--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He…" description: "\"A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He just sees food.\" — Pearl S. Buck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png" --- # A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He just sees food. ![“A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He just sees food.” quote by Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png) > “A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He just sees food.” [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When basic needs dominate, moral judgment fades, and survival instincts take over. **In simple terms:** Hunger clouds judgment. Key Takeaway Address basic needs before moral discussions. Themes survival need morality focus priorities Mood concerned urgent reflective Type ethical social When to use this quote - poverty relief programs - emergency response - food security planning - personal stress Key Concepts physiological drives ethical blindness cognitive narrowing Questions to Reflect On - How do basic needs affect ethical decisions? - What systems ensure fairness under scarcity? A Different Perspective Even with food, bias can persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ending hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-hunger/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Food banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-banks/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Hunger for food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger-for-food/) [Hunger in america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger-in-america/) [Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) [Hungry man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry-man/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Just Sees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-sees-724024/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Right or wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-or-wrong/) [Sees Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sees-food-724023/) [World hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-hunger/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) ## Related quotes > [One of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that we as individuals can make a difference. Ending hunger in America is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/one-of-the-greatest-feelings-in-the-world-is-knowing-that-we-as/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [The American fast food diet and the meat eating habits of the wealthy around the world support a world food system that diverts food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walden-bello/the-american-fast-food-diet-and-the-meat-eating-habits-of-the-wealthy/) [Walden Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walden-bello/) > [America, which leads the world in so many ways, can end childhood hunger within its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/america-which-leads-the-world-in-so-many-ways-can-end-childhood/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [Many people think that hunger is unavoidable in any society, even a society that is blessed with great abundance. That is not true. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/many-people-think-that-hunger-is-unavoidable-in-any-society-even-a/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [There will never cease to be ferment in the world unless people are sure of their food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/there-will-never-cease-to-be-ferment-in-the-world-unless-people-are/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [35 million people in the U.S. are hungry or don't know where their next meal is coming from, and 13 million of them are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/35-million-people-in-the-u-s-are-hungry-or-don-t-know-where-their/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [The fact is that there is enough food in the world for everyone. But tragically, much of the world's food and land resources are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walden-bello/the-fact-is-that-there-is-enough-food-in-the-world-for-everyone-but/) [Walden Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walden-bello/) > [We are a country that prides itself on power and wealth, yet there are millions of children who go hungry every day. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-boone/we-are-a-country-that-prides-itself-on-power-and-wealth-yet-there-are/) [Lesley Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-boone/) > [There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/there-are-genuinely-sufficient-resources-in-the-world-to-ensure-that/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [In this country that grows more food than any other nation on this earth, it is unthinkable that any child should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/in-this-country-that-grows-more-food-than-any-other-nation-on-this/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) > [Public charities, foodbanks and church pantries are doing more than ever before, but they can't keep up with the need. We can never end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/public-charities-foodbanks-and-church-pantries-are-doing-more-than/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [We cannot stick our heads in the sand concerning the issue of hunger in America. Even though this subject seldom reaches the front page…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-davison/we-cannot-stick-our-heads-in-the-sand-concerning-the-issue-of-hunger/) [Bruce Davison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-davison/) > [Childhood hunger in America is as much a paradox as it is a tragedy. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, should hunger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sheen/childhood-hunger-in-america-is-as-much-a-paradox-as-it-is-a-tragedy/) [Martin Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sheen/) > [I went to bed hungry many nights as a child. It was a Dream that dressed me up when I was ragged, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-went-to-bed-hungry-many-nights-as-a-child-it-was-a-dream-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“Maybe he just sees me as I really am. I have to get some sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/maybe-he-just-sees-me-as-i-really-am-i-have-to-get-some-sleep/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) ## More by Pearl S. Buck > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Hunger makes a thief of any man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/hunger-makes-a-thief-of-any-man/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [War is the most devastating endemic and epidemic disease the human race has to endure, and yet too little has been done to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/war-is-the-most-devastating-endemic-and-epidemic-disease-the-human/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [In our changing world nothing changes more than geography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/in-our-changing-world-nothing-changes-more-than-geography/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [No one really understood music unless he was a scientist, her father had declared, and not just a scientist, either, oh, no, only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/no-one-really-understood-music-unless-he-was-a-scientist-her-father/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Upon the profound discontent of the young in every country do I set my faith. I beg you, the young, to be discontented. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/upon-the-profound-discontent-of-the-young-in-every-country-do-i-set/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Wang Lung sat smoking, thinking of the silver as it had lain upon the table. It had come out of the earth, this silver,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/wang-lung-sat-smoking-thinking-of-the-silver-as-it-had-lain-upon-the/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/the-secret-of-joy-in-work-is-contained-in-one-word-excellence-to-know/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/if-our-american-way-of-life-fails-the-child-it-fails-us-all/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Mind and body were well or ill together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/mind-and-body-were-well-or-ill-together/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“U meni postoji mjesto gdje živim posve sama; tu obnavljam svoja proljeća koja nikad ne presahnu”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/u-meni-postoji-mjesto-gdje-ivim-posve-sama-tu-obnavljam-svoja-prolje/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Brave young American men climbed the rugged slopes of Korean mountains and fought in homesickness and desperate weariness for the sake of a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/brave-young-american-men-climbed-the-rugged-slopes-of-korean/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/truth-is-always-exciting-speak-it-then-life-is-dull-without-it/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“All scientific effort must now be concentrated in the area of defence (sic). We have learned our lesson. We, the most civilized of people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/all-scientific-effort-must-now-be-concentrated-in-the-area-of-defence/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [to know how to read is to light a lamp in the mind, to release the soul from prison, to open a gate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/to-know-how-to-read-is-to-light-a-lamp-in-the-mind-to-release-the/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) [Explore all 304 Pearl S. Buck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) ## More Ending hunger quotes > [I went to bed hungry many nights as a child. It was a Dream that dressed me up when I was ragged, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-went-to-bed-hungry-many-nights-as-a-child-it-was-a-dream-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [We know that a peaceful world cannot long exist, one-third rich and two-thirds hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/we-know-that-a-peaceful-world-cannot-long-exist-one-third-rich-and/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Public charities, foodbanks and church pantries are doing more than ever before, but they can't keep up with the need. We can never end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/public-charities-foodbanks-and-church-pantries-are-doing-more-than/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [In this country that grows more food than any other nation on this earth, it is unthinkable that any child should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/in-this-country-that-grows-more-food-than-any-other-nation-on-this/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) > [“Eating as a simple means of ending hunger is one of the great liberties of being alone ... It is a pleasure to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-ferrari-adler/eating-as-a-simple-means-of-ending-hunger-is-one-of-the-great/) [Jenni Ferrari-Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-ferrari-adler/) > [Childhood hunger in America is as much a paradox as it is a tragedy. Why, in the wealthiest country in the world, should hunger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sheen/childhood-hunger-in-america-is-as-much-a-paradox-as-it-is-a-tragedy/) [Martin Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sheen/) > [There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no time, should go hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/there-are-genuinely-sufficient-resources-in-the-world-to-ensure-that/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [We are a country that prides itself on power and wealth, yet there are millions of children who go hungry every day. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-boone/we-are-a-country-that-prides-itself-on-power-and-wealth-yet-there-are/) [Lesley Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-boone/) > [We cannot stick our heads in the sand concerning the issue of hunger in America. Even though this subject seldom reaches the front page…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-davison/we-cannot-stick-our-heads-in-the-sand-concerning-the-issue-of-hunger/) [Bruce Davison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-davison/) > [The fact is that there is enough food in the world for everyone. But tragically, much of the world's food and land resources are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walden-bello/the-fact-is-that-there-is-enough-food-in-the-world-for-everyone-but/) [Walden Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walden-bello/) > [Healthy children are born from healthy, respected, well-nourished and educated mothers and it is imperative that they have a voice in the decisions which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionne-warwick/healthy-children-are-born-from-healthy-respected-well-nourished-and/) [Dionne Warwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionne-warwick/) > [Many people think that hunger is unavoidable in any society, even a society that is blessed with great abundance. That is not true. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/many-people-think-that-hunger-is-unavoidable-in-any-society-even-a/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [The war against hunger is truly mankind's war of liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-war-against-hunger-is-truly-mankind-s-war-of-liberation/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [America, which leads the world in so many ways, can end childhood hunger within its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/america-which-leads-the-world-in-so-many-ways-can-end-childhood/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [Pay attention to the hungry, both in this country and around the world. Pay attention to the poor. Pay attention to our responsibilities for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/pay-attention-to-the-hungry-both-in-this-country-and-around-the-world/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) [Browse all 27 Ending hunger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-hunger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He just sees food.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pearl S. Buck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he-just-sees-food/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ending hunger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he-just-sees-food/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a70/pearl-s-buck-1024_ending-hunger_a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he_2467360.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A hungry man can't see right or wrong. He just sees food.” — Pearl S. Buck", "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": "Pearl S. Buck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A hungry man can't see right...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he-just-sees-food/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/a-hungry-man-can-t-see-right-or-wrong-he-just-sees-food/#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 } } ] } ```