--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People might feel sorry for a man who's…" description: "\"“People might feel sorry for a man who's fallen on hard times, but when an entire nation is poor, the rest of the world assumes that all its people mus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d28/orhan-pamuk-500_hard-time_people-might-feel-sorry-for-a-man-who-s_1270412.jpg" --- # People might feel sorry for a man who's fallen on hard… ![“People might feel sorry for a man who's fallen on hard times, but when an entire nation is poor, the rest of the world assumes that all its people must be brainless, lazy, dirty, clumsy fools. Instead of pity, the people provoke laughter. It's all a joke: their culture, their customs, their…” quote by Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d28/orhan-pamuk-500_hard-time_people-might-feel-sorry-for-a-man-who-s_1270412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d28/orhan-pamuk-500_hard-time_people-might-feel-sorry-for-a-man-who-s_1270412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d28/orhan-pamuk-500_hard-time_people-might-feel-sorry-for-a-man-who-s_1270412.jpg) > ““People might feel sorry for a man who's fallen on hard times, but when an entire nation is poor, the rest of the world assumes that all its people must be brainless, lazy, dirty, clumsy fools. Instead of pity, the people provoke laughter. It's all a joke: their culture, their customs, their practices. In time the rest of the world may, some of them, begin to feel ashamed for having thought this way, and when they look around and see immigrants from that poor country mopping their floors and doing all the other lowest paying jobs, naturally they worry about what might happen if these workers one day rose up against them. So, to keep things sweet, they start taking an interest in the immigrants' culture and sometimes even pretend they think of them as equals.”” [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) ## 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 critiques how wealthy societies demean poor nations, reducing their people to stereotypes and using humor to mask prejudice, while later co-opting their culture to ease guilt. **In simple terms:** Rich societies mock and stereotype poor nations, then adopt their culture to ease guilt. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge stereotypes and cultural appropriation. Themes prejudice stereotyping cultural appropriation guilt power dynamics Mood reflective critical empathetic Type social commentary ethical cultural critique When to use this quote - media analysis - policy making - education curricula - community dialogues - corporate diversity training Key Concepts colonialism identity social hierarchy immigration psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do we confront our own biases? - What responsibilities come with adopting another culture? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can be deeply entrenched, making change slow and resistance strong. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Hard times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [A big part of the anti-immigration narrative is the perception that the majority of immigrants are poor, uneducated, and unskilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabrizio-moreira/a-big-part-of-the-anti-immigration-narrative-is-the-perception-that/) [Fabrizio Moreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabrizio-moreira/) > [“What a splendid day! Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/what-a-splendid-day-isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [I pity the people who don't like to read, because then they spend their whole lives stuck in this one world and don't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-denney/i-pity-the-people-who-don-t-like-to-read-because-then-they-spend/) [Richard Denney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-denney/) > [“Fabulous. Toleration is the key word. It's a pity few people understand this.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiane-serruya/fabulous-toleration-is-the-key-word-it-s-a-pity-few-people-understand/) [Cristiane Serruya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiane-serruya/) > [I pity people who do not care for Society. They are poorer for the oblation they do not make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/i-pity-people-who-do-not-care-for-society-they-are-poorer-for-the/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [College athletics are so entrenched and enjoyed by so many people that they will never be discontinued or substantially changed. I know that. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/college-athletics-are-so-entrenched-and-enjoyed-by-so-many-people/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I always pity people who have to write my plot synopses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-always-pity-people-who-have-to-write-my-plot-synopses/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Stop constantly pity other people for how unfortunate and miserable they are, it's unpleasent to hear that repeadetly. A man who do not pity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-macdermott/stop-constantly-pity-other-people-for-how-unfortunate-and-miserable/) Fergus MacDermott > [“Pity the nation whose people are sheep, and whose shepherds mislead them. Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/pity-the-nation-whose-people-are-sheep-and-whose-shepherds-mislead/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [“Self-pity people are the most self-centered people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-tse/self-pity-people-are-the-most-self-centered-people/) [Sarah Tse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-tse/) > [And pity--people who inspire it in you are actually very powerful people. To get someone else to take care of you, to feel sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/and-pity-people-who-inspire-it-in-you-are-actually-very-powerful/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“I pity people who don't like to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-turi/i-pity-people-who-don-t-like-to-read/) Susan Turi > [“I had great pity on Ansje, because she always acted very happy, but I believed that it was really a front. I could see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diet-eman/i-had-great-pity-on-ansje-because-she-always-acted-very-happy-but-i/) [Diet Eman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diet-eman/) > [Isn't it good just to be alive on a day like this? I pity the people who aren't born yet for missing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/isn-t-it-good-just-to-be-alive-on-a-day-like-this-i-pity-the-people/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [The "religion of pity" to which people would like to convert us- oh, we know well enough the hysterical little men and women who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-religion-of-pity-to-which-people-would-like-to-convert-us-oh-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Orhan Pamuk > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I need the pain of loneliness to make my imagination work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-the-pain-of-loneliness-to-make-my-imagination-work/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I really don't want to portray the Islamists as simply evil, the way it's often done in the west.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-really-don-t-want-to-portray-the-islamists-as-simply-evil-the-way/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I am proud to be a Turk, and to write in Turkish about Turkey - and to have been translated into about 40 languages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-am-proud-to-be-a-turk-and-to-write-in-turkish-about-turkey-and-to/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I don't want to be a tree; I want to be its meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-tree-i-want-to-be-its-meaning/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“...love is deep attention, deep compassion...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/love-is-deep-attention-deep-compassion/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Books, which we mistake for consolation, only add depth to our sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/books-which-we-mistake-for-consolation-only-add-depth-to-our-sorrow/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“If you think you are better than Stork, then by all means, get hold of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/if-you-think-you-are-better-than-stork-then-by-all-means-get-hold-of/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I need a moment of time for myself every day, like a child playing with his things. When I travel, I routinely find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-need-a-moment-of-time-for-myself-every-day-like-a-child-playing/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Love is a sacred silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/love-is-a-sacred-silence/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“Creíamos saber mucho, pero no sabíamos nada. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/cre-amos-saber-mucho-pero-no-sab-amos-nada/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“- Za nas je otkucaj sata, baš kao žuvor šadrvana u dvorištu džamije, odjek zakoračenja u ono što je u nama, a ne zvuk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/za-nas-je-otkucaj-sata-ba-kao-uvor-adrvana-u-dvori-tu-d-amije-odjek/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“A writer is someone who spends years patiently trying to discover the second being inside him, and the world that makes him who he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/a-writer-is-someone-who-spends-years-patiently-trying-to-discover-the/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“Near Taksim he suddenly found himself inside a crowd of people leaving a movie theater. They were staring straight ahead, as if in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/near-taksim-he-suddenly-found-himself-inside-a-crowd-of-people/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) [Explore all 402 Orhan Pamuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) ## More Feel sorry quotes > [“People feel sorry for your pain, and pain just is. It doesn’t only happen when you’re worthy of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-butler/people-feel-sorry-for-your-pain-and-pain-just-is-it-doesn-t-only/) [Erin Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-butler/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [If it's me against 48, I feel sorry for the 48.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-it-s-me-against-48-i-feel-sorry-for-the-48/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [It's core to my beliefs now: Sometimes in being given a challenge, you're actually being given a real opportunity, and a lot of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/it-s-core-to-my-beliefs-now-sometimes-in-being-given-a-challenge-you/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [Don't feel sorry because my life is over. Be happy that it happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-burns/don-t-feel-sorry-because-my-life-is-over-be-happy-that-it-happened/) [Pat Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-burns/) > [I really feel sorry for kids who aren't interested in history - recent history, either, because it is this that made us what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-humphries/i-really-feel-sorry-for-kids-who-aren-t-interested-in-history-recent/) [Barry Humphries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-humphries/) > [I can and will say that I feel sorry for myself, however I'm just locking the truth behind me. I don't feel sorry for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/i-can-and-will-say-that-i-feel-sorry-for-myself-however-i-m-just/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [For the first time in my life I actually feel sorry for Carol. I'm only seventeen years old, and I already know something she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-actually-feel-sorry-for-carol-i-m/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You must first feel sorry for your sins, to seek the free gift of grace of salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-must-first-feel-sorry-for-your-sins-to-seek-the-free-gift-of/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [You don't get there the easy way. If you feel sorry for yourself, and you let yourself go down, you will drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/you-don-t-get-there-the-easy-way-if-you-feel-sorry-for-yourself-and/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [“Feel sorry for anyone who thinks what they think is right should be some universal law”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/feel-sorry-for-anyone-who-thinks-what-they-think-is-right-should-be/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [Ifelt today that… she is only for me but, em late she is not for me. I was for her when she was loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saami-saham/ifelt-today-that-she-is-only-for-me-but-em-late-she-is-not-for-me-i/) [Saami Saham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saami-saham/) > [So you're probably looking at this and making fun of my outfit, right? Anyway here's all you really need to know about today; if...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-davis/so-you-re-probably-looking-at-this-and-making-fun-of-my-outfit-right/) [Brooke Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-davis/) > [I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ings/i-don-t-want-anybody-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Danny Ings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ings/) > [“Judge me if you must, but keep in mind how very little pleasure I could have possibly derived from a one-thrust sex session, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-madison/judge-me-if-you-must-but-keep-in-mind-how-very-little-pleasure-i/) [Kate Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-madison/) Browse all 434 Feel sorry quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People might feel sorry for a man who's fallen on hard times, but when an entire nation is poor, the rest of the world assumes that all its people must be brainless, lazy, dirty, clumsy fools. 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