--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were all in it together, of course…" description: "\"“We were all in it together, of course, desperate to regain some hypothetical upper hand by any means necessary.”\" — Peter Watts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png" --- # We were all in it together, of course, desperate to regain… ![“We were all in it together, of course, desperate to regain some hypothetical upper hand by any means necessary.” quote by Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png) > ““We were all in it together, of course, desperate to regain some hypothetical upper hand by any means necessary.”” [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People unite in desperation, seeking any advantage, even unethical means, to regain control. **In simple terms:** Desperate teamwork for advantage. Key Takeaway Beware of unethical alliances. Themes ethics desperation power teamwork Mood tense reflective Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - political negotiations - business rivalries - emergency response Key Concepts moral compromise survival instinct Questions to Reflect On - When is it acceptable to compromise ethics? - What drives people to seek upper hand? A Different Perspective May justify harmful actions for perceived gain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delusions of grandeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusions-of-grandeur/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Rat race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rat-race/) [Superiority complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superiority-complex/) [Upper hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-hand/) ## Related quotes > [The British suffer from a most unfortunate superiority complex - unjustified even under Victoria and most certainly hopelessly out-of-date today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-suffer-from-a-most-unfortunate-superiority-complex/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [I never call them 'guys;' I always call them 'boys.' Maybe it's a superiority complex - my needing to keep them down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-never-call-them-guys-i-always-call-them-boys-maybe-it-s-a/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [You are My love, My life, My flame, My fire, My soul mate, My everything. You complete me I will love you to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aarti-khurana/you-are-my-love-my-life-my-flame-my-fire-my-soul-mate-my-everything/) [Aarti Khurana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aarti-khurana/) > [“This week, Zuma was quoted as saying, 'When the British came to our country, they said everything we are doing was barbaric, was wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gevisser/this-week-zuma-was-quoted-as-saying-when-the-british-came-to-our/) [Mark Gevisser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gevisser/) > [I have a superiority complex I need to get rid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-rosen/i-have-a-superiority-complex-i-need-to-get-rid-of/) [Josh Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-rosen/) > [A sarcastic person has a superiority complex that can be cured only by the honesty of humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-g-lovasik/a-sarcastic-person-has-a-superiority-complex-that-can-be-cured-only/) [Lawrence G. Lovasik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-g-lovasik/) > [“Anyone who tells you that he or she knows the "correct" way to study either is lying or has a superiority complex”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefanie-weisman/anyone-who-tells-you-that-he-or-she-knows-the-correct-way-to-study/) [Stefanie Weisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefanie-weisman/) > [“It's not a matter of pride; it's a matter of principle. 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I still love scribbling the word - WRITER - any time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-am-smiling-a-big-adopted-orphan-smile-as-i-write-this-i-still-love/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I think I'm a very good driver. Apparently, the cause of road rage - as with most anger - is some kind of superiority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-think-i-m-a-very-good-driver-apparently-the-cause-of-road-rage-as/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [“I'm not so much a good friend as I am the saviour who wants you to worship him forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-m-not-so-much-a-good-friend-as-i-am-the-saviour-who-wants-you-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“If someone wants to be a king, know that he's just a clown! Anyone who sees himself as superior to others and tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-someone-wants-to-be-a-king-know-that-he-s-just-a-clown-anyone-who/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I think we're insecure about our self-imposed spot at the top of the pyramid of life. New studies are continually undermining our superiority complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-balcombe/i-think-we-re-insecure-about-our-self-imposed-spot-at-the-top-of-the/) [Jonathan Balcombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-balcombe/) ## More by Peter Watts > [People aren't rational. We're not thinking machines, we're - we're feeling machines that happen to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/people-aren-t-rational-we-re-not-thinking-machines-we-re-we-re/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“You are all sleepwalkers, whether climbing creative peaks or slogging through some mundane routine for the thousandth time. You are all sleepwalkers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/you-are-all-sleepwalkers-whether-climbing-creative-peaks-or-slogging/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“Evolution has no foresight. Complex machinery develops its own agendas. Brains — cheat. Feedback loops evolve to promote stable heartbeats and then stumble upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/evolution-has-no-foresight-complex-machinery-develops-its-own-agendas/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“The Zodiac had rearranged itself into a precise grid of bright points with luminous tails. It was as though the whole planet had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/the-zodiac-had-rearranged-itself-into-a-precise-grid-of-bright-points/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [There's no such things as survival of the fittest. Survival of the most adequate, maybe. It doesn't matter whether a solution's optimal. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/there-s-no-such-things-as-survival-of-the-fittest-survival-of-the/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“So much anger in here. So much hate. So much to take out on someone. This time it's going to count. She's adrift in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/so-much-anger-in-here-so-much-hate-so-much-to-take-out-on-someone/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [The most altruistic and sustainable philosophies fail before the brute brain stem imperative of self-interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/the-most-altruistic-and-sustainable-philosophies-fail-before-the/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“I brought her flowers one dusky Tuesday evening when the light was perfect. I pointed out the irony of that romantic old tradition— the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/i-brought-her-flowers-one-dusky-tuesday-evening-when-the-light-was/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“Ludzie naprawdę nie walczą o odcień skóry czy ideologię – to tylko wygodne wskazówki do identyfikacji „swoich”. Wyszystko zawsze sprowadza się do więzów krwi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/ludzie-naprawd-nie-walcz-o-odcie-sk-ry-czy-ideologi-to-tylko-wygodne/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [I really wanted to talk to her. I just couldn't find an algorithm that fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/i-really-wanted-to-talk-to-her-i-just-couldn-t-find-an-algorithm-that/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“I know your race and mine are never on the best of terms." There was a cold smile in his voice if not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/i-know-your-race-and-mine-are-never-on-the-best-of-terms-there-was-a/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [If believing absurd falsehoods increase the odds of getting laid or avoiding predators, your brain will believe those falsehoods with all its metaphorical little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/if-believing-absurd-falsehoods-increase-the-odds-of-getting-laid-or/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [We are not thinking machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/we-are-not-thinking-machines/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“The math was irrefutable: The one winning strategy was concealment. Only fools revealed their birthdays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/the-math-was-irrefutable-the-one-winning-strategy-was-concealment/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“Hey, chaotic trajectories are just as deterministic as any other kind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/hey-chaotic-trajectories-are-just-as-deterministic-as-any-other-kind/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) [Explore all 112 Peter Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) ## More Delusions quotes > [“From what I can see of humans, you often destroy wonderful things in the pursuit of something that your delusions make you think is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-davroe/from-what-i-can-see-of-humans-you-often-destroy-wonderful-things-in/) A.L. Davroe > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Thinking no more about it, he stepped off into that cool space, that fast descent to her, with nothing in his mind but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/thinking-no-more-about-it-he-stepped-off-into-that-cool-space-that/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [Paranoia is a state of heightened awareness. Most people are persecuted beyond their wildest delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-steiner/paranoia-is-a-state-of-heightened-awareness-most-people-are/) Claude Steiner > [When someone is delusional, there is no point wasting time responding to their delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kourtney-kardashian/when-someone-is-delusional-there-is-no-point-wasting-time-responding/) [Kourtney Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kourtney-kardashian/) > [Through our senses the world appears. Through our reactions we create delusions.Without reactions the world becomes clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/through-our-senses-the-world-appears-through-our-reactions-we-create/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [One of the most persistent of all delusions is the conviction that the source of our dissatisfaction lies outside ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-alan-wallace/one-of-the-most-persistent-of-all-delusions-is-the-conviction-that/) [B. Alan Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-alan-wallace/) > [Doubt is the big machine. It grinds up the delusions of women and men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/doubt-is-the-big-machine-it-grinds-up-the-delusions-of-women-and-men/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [“If you're completely off your rocker and have delusions of grandeur in which your personal existence is of special significance to the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-wolfe/if-you-re-completely-off-your-rocker-and-have-delusions-of-grandeur/) [Edward M. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-wolfe/) > [“In many ways, life is about managing your delusions; keeping the ones that nourish and eliminating the ones that poison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/in-many-ways-life-is-about-managing-your-delusions-keeping-the-ones/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Fear cripples our minds and breeds delusions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/fear-cripples-our-minds-and-breeds-delusions/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Neurotics, proceed with delusions of grandeur. Napoleon Bonaparte, take the lead. Jesus Christ, bring up the rear. Simulate severe depression. Non-communicative with repressed hostility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/neurotics-proceed-with-delusions-of-grandeur-napoleon-bonaparte-take/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“If you're going to have delusions, you might as well go for the really satisfying ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-michael-straczynski/if-you-re-going-to-have-delusions-you-might-as-well-go-for-the-really/) [J. Michael Straczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-michael-straczynski/) > [The Enlightenment attacked religion - Christianity, mainly - for two reasons: that it was a set of ideological delusions, and that it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/the-enlightenment-attacked-religion-christianity-mainly-for-two/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) Browse all 213 Delusions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We were all in it together, of course, desperate to regain some hypothetical upper hand by any means necessary.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-desperate-to-regain-some/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Delusions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-desperate-to-regain-some/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/peter-watts-4020_delusions_we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-des_1716595.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We were all in it together, of course, desperate to regain some hypothetical upper hand by any means…” — Peter Watts", "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 Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We were all in it together,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-desperate-to-regain-some/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/we-were-all-in-it-together-of-course-desperate-to-regain-some/#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 } } ] } ```