--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lesson to people who think that, just…" description: "\"“A lesson to people who think that, just because they’re a little smarter and luckier than ordinary people, they can do as they please.’ Lisa”\" — Paul ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg" --- # A lesson to people who think that, just because they’re a… ![“A lesson to people who think that, just because they’re a little smarter and luckier than ordinary people, they can do as they please.’ Lisa” quote by Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg) > ““A lesson to people who think that, just because they’re a little smarter and luckier than ordinary people, they can do as they please.’ Lisa”” [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A warning against arrogance, suggesting that intelligence and luck do not grant entitlement to act without moral restraint. **In simple terms:** Being smarter doesn't excuse selfish behavior. Key Takeaway Check humility before acting. Themes humility ethics responsibility Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - personal decisions - public discourse - career advancement Key Concepts moral philosophy social conduct Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever justify actions because you feel smarter? - How can intelligence be used responsibly? A Different Perspective Assumes all smarter people are selfish, which may not hold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [In my pantheon of comedy idols there's maybe six people: Lisa Kudrow, Conan O'Brian, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Martin Short. Lisa is at the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-martin/in-my-pantheon-of-comedy-idols-there-s-maybe-six-people-lisa-kudrow/) [Mae Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-martin/) > [Every day, I get a little smarter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/every-day-i-get-a-little-smarter/) [Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/) > [And maybe I'm a little smarter now than I was before for all the stupid things I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-brooks/and-maybe-i-m-a-little-smarter-now-than-i-was-before-for-all-the/) [Herb Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-brooks/) > [I still work really hard, but I like to think I'm a little smarter about at least the type of movie I'm getting into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/i-still-work-really-hard-but-i-like-to-think-i-m-a-little-smarter/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [“I used to look at my dog and think “if you were a little smarter you could tell what you were thinking,” and he’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-jungelaus/i-used-to-look-at-my-dog-and-think-if-you-were-a-little-smarter-you/) Fred Jungelaus > [I'm a little smarter than most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rhys-davies/i-m-a-little-smarter-than-most/) [John Rhys-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rhys-davies/) > [I don't bite the hand that feeds me. I'm a little smarter than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-marchand/i-don-t-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-me-i-m-a-little-smarter-than-that/) [Brad Marchand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-marchand/) > [I still think there is a way to take all the mistakes that we've made as adults and put a little bit of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-still-think-there-is-a-way-to-take-all-the-mistakes-that-we-ve-made/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [People don't go to the movies to get the news, people don't go to the movies to learn a lesson. People go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/people-don-t-go-to-the-movies-to-get-the-news-people-don-t-go-to-the/) [Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/) > [I believe history teaches us a categorical lesson: that once a people are determined to become free, then nothing in the world can stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-believe-history-teaches-us-a-categorical-lesson-that-once-a-people/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [The hardest learned lesson: that people have only their kind of love to give, not our kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/the-hardest-learned-lesson-that-people-have-only-their-kind-of-love/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [“And the lesson here is that people are unlikeable. They have the irritating habit of believing they are as important as you are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-nayeri/and-the-lesson-here-is-that-people-are-unlikeable-they-have-the/) [Daniel Nayeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-nayeri/) > [“Perhaps,” she went on, “the biggest lesson of all is that people need to learn to put their faith in God and not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-johnson/perhaps-she-went-on-the-biggest-lesson-of-all-is-that-people-need-to/) David R. Johnson > [The best lesson that any people can learn is that there is no patent cure-all which will make the body politic perfect, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-best-lesson-that-any-people-can-learn-is-that-there-is-no-patent/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“But Rose learned an important lesson: people don't always do what you tell them to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brown/but-rose-learned-an-important-lesson-people-don-t-always-do-what-you/) [Eleanor Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brown/) ## More by Paul McAuley > [“The tug of the lodestar slowly grew stronger until, with an abrupt quantum jump, it was a physical force prying at her mind. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/the-tug-of-the-lodestar-slowly-grew-stronger-until-with-an-abrupt/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“Where are we going?” Tony said. “Somewhere wonderful,” Unlikely Worlds said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/where-are-we-going-tony-said-somewhere-wonderful-unlikely-worlds-said/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“Sometimes you hit the jackpot and sometimes the jackpot hits you, I guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/sometimes-you-hit-the-jackpot-and-sometimes-the-jackpot-hits-you-i/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“How to tell a story? First find a point of view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/how-to-tell-a-story-first-find-a-point-of-view/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“They celebrated in a bar, and after half a dozen cocktails came to the mutual decision that it would be a blast to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/they-celebrated-in-a-bar-and-after-half-a-dozen-cocktails-came-to-the/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“Keeping the human race in check must require a lot of multitasking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/keeping-the-human-race-in-check-must-require-a-lot-of-multitasking/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“There are many stories,” Unlikely Worlds said, “but most follow similar patterns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/there-are-many-stories-unlikely-worlds-said-but-most-follow-similar/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“The things you people can do now!” Unlikely Worlds said. “The stories you make!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/the-things-you-people-can-do-now-unlikely-worlds-said-the-stories-you/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“Pyotr said that all children were God’s children, even those whose minds had been overwritten by alien memes. “What about the Jackaroo and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/pyotr-said-that-all-children-were-god-s-children-even-those-whose/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“Even the straightest path has two directions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/even-the-straightest-path-has-two-directions/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“ Abulanam’s Pride emerged into a sky dominated by the heaven tree of a stellar nursery. Billowing thunderheads and swirling currents of sooty dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/abulanam-s-pride-emerged-into-a-sky-dominated-by-the-heaven-tree-of-a/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“They were sitting outside the big Starbucks that anchored the western end of Pioneer Square. Lisa was drinking iced tea sweetened with half a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/they-were-sitting-outside-the-big-starbucks-that-anchored-the-western/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“There were hundreds of worlds like it, most of them littered with the usual Elder Culture ruins, the usual secrets waiting to be unlocked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/there-were-hundreds-of-worlds-like-it-most-of-them-littered-with-the/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) > [“That’s where we are,” he said. “One star amongst four hundred billion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/that-s-where-we-are-he-said-one-star-amongst-four-hundred-billion/) [Paul McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) [Explore all 15 Paul McAuley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/) ## More Luckier quotes > [Lucky is he who loves you, Luckier is he who gets your love but the luckiest is he who loves you back as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avieh-concepcion/lucky-is-he-who-loves-you-luckier-is-he-who-gets-your-love-but-the/) [Avieh Concepcion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avieh-concepcion/) > [Some novelists are luckier than others in the eras of their formative intellectual years, but all Weltanschauungs return, which means that most novelists have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/some-novelists-are-luckier-than-others-in-the-eras-of-their-formative/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [I have been luckier than the law of averages should allow. I could never be so lucky again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-doolittle/i-have-been-luckier-than-the-law-of-averages-should-allow-i-could/) [Jimmy Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-doolittle/) > [Nothing replaces hard work. The harder you work, the luckier you get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-schultz/nothing-replaces-hard-work-the-harder-you-work-the-luckier-you-get/) [Ed Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-schultz/) > [I made mistakes, but I'm luckier than most. I've got a successful business, lots of fans who think a lot of me and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-leonard/i-made-mistakes-but-i-m-luckier-than-most-i-ve-got-a-successful/) [Sugar Ray Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-leonard/) > [“The harder I work, the luckier I get,” and that is absolutely how we all feel about luck, publishing, and life in general. For”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-platt/the-harder-i-work-the-luckier-i-get-and-that-is-absolutely-how-we-all/) [Sean Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-platt/) > [“It isn't fair she should have everything and I nothing. She isn't better or cleverer or much prettier than me…only luckier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-isn-t-fair-she-should-have-everything-and-i-nothing-she-isn-t/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [It's hard to say which of us is luckier, the ones who go through long periods when they can't write or the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/it-s-hard-to-say-which-of-us-is-luckier-the-ones-who-go-through-long/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > ["The harder you work, the luckier you get" is true in all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-murray/the-harder-you-work-the-luckier-you-get-is-true-in-all-things/) [Al Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-murray/) > [If you can't take a good kicking, you shouldn't parade how much luckier you are than other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-saatchi/if-you-can-t-take-a-good-kicking-you-shouldn-t-parade-how-much/) [Charles Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-saatchi/) > [“They learned that some people are born luckier than others and that things in this world do not always go as you plan. STILL”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-otsuka/they-learned-that-some-people-are-born-luckier-than-others-and-that/) [Julie Otsuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-otsuka/) > [Don't get me wrong: I think that everyone should put forth an effort to do better, but let's face it, some of us are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-think-that-everyone-should-put-forth-an-effort/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) > [Lucky is the man who is the first love of a woman, but luckier is the woman who is the last love of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lucky-is-the-man-who-is-the-first-love-of-a-woman-but-luckier-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a lot luckier than most people, although I used to look at it the other way around-that so many people seemed luckier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-hill/i-m-a-lot-luckier-than-most-people-although-i-used-to-look-at-it-the/) [Dana Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-hill/) > [“I was happy as a child that's why I'm luckier than you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mj-jabican/i-was-happy-as-a-child-that-s-why-i-m-luckier-than-you/) MJ Jabican Browse all 99 Luckier quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A lesson to people who think that, just because they’re a little smarter and luckier than ordinary people, they can do as they please.’ Lisa”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul McAuley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-because-they-re-a-little/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Luckier" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-because-they-re-a-little/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9c/paul-mcauley-33247_luckier_a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-b_2885900.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A lesson to people who think that, just because they’re a little smarter and luckier than ordinary people…” — Paul McAuley", "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 McAuley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcauley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A lesson to people who think...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-because-they-re-a-little/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcauley/a-lesson-to-people-who-think-that-just-because-they-re-a-little/#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 } } ] } ```