--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I move in a society so devoid of ordinary…" description: "\"I move in a society so devoid of ordinary reality that I am continually stopping to teach good sense, to give support, to help out, as a young gangster..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg" --- # I move in a society so devoid of ordinary reality that I… ![“I move in a society so devoid of ordinary reality that I am continually stopping to teach good sense, to give support, to help out, as a young gangster might help an old lady across the street on his way to the stick-up.” quote by Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg) > “I move in a society so devoid of ordinary reality that I am continually stopping to teach good sense, to give support, to help out, as a young gangster might help an old lady across the street on his way to the stick-up.” [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society is so detached from reality that I constantly teach common sense and help others, like a young gangster assisting an elderly woman before a robbery. **In simple terms:** Society lacks ordinary reality. Key Takeaway Offer guidance despite absurdity. Themes societal critique absurdity helping generational gap Mood critical empathetic Type social philosophical When to use this quote - community outreach - social work - urban studies Key Concepts social alienation moral paradox urban life Questions to Reflect On - Why do people feel compelled to teach? - What does this say about societal values? A Different Perspective May romanticize criminal imagery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gangster Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gangster-help-3656870/) [Gangsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gangsters/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-sense/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Old lady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-lady/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Society Devoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-devoid-2241736/) [Sticks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks/) [Stopping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping/) [Stopping Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping-teach-3656871/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-good-371436/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young Gangster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-gangster-2576881/) ## Related quotes > [We establish no religion in this country, nor will we ever. But we poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings. We court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-miller/we-establish-no-religion-in-this-country-nor-will-we-ever-but-we/) [Jeff Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-miller/) > [After a show, I'll get the 16-year-old white kid whose lip is pierced, his head is shaved and his parents hate him, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/after-a-show-i-ll-get-the-16-year-old-white-kid-whose-lip-is-pierced/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) > [If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men’s cottages princes’ palaces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-to-do-were-as-easy-as-to-know-what-were-good-to-do-chapels-had-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Quim," she said, "don't ever try to teach me about good and evil. I've been there, and you've seen nothing but a map.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/quim-she-said-don-t-ever-try-to-teach-me-about-good-and-evil-i-ve/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We evolved the ability to communicate disappointment to teach those around us good manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal/we-evolved-the-ability-to-communicate-disappointment-to-teach-those/) [Hannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal/) > [I think the great thing about religion is it's there to teach us the good path and that we're all equal, that we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/i-think-the-great-thing-about-religion-is-it-s-there-to-teach-us-the/) [Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/) > [We must not indulge in unfavorable views of mankind, since by doing it we make bad men believe they are no worse than others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-winchell/we-must-not-indulge-in-unfavorable-views-of-mankind-since-by-doing-it/) [Walter Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-winchell/) > [We've got to do a better job with our kids. Teach good values, teach the fundamentals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-orr/we-ve-got-to-do-a-better-job-with-our-kids-teach-good-values-teach/) [Bobby Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-orr/) > [Teach and practice, practice and teach - that is all we have; that is all we are good for; that is all we ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/teach-and-practice-practice-and-teach-that-is-all-we-have-that-is-all/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [Every person who you meet has the POTENTIAL to teach you something either good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jreyes/every-person-who-you-meet-has-the-potential-to-teach-you-something/) [JREYES](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jreyes/) > [Life teach us how to be good with others , but some people are so stupid to know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spido/life-teach-us-how-to-be-good-with-others-but-some-people-are-so/) [Spido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spido/) > [Schools teach exactly what they are intended to teach and they do it well: how to be a good Egyptian and remain in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/schools-teach-exactly-what-they-are-intended-to-teach-and-they-do-it/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Teach us, Good Lord, to give and not count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teach-us-good-lord-to-give-and-not-count-the-cost-to-fight-and-not-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What you teach us to do is good; what you teach us to believe is silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mongkut/what-you-teach-us-to-do-is-good-what-you-teach-us-to-believe-is-silly/) [Mongkut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mongkut/) > [It is the duty of a man of honor to teach others the good which he has not been able to do himself because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-the-duty-of-a-man-of-honor-to-teach-others-the-good-which-he/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) ## More by Paul Goodman > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-there-is-official-censorship-it-is-a-sign-that-speech-is-serious/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Freud pointed out, in his Problem of Lay Analysis, that it is extremely unlikely that a young man who would throw the best years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/freud-pointed-out-in-his-problem-of-lay-analysis-that-it-is-extremely/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [It is by losing himself in the objective, in inquiry, creation, and craft, that a man becomes something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/it-is-by-losing-himself-in-the-objective-in-inquiry-creation-and/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [All men are creative but few are artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/all-men-are-creative-but-few-are-artists/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Thwarted, or starved, in the important objects proper to young capacities, the boys and young men naturally find or invent deviant objects for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/thwarted-or-starved-in-the-important-objects-proper-to-young/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [We do not need to be able to say what "human nature" is in order to be able to say that some training is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/we-do-not-need-to-be-able-to-say-what-human-nature-is-in-order-to-be/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Not to teach the whole curriculum is to give up on the whole man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/not-to-teach-the-whole-curriculum-is-to-give-up-on-the-whole-man/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [An obstacle is something you see when you take your eyes off the goal Few great men could pass personnel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/an-obstacle-is-something-you-see-when-you-take-your-eyes-off-the-goal/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [The stultifying effect of the movies is not that the children see them but that their parents do, as if Hollywood provided a plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-stultifying-effect-of-the-movies-is-not-that-the-children-see/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“As our organized system perfects itself, there is less "open" environment. It is hard for a social animal to grow when there is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/as-our-organized-system-perfects-itself-there-is-less-open/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [The ancient dream of man to fly among the stars and go through the could and look down on the lands and seas has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-ancient-dream-of-man-to-fly-among-the-stars-and-go-through-the/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [When the sciences are supreme, average people lose their feeling of causality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-the-sciences-are-supreme-average-people-lose-their-feeling-of/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [We define boredom as the pain a person feels when he's doing nothing or something irrelevant, instead of something he wants to do but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/we-define-boredom-as-the-pain-a-person-feels-when-he-s-doing-nothing/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) [Explore all 88 Paul Goodman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) ## More Gangsters quotes > [You know, I often thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the eyes of the masses. They're admired and hero-worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/you-know-i-often-thought-that-the-gangster-and-the-artist-are-the/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [What Wall Street and credit card companies are doing is really not much different from what gangsters and loan sharks do who make predatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-wall-street-and-credit-card-companies-are-doing-is-really-not/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Virginia Woolf was one example. She was called the "Lover of 100 Gangsters."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/virginia-woolf-was-one-example-she-was-called-the-lover-of-100/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [I am the epitome of the underdog. By societies standards I should have been dead a long time ago, and I was nobody's gangster,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/i-am-the-epitome-of-the-underdog-by-societies-standards-i-should-have/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [God knows America would be the greatest again if she operated like the Nugent family. No takers, no whiners, no gangsters, no dopers, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/god-knows-america-would-be-the-greatest-again-if-she-operated-like/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Visually I've always liked the 20s 30s for film. I do these because I like the music. I like the clothes. I like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/visually-i-ve-always-liked-the-20s-30s-for-film-i-do-these-because-i/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I so wreak of logic and commonsense that it is obviously very refreshing in this world of otherwise soulless politically correct denial and dishonesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-so-wreak-of-logic-and-commonsense-that-it-is-obviously-very/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [The FBI was formed because the gangsters were better armed, better financed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horse/the-fbi-was-formed-because-the-gangsters-were-better-armed-better/) [Michael Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horse/) > [Especially in gangster films, with the gangster's moll - she would always be more or less of an object. And I'm not convinced of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/especially-in-gangster-films-with-the-gangster-s-moll-she-would/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [I always think that politicians are worse than the baddest gangsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-cole/i-always-think-that-politicians-are-worse-than-the-baddest-gangsters/) [Finn Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-cole/) > [First you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/first-you-get-the-sugar-then-you-get-the-power-then-you-get-the-women/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > ['The Godfather' changed the way gangsters acted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vincent/the-godfather-changed-the-way-gangsters-acted/) [Frank Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-vincent/) > [I think I could totally be a gangster, but I could never be the kind of gangster that carries things out myself. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-satine/i-think-i-could-totally-be-a-gangster-but-i-could-never-be-the-kind/) [Elena Satine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-satine/) > [Yeah, well, artists are a lot like gangsters. They both know that the official version, the one everyone else believes, is a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-henderson/yeah-well-artists-are-a-lot-like-gangsters-they-both-know-that-the/) [Jocko Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-henderson/) > [My general theory since 1971 has been that the word is literally a virus, and that it has not been recognized as such because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/my-general-theory-since-1971-has-been-that-the-word-is-literally-a/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Browse all 270 Gangsters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gangsters/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I move in a society so devoid of ordinary reality that I am continually stopping to teach good sense, to give support, to help out, as a young gangster might help an old lady across the street on his way to the stick-up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Goodman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinary-reality-that-i-am/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gangsters" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinary-reality-that-i-am/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/paul-goodman-7755_gangsters_i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinar_2830889.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I move in a society so devoid of ordinary reality that I am continually stopping to teach good sense, to…” — Paul Goodman", "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": "Paul Goodman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I move in a society so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinary-reality-that-i-am/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/i-move-in-a-society-so-devoid-of-ordinary-reality-that-i-am/#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 } } ] } ```