--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: American society [...] not only sanctions…" description: "\"American society [...] not only sanctions gross and unfair relations among men, but it encourages them. Now, can that be denied? No. Rivalry, competiti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/930/philip-roth-681_american-society_american-society-not-only-sanctions-gros_771264.jpg" --- # American society \[...\] not only sanctions gross and unfair… ![“American society [...] not only sanctions gross and unfair relations among men, but it encourages them. Now, can that be denied? No. Rivalry, competition, envy, jealousy, all that is malignant in human character is nourished by the system. Possession, money, property--on such corrupt standards as…” quote by Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/930/philip-roth-681_american-society_american-society-not-only-sanctions-gros_771264.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/930/philip-roth-681_american-society_american-society-not-only-sanctions-gros_771264.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/930/philip-roth-681_american-society_american-society-not-only-sanctions-gros_771264.jpg) > “American society \[...\] not only sanctions gross and unfair relations among men, but it encourages them. Now, can that be denied? No. Rivalry, competition, envy, jealousy, all that is malignant in human character is nourished by the system. Possession, money, property--on such corrupt standards as these do you people measure happiness and success.” [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques how American culture promotes selfish competition, turning virtues into vices and measuring success by material gain **In simple terms:** American culture fuels rivalry and greed, corrupting values Key Takeaway Beware of letting competition define worth Themes society ethics materialism competition human nature culture Mood critical reflective analytical Type literary philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - Workplace dynamics - educational settings - family discussions - policy making - media analysis Key Concepts Moral relativism social critique capitalist critique Questions to Reflect On - How does competition shape personal ethics? - Can success be measured beyond wealth? A Different Perspective The view may ignore cooperative aspects of competition and individual agency ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Competition Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition-envy-3749693/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Envy Jealousy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy-jealousy-241285/) [Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gross/) [Happiness and success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-and-success/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Jealousy Malignant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jealousy-malignant-5961009/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [Relations Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relations-men-2052680/) [Rivalry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivalry/) [Sanctions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanctions/) [Standards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standards/) [Unfair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfair/) [Unfair Relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfair-relations-5961008/) ## Related quotes > [We love much better those who endeavor to imitate us, than those who strive to equal us. For imitation is a sign of esteem,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/we-love-much-better-those-who-endeavor-to-imitate-us-than-those-who/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Women are often forced to maintain good relations with men who abuse them precisely because those men have power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-powers/women-are-often-forced-to-maintain-good-relations-with-men-who-abuse/) [Kirsten Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-powers/) > [In all your relations to men be great, just, generous, courteous, and kindly. The great are never otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/in-all-your-relations-to-men-be-great-just-generous-courteous-and/) [Wallace D. 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Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [The worldly relations of men and women often form an equation that cancels out without warning when some insignificant factor has been added to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/the-worldly-relations-of-men-and-women-often-form-an-equation-that/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [If one could be friendly with women, what a pleasure - the relationship so secret and private compared with relations with men. 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To stand in true relations with men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/but-to-most-of-us-society-shows-not-its-face-and-eye-but-its-side-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [This whole business of Trade gives me to pause and think, as it constitutes false relations between men; inasmuch as I am prone tocount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/this-whole-business-of-trade-gives-me-to-pause-and-think-as-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the mythic schema of all relations between men and women, man proposes, and woman is disposed of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/in-the-mythic-schema-of-all-relations-between-men-and-women-man/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [The fact is that heterosexual sex for most people is in no way free of the power relations between men and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-fact-is-that-heterosexual-sex-for-most-people-is-in-no-way-free/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) ## More by Philip Roth > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You be greater than your feelings. 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Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“There are no reasons. She is obliged to be as she is. We all are. Reasons are in books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/there-are-no-reasons-she-is-obliged-to-be-as-she-is-we-all-are/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“As far as I can see there is no conquering or exorcising the past with words - words born either of imagination or forthrightness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/as-far-as-i-can-see-there-is-no-conquering-or-exorcising-the-past/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The book really comes to life in the rewriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-book-really-comes-to-life-in-the-rewriting/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Good Christ, a Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy till they die!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/good-christ-a-jewish-man-with-parents-alive-is-a-fifteen-year-old-boy/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am the Raskolnikov of jerking off – the sticky evidence is everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-am-the-raskolnikov-of-jerking-off-the-sticky-evidence-is-everywhere/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Better for real things to be uncontrollable, better for one's life to be undecipherable and intellectually impenetrable than to attempt to make casual sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/better-for-real-things-to-be-uncontrollable-better-for-one-s-life-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Doctor Spielvogel, it alleviates nothing fixing the blame - blaming is still ailing, of course, of course - but nonetheless, what was it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/doctor-spielvogel-it-alleviates-nothing-fixing-the-blame-blaming-is/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You asked if I thought my fiction had changed anything in the culture and the answer is no. Sure, there's been some scandal, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-asked-if-i-thought-my-fiction-had-changed-anything-in-the-culture/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) [Explore all 388 Philip Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More American society quotes > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/cumulatively-american-society-is-sliding-toward-a-new-form-of/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Hip-hop is contributing to American society's misogyny and racism, hyper-sexuality anti-Black representations. Hip-Hop isn't setting the standard for misogyny. No one reduces the presidency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakari-kitwana/hip-hop-is-contributing-to-american-society-s-misogyny-and-racism/) [Bakari Kitwana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakari-kitwana/) > [I believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-believe-it-is-essential-to-have-english-as-the-official-language-of/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Public image is extremely important in American society and I observed personally that the Presidency of John F. Kennedy did much in the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/public-image-is-extremely-important-in-american-society-and-i/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [Sometimes, you know, the president is a father-like figure in American society, to most Americans, even today, no matter how cynical we've become. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/sometimes-you-know-the-president-is-a-father-like-figure-in-american/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [The family has always been the cornerstone of American society. Our families nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-family-has-always-been-the-cornerstone-of-american-society-our/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [While President Barack Obama has, in one sense, tipped his hand by saying that he wants judges with "empathy" for certain groups, he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/while-president-barack-obama-has-in-one-sense-tipped-his-hand-by/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Browse all 315 American society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "American society [...] not only sanctions gross and unfair relations among men, but it encourages them. Now, can that be denied? 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