themes grievance privilege blame social decline Mood frustrated critical reflective Type analytical political sociological When to use this quote - workplace dissatisfaction - political discourse - community activism - policy debates - family stress Key Concepts sociology psychology political economy Questions to Reflect On - How does privilege shape perception of injustice? - What actions can address systemic stagnation? A Different Perspective It overlooks the role of personal responsibility and agency in effecting change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggrieved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggrieved-1138720/) [Aggrieved People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggrieved-people-2237583/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Going crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-crazy/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-feel/) [People Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/) [Really Aggrieved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-aggrieved-2237584/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-conditions/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wages/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [ “HIGGINS \[aggrieved\] Do you mean that my language is improper? MRS HIGGINS. No, dearest: it would be quite proper - say on a canal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/higgins-aggrieved-do-you-mean-that-my-language-is-improper-mrs/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [ “\[W\]hat possible purpose does this lashing-out serve? Will activists be shamed into recovering their previous enthusiasm? Will Republicans stop their vicious attacks because Obama… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/w-hat-possible-purpose-does-this-lashing-out-serve-will-activists-be/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [“Jacob wore a tetchy air of mild resentment that Paul couldn't begin to understand. He was forty and his father was bankrolling him; what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/jacob-wore-a-tetchy-air-of-mild-resentment-that-paul-couldn-t-begin/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“Are you flirting with another of my sisters?” Rolf sounded aggrieved. “Is no woman safe from you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-day-george/are-you-flirting-with-another-of-my-sisters-rolf-sounded-aggrieved-is/) [Jessica Day George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-day-george/) > [I've worked on enough campaigns to know that the most aggrieved candidate rarely emerges victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-ve-worked-on-enough-campaigns-to-know-that-the-most-aggrieved/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [“What's not right about her, Farley?" she asked curiously. An annoyed humph. A few ahems, then a thoroughly miffed, "She's a fine enough lass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/what-s-not-right-about-her-farley-she-asked-curiously-an-annoyed/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“oh, don't look so aggrieved. I have never met a man I didn't provoke" ~ Asha Greyjoy (from a Feast For Crows)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/oh-don-t-look-so-aggrieved-i-have-never-met-a-man-i-didn-t-provoke/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [So many see themselves as aggrieved; so few see themselves as aggrievers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-allen-paulos/so-many-see-themselves-as-aggrieved-so-few-see-themselves-as/) [John Allen Paulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-allen-paulos/) > [I know very well that I have no reason to feel aggrieved - I am fully aware of how lucky I am, but knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-richardson/i-know-very-well-that-i-have-no-reason-to-feel-aggrieved-i-am-fully/) [Jon Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-richardson/) > [When you have done your best for a flower, and it fails, you have some reason to be aggrieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-arthur-swinnerton/when-you-have-done-your-best-for-a-flower-and-it-fails-you-have-some/) [Frank Arthur Swinnerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-arthur-swinnerton/) > [When you are aggrieved you learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/when-you-are-aggrieved-you-learn/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [It's hard not to take it personally when being wait-listed, passed over for a promotion, or losing a client to a competitor. But while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/it-s-hard-not-to-take-it-personally-when-being-wait-listed-passed/) [Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/) > [In Egypt the neoliberal programs have meant statistical growth, like right before the Arab Spring, Egypt was a kind of poster child for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-egypt-the-neoliberal-programs-have-meant-statistical-growth-like/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Real wages for male workers in the United States are about what they were in the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/real-wages-for-male-workers-in-the-united-states-are-about-what-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Real wages have been declining for twenty years. People are working harder, they have to work longer hours, they have less security things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/real-wages-have-been-declining-for-twenty-years-people-are-working/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Governments regard their own citizens as their main enemy, and they have to be - protect themselves. That's why you have state secret laws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-regard-their-own-citizens-as-their-main-enemy-and-they/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-plenty-to-criticize-about-the-mass-media-but-they-are-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The 50,000 Korean mercenaries we had in Vietnam were professional killers and just massacred people outright. And the American army did plenty of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-50-000-korean-mercenaries-we-had-in-vietnam-were-professional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) [Explore all 2,129 Noam Chomsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've never seen a study, but my sense is that these are people who feel really aggrieved. These people think, \"I've done everything right all my life, I'm a god-fearing Christian, I'm white, I'm male, I've worked hard, and I carry a gun. I do everything I'm supposed to do. And I'm getting shafted.\" And in fact they are getting shafted. For 30 years their wages have stagnated or declined, the social conditions have worsened, the children are going crazy, there are no schools, there's nothing, so somebody must be doing something to them, and they want to know who it is.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Noam Chomsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is-that-these-are-people-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is-that-these-are-people-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/noam-chomsky-42_children_i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is_2637146.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've never seen a study, but my sense is that these are people who feel really aggrieved. These people…” — Noam Chomsky", "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": "Noam Chomsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've never seen a study, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is-that-these-are-people-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-ve-never-seen-a-study-but-my-sense-is-that-these-are-people-who/#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 } } ] } ```