--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd much rather be part of a society…" description: "\"I'd much rather be part of a society which greatly honors and respects people who are altruists and who are effective in their altruism, than one that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg" --- # I'd much rather be part of a society which greatly honors… ![“I'd much rather be part of a society which greatly honors and respects people who are altruists and who are effective in their altruism, than one that either admires people because they're, you know, celebrity movie stars or because they're super wealthy just no matter what they do with their…” quote by Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg) > “I'd much rather be part of a society which greatly honors and respects people who are altruists and who are effective in their altruism, than one that either admires people because they're, you know, celebrity movie stars or because they're super wealthy just no matter what they do with their wealth because I think we ought to try to encourage more people to act in that way.” [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective altruism values people who use resources to do the most good, rather than fame or wealth alone. **In simple terms:** Prioritize impact over status. Key Takeaway Choose actions that maximize benefit. Themes ethics altruism impact social responsibility Mood thoughtful inspirational critical Type philosophical motivational ethical When to use this quote - philanthropy - career choices - policy advocacy - personal budgeting - volunteer work Key Concepts effective altruism utilitarianism moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can you assess the real impact of your contributions? - What trade‑offs arise when prioritizing effectiveness over personal preference? A Different Perspective It can be hard to measure impact accurately, leading to misallocation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altruism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altruism/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Movie star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-star/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Respect people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [Effective altruism is a philosophy and social movement which tries to work out the most effective ways to improve the world. Effective altruists -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-martin-skibsted/effective-altruism-is-a-philosophy-and-social-movement-which-tries-to/) [Jens Martin Skibsted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-martin-skibsted/) > [There is a growing movement called effective altruism. It's important because it combines both the heart and the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/there-is-a-growing-movement-called-effective-altruism-it-s-important/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Effective altruism is the form of altruism in which we bring our rational capacities to bear in order to do the most good that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/effective-altruism-is-the-form-of-altruism-in-which-we-bring-our/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [If evolution is a struggle for survival, why hasn't it ruthlessly eliminated altruists, who seem to increase another's prospects of survival at the cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-evolution-is-a-struggle-for-survival-why-hasn-t-it-ruthlessly/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Men are the only animals that devote themselves, day in and day out, to making one another unhappy. It is an art like any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/men-are-the-only-animals-that-devote-themselves-day-in-and-day-out-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The poor are the only consistent altruists; they sell all they have and give it to the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holbrook-jackson/the-poor-are-the-only-consistent-altruists-they-sell-all-they-have/) [Holbrook Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holbrook-jackson/) > [We don't think of ourselves as do-gooders or altruists. It's just that somehow we're trying our best to be run with some sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-newmark/we-don-t-think-of-ourselves-as-do-gooders-or-altruists-it-s-just-that/) [Craig Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-newmark/) > [We did not become libertarians because we are altruists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/we-did-not-become-libertarians-because-we-are-altruists/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The only justifiable stopping place for for the expansion of altruism is the point at which all whose welfare can be affected by our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-only-justifiable-stopping-place-for-for-the-expansion-of-altruism/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Each of us spends money on things that we do not really need. You could take the money you're spending on those unnecessary things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/each-of-us-spends-money-on-things-that-we-do-not-really-need-you/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Will we rise to the challenge and prove our capacity for genuine altruism by ending our ruthless exploitation of the species in our power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/will-we-rise-to-the-challenge-and-prove-our-capacity-for-genuine/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Take a stand that reflects the widest horizons of your soul if you don’t want to be a slave to external powers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janvier-chouteu-chando/take-a-stand-that-reflects-the-widest-horizons-of-your-soul-if-you/) [Janvier Chouteu-Chando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janvier-chouteu-chando/) > [“...True classical dropouts in society are those who avoid difficult challenges and cling to the first opportunity that comes their way. They never test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janvier-chouteu-chando/true-classical-dropouts-in-society-are-those-who-avoid-difficult/) [Janvier Chouteu-Chando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janvier-chouteu-chando/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) ## More by Peter Singer > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The price we are willing to pay for safety cannot be infinite. It is distasteful to put a price on human life, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-price-we-are-willing-to-pay-for-safety-cannot-be-infinite-it-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [ Nineteen thousand children \[are\] dying every day. Does it really matter that we're not walking past them in the street? Does it really matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/nineteen-thousand-children-are-dying-every-day-does-it-really-matter/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“The unchallenged assumption is that humans may use animals for their own purposes, and they may raise and kill them to satisfy their preference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-unchallenged-assumption-is-that-humans-may-use-animals-for-their/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Population growth is not a reason against giving aid but a reason for reconsidering the kind of aid to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/population-growth-is-not-a-reason-against-giving-aid-but-a-reason-for/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Well the real concept of basic needs if you cut it right down are simply the physical needs that are unavoidable for all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/well-the-real-concept-of-basic-needs-if-you-cut-it-right-down-are/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Dairy farmers routinely remove calves from their mothers at an early age so that the milk will be available for humans; anyone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/dairy-farmers-routinely-remove-calves-from-their-mothers-at-an-early/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“A consequence of this alienation of humans from their own nature is that they are also alienated from each other. Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I argued against the view that the only obligation we have to strangers is to avoid harming them; but even if we were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-argued-against-the-view-that-the-only-obligation-we-have-to/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-believe-that-in-this-new-world-that-we-live-in-we-often-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [It may be thought justifiable to require tests on animals of potentially life-saving drugs, but the same kinds of tests are used for products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-may-be-thought-justifiable-to-require-tests-on-animals-of/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) [Explore all 310 Peter Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd much rather be part of a society which greatly honors and respects people who are altruists and who are effective in their altruism, than one that either admires people because they're, you know, celebrity movie stars or because they're super wealthy just no matter what they do with their wealth because I think we ought to try to encourage more people to act in that way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Singer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-which-greatly-honors-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Admire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-which-greatly-honors-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/peter-singer-1001_admire_i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-whi_2210395.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'd much rather be part of a society which greatly honors and respects people who are altruists and who are…” — Peter Singer", "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 Singer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'd much rather be part of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-which-greatly-honors-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-d-much-rather-be-part-of-a-society-which-greatly-honors-and/#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 } } ] } ```