--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every human being makes mistakes and does…" description: "\"“Every human being makes mistakes and does things they’re not proud of. They can be everyday, or they can be catastrophic. And the unfortunate truth of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/piper-kerman-8613_crime_every-human-being-makes-mistakes-and-doe_2424719.jpg" --- # Every human being makes mistakes and does things they’re… ![“Every human being makes mistakes and does things they’re not proud of. They can be everyday, or they can be catastrophic. And the unfortunate truth of being human is that we all have moments of indifference to other people’s suffering. To me, that’s the central thing that allows crime to happen…” quote by Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/piper-kerman-8613_crime_every-human-being-makes-mistakes-and-doe_2424719.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/piper-kerman-8613_crime_every-human-being-makes-mistakes-and-doe_2424719.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5f/piper-kerman-8613_crime_every-human-being-makes-mistakes-and-doe_2424719.jpg) > ““Every human being makes mistakes and does things they’re not proud of. They can be everyday, or they can be catastrophic. And the unfortunate truth of being human is that we all have moments of indifference to other people’s suffering. To me, that’s the central thing that allows crime to happen: indifference to other people’s suffering. If you’re stealing from someone, if you’re hurting them physically, if you’re selling them a product that you know will hurt them—the thing that allows a person to do that is that they somehow convince themselves that that’s not relevant to them. We all do things that we’re not proud of, even though they might not have as terrible consequences.”” [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often ignore others’ pain, which makes harmful actions possible. **In simple terms:** Indifference lets wrongdoing happen. Key Takeaway Recognize and act against indifference. Themes ethics responsibility empathy crime human nature Mood reflective concerned serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace - policy making - community activism Key Concepts moral psychology social cognition justice Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice when you’re indifferent? - What steps can you take to stay empathetic? A Different Perspective Indifference can be a rationalization, not just a feeling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allows Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allows-crime-6147276/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Indifference People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference-people-408518/) [Stealing Hurting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing-hurting-6147275/) [Suffering Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-stealing-6147274/) ## Related quotes > [The biggest enemy of management is indifference. It's when people don't give a damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ghosn/the-biggest-enemy-of-management-is-indifference-it-s-when-people-don/) [Carlos Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ghosn/) > [“If I were to name the one crying evil of American life, Mr. Derrick, it would be the indifference of the better people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-norris/if-i-were-to-name-the-one-crying-evil-of-american-life-mr-derrick-it/) [Frank Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-norris/) > [I'm not very interested in people. 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The only thing that matches their love of country is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/conservatives-are-fond-of-telling-us-what-a-wonderful-happy/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bess-myerson/the-accomplice-to-the-crime-of-corruption-is-frequently-our-own/) [Bess Myerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bess-myerson/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [“I wasn't sure which I appreciated less—the insincere concern or the genuine indifference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-graham/i-wasn-t-sure-which-i-appreciated-less-the-insincere-concern-or-the/) [Arthur Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-graham/) > [Love and hate, despite their polar opposites, are both feelings that are induced by passion. I can handle that. It's the indifference I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/love-and-hate-despite-their-polar-opposites-are-both-feelings-that/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [“Courage did not come from the need to survive, or from a brute indifference inherited from someone else, but from a driving need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/courage-did-not-come-from-the-need-to-survive-or-from-a-brute/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) ## More by Piper Kerman > [“I looked down at the doors of the forbidden Dorms and studiously examined the bulletin boards covered with incomprehensible information about events and rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-looked-down-at-the-doors-of-the-forbidden-dorms-and-studiously/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“Stoicism sure comes in handy when they take away your underpants. 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If he is a cocky bastard, even more so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-he-is-a-half-decent-human-being-he-will-find-himself-the-object-of/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“If you had the misfortune of having the government intimately involved with your life, whether via public housing or Medicaid or food stamps, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/if-you-had-the-misfortune-of-having-the-government-intimately/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“Prison is quite literally a ghetto in the most classic sense of the world, a place where the U.S. government now puts not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/prison-is-quite-literally-a-ghetto-in-the-most-classic-sense-of-the/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [“He told us that it was important to eat right, exercise, and treat your body as a temple. 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He described the basic idea like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/according-to-bertrand-russell-the-virtuous-stoic-was-one-whose-will/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) [Explore all 78 Piper Kerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. 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I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. 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