--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He used the word savages with affection…" description: "\"“He used the word savages with affection, as if he liked them a little for it. In his nature was a respect for wildness. He saw it as a personal challe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/paul-theroux-913_instrumentalism_he-used-the-word-savages-with-affection_2473714.jpg" --- # He used the word savages with affection, as if he liked… ![“He used the word savages with affection, as if he liked them a little for it. In his nature was a respect for wildness. He saw it as a personal challenge, something that could be put right with an idea or a machine. He felt he had the answer to most problems, if anyone cared to listen.” quote by Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/paul-theroux-913_instrumentalism_he-used-the-word-savages-with-affection_2473714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/paul-theroux-913_instrumentalism_he-used-the-word-savages-with-affection_2473714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/paul-theroux-913_instrumentalism_he-used-the-word-savages-with-affection_2473714.jpg) > ““He used the word savages with affection, as if he liked them a little for it. In his nature was a respect for wildness. He saw it as a personal challenge, something that could be put right with an idea or a machine. He felt he had the answer to most problems, if anyone cared to listen.”” [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator admires "savages" for their wildness, seeing them as a challenge to be understood or mastered through ideas or technology. **In simple terms:** He respects wildness and seeks to solve it with intellect. Key Takeaway Respect wildness, apply creative solutions. Themes culture wildness respect challenge technology Mood curious critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - travel - cross‑cultural encounters - technology development - environmental management Key Concepts anthropology philosophy innovation Questions to Reflect On - What does "wildness" mean to you? - How can we honor other cultures without imposing our ideas? A Different Perspective Romanticizing "savages" can overlook their agency and dignity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Savages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savages/) [Wildness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildness/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/i-suppose-it-is-tempting-if-the-only-tool-you-have-is-a-hammer-to/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [“The people around you are the instruments that God will use to help you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-people-around-you-are-the-instruments-that-god-will-use-to-help/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“We shouldn’t use God for our purpose alone but also be instruments of the extension of His Kingdom”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/we-shouldn-t-use-god-for-our-purpose-alone-but-also-be-instruments-of/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Truth, says instrumentalism, is what works out, that which does what you expect it to do. 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