---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's what's so striking about the title…"
description: "\"“That's what's so striking about the title of Kushner's book: When Bad Things Happen to Good People. How is that fair? Well, the answer to that is that..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png"
---

#  That's what's so striking about the title of Kushner's…

![“That's what's so striking about the title of Kushner's book: When Bad Things Happen to Good People. How is that fair? Well, the answer to that is that there are no good people.” quote by Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png)

> ““That's what's so striking about the title of Kushner's book: When Bad Things Happen to Good People. How is that fair? Well, the answer to that is that there are no good people.””

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The title suggests that misfortune can affect anyone, but the author argues that true goodness does not exist, challenging moral assumptions.

**In simple terms:** It questions the notion of inherently good people.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on the nature of goodness and suffering.

Themes

ethics theodicy human nature philosophy justice

Mood

thoughtful philosophical inquisitive

Type

philosophical theological literary

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- theological study
- ethical debate
- counseling
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

goodness evil problem of evil moral relativism

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you believe in absolute goodness?
- How do we respond to suffering if no one is truly good?

A Different Perspective

The claim dismisses moral goodness, which many find meaningful and motivating.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Things Happen To Good People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen-to-good-people/)

## Related quotes

> [Bad things happen to good people all the time. It sucks. It's not fair but then much of life isn't fair. It's how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/bad-things-happen-to-good-people-all-the-time-it-sucks-it-s-not-fair/)

[Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/)

> [Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We don't know the meaning of all things, but we know God loves His children! And because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/sometimes-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-we-don-t-know-the-meaning/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [Why bad things happen to good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/why-bad-things-happen-to-good-people/)

[Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/)

> [“When Bad Things Happen to Good People,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-bad-things-happen-to-good-people/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [Why do bad things happen to good people? That only happened once and He volunteered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-that-only-happened-once-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, because if it was the other way around good people would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-hamilton/bad-things-happen-to-good-people-and-good-things-happen-to-bad-people-2/)

Brittany Hamilton

> [This may sound trite, but bad things happen to good people, and when you're facing terrorism, natural disaster, you can have every wonderful plan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-rudman/this-may-sound-trite-but-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-and-when/)

[Warren Rudman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-rudman/)

> [If you ever wonder why bad things happen to good people, it's because God knows they're capable of handling it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ever-wonder-why-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-it-s-because/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Bad things happen to good people, that's why I'm going evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/bad-things-happen-to-good-people-that-s-why-i-m-going-evil/)

[Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/)

> [“Bad things happen to good people and Good things happen to bad people..that's just how life is”. Yet...A Great person is the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/bad-things-happen-to-good-people-and-good-things-happen-to-bad-people/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [“Sometimes bad things happen to good people but it's how you deal with the pain that makes you strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-but-it-s-how-you-deal-with/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Why do bad things happen to good people?' 'Because it makes a good story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-kaufman/why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-because-it-makes-a-good-story/)

[Andrew Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-kaufman/)

> [“Why do bad things happen to good people? To balance out the good things that happen to bad people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-to-balance-out-the-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Bad things happen to good people, expect the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bad-things-happen-to-good-people-expect-the-unexpected/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In business as in life, sometimes bad things happen to good people, and sometimes good things happen to bad people. But over time, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/in-business-as-in-life-sometimes-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-and/)

[Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/)

## More by Peter Kreeft

> [“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-strongly-suspect-that-if-we-saw-all-the-difference-even-the-tiniest/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The self is like a baseball. Throw it back to the divine pitcher who pitched it to you in the first place, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-self-is-like-a-baseball-throw-it-back-to-the-divine-pitcher-who/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [How will the Tower of Babel be undone? How will we understand each other in Heaven? Will we all speak English or Dutch or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/how-will-the-tower-of-babel-be-undone-how-will-we-understand-each/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Humility is the marriage bond of Heaven. Pride is the frigidity of Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-the-marriage-bond-of-heaven-pride-is-the-frigidity-of-hell/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“Socrates says we must be either fools because we think we are wise, or wise because we know we are fools. Christ says we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/socrates-says-we-must-be-either-fools-because-we-think-we-are-wise-or/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? Science asks what and how, philosophy asks why, myth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/science-only-answers-the-question-how-does-it-work-or-at-most-what-s/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most compelling evidence for God's existence is Christ. If God does not exist, then Christ was the biggest fool who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-compelling-evidence-for-god-s-existence-is-christ-if-god/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/one-moment-of-prayer-of-weak-worship-confused-contrition-tepid/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's interventions are miracles: events that cannot happen by merely natural agents but only by a supernatural agent. They no more interfere with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-interventions-are-miracles-events-that-cannot-happen-by-merely/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“And what is consensus? It means a majority of the individuals in a society coming together and agreeing to make their values into laws,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/and-what-is-consensus-it-means-a-majority-of-the-individuals-in-a/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [We can't believe what we believe to be untrue, and we can't love what we believe to be unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-can-t-believe-what-we-believe-to-be-untrue-and-we-can-t-love-what/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

[Explore all 361 Peter Kreeft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## More Bad thing quotes

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/)

[Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/)

> [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/)

[Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/)

> [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/)

[John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/)

> [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/)

[Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/)

> [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/)

[Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/)

> [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/)

[Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/)

> [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/)

[Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/)

> [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/)

[Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/)

> [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/)

[Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/)

> [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/)

[Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/)

> [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/)

[Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/)

Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“That's what's so striking about the title of Kushner's book: When Bad Things Happen to Good People. How is that fair? Well, the answer to that is that there are no good people.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Kreeft"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-title-of-kushner-s-book-when-bad/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bad thing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-title-of-kushner-s-book-when-bad/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/peter-kreeft-820_bad-thing_that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-titl_974408.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That's what's so striking about the title of Kushner's book: When Bad Things Happen to Good People. How is…” — Peter Kreeft",
                "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": "Peter Kreeft",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“That's what's so striking about the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-title-of-kushner-s-book-when-bad/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/that-s-what-s-so-striking-about-the-title-of-kushner-s-book-when-bad/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
