--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People of relatively low intelligence can…" description: "\"People of relatively low intelligence can be morally wonderful if they desire the right and the good (not necessarily under the description \"right\" or ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg" --- # People of relatively low intelligence can be morally… ![“People of relatively low intelligence can be morally wonderful if they desire the right and the good (not necessarily under the description "right" or "good"). Their low intelligence sometimes results in their accidentally doing something wrong, but doing something wrong out of low intelligence…” quote by Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg) > “People of relatively low intelligence can be morally wonderful if they desire the right and the good (not necessarily under the description "right" or "good"). Their low intelligence sometimes results in their accidentally doing something wrong, but doing something wrong out of low intelligence alone is like stepping on a person's foot because you are (literally) blind or missing a cry for help because you are (literally) deaf. We do not judge the blind or deaf person as morally bad.” [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Low intelligence doesn't preclude moral virtue; mistakes stem from ignorance, not malice. **In simple terms:** Intelligence low, moral good possible; errors are accidental. Key Takeaway Judge actions, not perceived ability. Themes ethics intelligence morality Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - education - disability advocacy - judgment - ethical decision‑making Key Concepts cognitive limitation virtue ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do we fairly assess moral responsibility? - What support helps mitigate unintentional harm? A Different Perspective Might overlook systemic factors influencing behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [We proclaim human intelligence to be morally valuable per se because we are human. If we were birds, we would proclaim the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-proclaim-human-intelligence-to-be-morally-valuable-per-se-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“6. There is no Mortal who is Non-Moral or Purely Immoral. The same is the case with the third and the fourth class of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/6-there-is-no-mortal-who-is-non-moral-or-purely-immoral-the-same-is/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [“To summarize, then, our three requirements for a good theory of assholes are as follows. We are looking for (1) a stable trait of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-james/to-summarize-then-our-three-requirements-for-a-good-theory-of/) [Aaron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-james/) > [It is morally as bad not to care whether anything is true or not...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/it-is-morally-as-bad-not-to-care-whether-anything-is-true-or-not/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [Process as process is neither morally good nor morally bad. We may judge results but not process. The morally bad agent may perform the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/process-as-process-is-neither-morally-good-nor-morally-bad-we-may/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [ \[W\]e are not morally bad people for taking carbon and turning it into the energy that offers life to humanity in a world that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-christy/w-e-are-not-morally-bad-people-for-taking-carbon-and-turning-it-into/) [John Christy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-christy/) > [We must understand that when a society undermines intellectual freedom for its own purposes it is absolutely morally bad, but when it represses biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/we-must-understand-that-when-a-society-undermines-intellectual/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [It is morally as bad not to care whether a thing is true or not, so long as it makes you feel good, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/it-is-morally-as-bad-not-to-care-whether-a-thing-is-true-or-not-so/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [The evils of mankind are caused, not by the primary aggressiveness of individuals, but by their self-transcending identification with groups whose common denominator is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-evils-of-mankind-are-caused-not-by-the-primary-aggressiveness-of/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“An intellectual person is always confident about his or her own words when he or she communicates with another individual or the public. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saaif-alam/an-intellectual-person-is-always-confident-about-his-or-her-own-words/) [Saaif alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saaif-alam/) > [“God was just and that the head of the state in Egypt wielded his power fairly. If God deprived a child of family or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/god-was-just-and-that-the-head-of-the-state-in-egypt-wielded-his/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [“But do I have “low intelligence”?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-kinney/but-do-i-have-low-intelligence/) [Jeff Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-kinney/) > [“If you think of yourself as a follower of Christ’s teachings, if you consider yourself a good person, you are morally obligated to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-follower-of-christ-s-teachings-if-you/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibilty, who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/how-strange-it-is-that-people-of-honest-feelings-and-sensibilty-who/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [consumption can be very harmful to the world. I'm not a big proponent of the idea that consumption makes you morally bad, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-levine/consumption-can-be-very-harmful-to-the-world-i-m-not-a-big-proponent/) Judith Levine ## More by Nomy Arpaly > [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Other things being equal, ill will is worse than moral indifference (as in causing suffering for money vs causing suffering to cause suffering), though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/other-things-being-equal-ill-will-is-worse-than-moral-indifference-as/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Duties concern things that are voluntary. I do think that if you have a moral duty to bring me back the book you borrowed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/duties-concern-things-that-are-voluntary-i-do-think-that-if-you-have/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Sometimes I suspect that there are two prototypes of philosophers who write about humans - I call them "celestials" and "terrestrials", without implying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/sometimes-i-suspect-that-there-are-two-prototypes-of-philosophers-who/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [When you find yourself reluctant to sit on a chair because it had unexpectedly collapsed in the past you might shake your head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/when-you-find-yourself-reluctant-to-sit-on-a-chair-because-it-had/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [If I make a stupid decision but don't execute it because I'm, say, lazy, then I'm lucky, not rational. However, at other times a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/if-i-make-a-stupid-decision-but-don-t-execute-it-because-i-m-say-lazy/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [If I am told my loving you had to happen because of some Freudian stuff about my childhood, that might be degrading or deflationary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/if-i-am-told-my-loving-you-had-to-happen-because-of-some-freudian/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I am not committed in any way to the traditional concept of character - the concept of "character trait" as involving predictable behavior. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-not-committed-in-any-way-to-the-traditional-concept-of-character/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I don't think any of my desires or beliefs or other mental states are external to me. Many people will occasionally feel alienated from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-don-t-think-any-of-my-desires-or-beliefs-or-other-mental-states-are/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Incompatibilists will tell you that a work of art has no meaning unless the artists could have chosen to create a different one, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/incompatibilists-will-tell-you-that-a-work-of-art-has-no-meaning/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Though we think intrinsic desires tend to be pretty stable, we do not think they imply anything like the amount of predictability in behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/though-we-think-intrinsic-desires-tend-to-be-pretty-stable-we-do-not/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [Suppose a student of mine writes in her exam that "morality is completely relative to culture, so nothing is absolutely right or wrong. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/suppose-a-student-of-mine-writes-in-her-exam-that-morality-is/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I don't think we are all irrational every time we fail to see through an argument in a book, but suppose it's true about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-don-t-think-we-are-all-irrational-every-time-we-fail-to-see-through/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I think it's ok to have wishes that conflict with each other - it's irrational to try to make them both come true, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-think-it-s-ok-to-have-wishes-that-conflict-with-each-other-it-s/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [When I see two owls and then two more owls and conclude that I see four owls, I am responding to reasons, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/when-i-see-two-owls-and-then-two-more-owls-and-conclude-that-i-see/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) [Explore all 28 Nomy Arpaly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) ## More Blind quotes > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Love is so blind, it feels right when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/love-is-so-blind-it-feels-right-when-it-s-wrong/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) > [“What I shall feel to-morrow I cannot tell. Maybe I shall go blind again, for women are never two days alike in their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-parker/what-i-shall-feel-to-morrow-i-cannot-tell-maybe-i-shall-go-blind/) [Gilbert Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-parker/) > [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“The heart’s blind. It’s the head that causes all the trouble. Sometimes both are stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/the-heart-s-blind-it-s-the-head-that-causes-all-the-trouble-sometimes/) [K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/) > [“In the story of the blind men and the elephant, what’s usually ignored is the fact that each man’s description was correct. What Faye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/in-the-story-of-the-blind-men-and-the-elephant-what-s-usually-ignored/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/if-you-are-the-master-be-sometimes-blind-if-you-are-the-servant-be/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/i-m-glad-i-m-blind-and-can-t-see-it/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) [Browse all 3,877 Blind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People of relatively low intelligence can be morally wonderful if they desire the right and the good (not necessarily under the description \"right\" or \"good\"). Their low intelligence sometimes results in their accidentally doing something wrong, but doing something wrong out of low intelligence alone is like stepping on a person's foot because you are (literally) blind or missing a cry for help because you are (literally) deaf. We do not judge the blind or deaf person as morally bad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nomy Arpaly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-can-be-morally-wonderful-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-can-be-morally-wonderful-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/nomy-arpaly-21717_blind_people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-ca_2111959.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People of relatively low intelligence can be morally wonderful if they desire the right and the good (not…” — Nomy Arpaly", "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": "Nomy Arpaly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People of relatively low intelligence can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-can-be-morally-wonderful-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/people-of-relatively-low-intelligence-can-be-morally-wonderful-if/#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 } } ] } ```