--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To accuse another of having weak kidneys…" description: "\"To accuse another of having weak kidneys, lungs, or heart, is not a crime; on the contrary, saying he has a weak brain is a crime. To be considered stu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/primo-levi-2751_brain_to-accuse-another-of-having-weak-kidneys_2328151.jpg" --- # To accuse another of having weak kidneys, lungs, or heart… ![“To accuse another of having weak kidneys, lungs, or heart, is not a crime; on the contrary, saying he has a weak brain is a crime. To be considered stupid and to be told so is more painful than being called gluttonous, mendacious, violent, lascivious, lazy, cowardly: every weakness, every vice…” quote by Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/primo-levi-2751_brain_to-accuse-another-of-having-weak-kidneys_2328151.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/primo-levi-2751_brain_to-accuse-another-of-having-weak-kidneys_2328151.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/primo-levi-2751_brain_to-accuse-another-of-having-weak-kidneys_2328151.jpg) > “To accuse another of having weak kidneys, lungs, or heart, is not a crime; on the contrary, saying he has a weak brain is a crime. To be considered stupid and to be told so is more painful than being called gluttonous, mendacious, violent, lascivious, lazy, cowardly: every weakness, every vice, has found its defenders, its rhetoric, its ennoblement and exaltation, but stupidity hasn't.” [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling intellectual deficiency as a crime highlights societal bias against mental weakness. **In simple terms:** Stupidity is stigmatized. Key Takeaway Challenge mental stigma. Themes ethics human dignity social bias Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical provocative When to use this quote - education reform - public discourse - mental health advocacy Key Concepts cognitive bias language power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Why is stupidity singled out? - How can we value diverse intelligences? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on intellect can ignore other virtues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Defenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defenders/) [Exaltation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exaltation/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Rhetoric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhetoric/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) ## Related quotes > [To accuse another of having weak kidneys, lungs, or heart, is not a crime; on the contrary, saying he has a weak brain is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/to-accuse-another-of-having-weak-kidneys-lungs-or-heart-is-not-a-2/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“Before, when I was ordered to consider him intelligent, I kept on trying to and I considered myself stupid for not seeing how intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy-joel-carmichael-translator/before-when-i-was-ordered-to-consider-him-intelligent-i-kept-on/) Leo Tolstoy Joel Carmichael translator > [I have a very healthy appetite for good writing and good characters. Having weak writing is my biggest fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/i-have-a-very-healthy-appetite-for-good-writing-and-good-characters/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [“Only a fool is humiliated by having been weak enough to have to overcome obstacles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-walton/only-a-fool-is-humiliated-by-having-been-weak-enough-to-have-to/) [Evangeline Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-walton/) > [Ineffective or weak brain connections are pruned in much the same way a gardener would prune a tree or bush, giving the plant a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-gopnik/ineffective-or-weak-brain-connections-are-pruned-in-much-the-same-way/) [Alison Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-gopnik/) > [Stop saying you are weak. You're still alive. That says a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hope/stop-saying-you-are-weak-you-re-still-alive-that-says-a-lot/) [Amber Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hope/) > [“The old adage "If you can't beat them, join them", to me is just a way of saying that you're weak. My motto is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/the-old-adage-if-you-can-t-beat-them-join-them-to-me-is-just-a-way-of/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [You resided in my heart that was weak even after my brain decided to let you out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-rampersaud/you-resided-in-my-heart-that-was-weak-even-after-my-brain-decided-to/) A Rampersaud > [Don't waste your time with the people saying you are weak, be yourself do what will build yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-g-matias/don-t-waste-your-time-with-the-people-saying-you-are-weak-be-yourself/) [Andrea G Matias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-g-matias/) > [When my son got sick and he was in the hospital, and they took out his kidney when he was less than a year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-feldmann/when-my-son-got-sick-and-he-was-in-the-hospital-and-they-took-out-his/) [John Feldmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-feldmann/) > [The brain is a tissue. It is a complicated, intricately woven tissue, like nothing else we know of in the universe, but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-hubel/the-brain-is-a-tissue-it-is-a-complicated-intricately-woven-tissue/) David H. Hubel > [I am in favor of an idea that's been around for a number of years, which is to reward people who are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-satel/i-am-in-favor-of-an-idea-that-s-been-around-for-a-number-of-years/) [Sally Satel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-satel/) > [The scent organ was playing a delightfully refreshing Herbal Capriccio - rippling arpeggios of thyme and lavender, of rosemary, basil, myrtle, tarragon; a series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-scent-organ-was-playing-a-delightfully-refreshing-herbal/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [How are you?" "Perfectly fine," he said. "Are your ribs broken?" "Probably not. Cracked at most. We fought very carefully." "Did this settle anything?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/how-are-you-perfectly-fine-he-said-are-your-ribs-broken-probably-not/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Not wanting to give everyone in your life one of your kidneys is not the same thing as hoping they die of kidney failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-ortberg/not-wanting-to-give-everyone-in-your-life-one-of-your-kidneys-is-not/) [Mallory Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-ortberg/) ## More by Primo Levi > [I too entered the Lager as a nonbeliever, and as a nonbeliever I was liberated and have lived to this day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/i-too-entered-the-lager-as-a-nonbeliever-and-as-a-nonbeliever-i-was/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [Man is a centaur, a tangle of flesh and mind, divine inspiration and dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/man-is-a-centaur-a-tangle-of-flesh-and-mind-divine-inspiration-and/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [Our ignorance allowed us to live, as you are in the mountains, and your rope is frayed and about to break, but you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/our-ignorance-allowed-us-to-live-as-you-are-in-the-mountains-and-your/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“Válka, to je hlavně velký zmatek, na poli i v lidských hlavách: často člověk ani nechápe, kdo vlastně vítězí a kdo prohrává, o tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/v-lka-to-je-hlavn-velk-zmatek-na-poli-i-v-lidsk-ch-hlav-ch-asto-lov-k/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“An extreme case of the distortion of the memory of a committed guilty act is found in its suppression. Here, too, the borderline between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/an-extreme-case-of-the-distortion-of-the-memory-of-a-committed-guilty/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“It was the shame we knew so well, the shame that drowned us after the selections, and every time we had to watch, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/it-was-the-shame-we-knew-so-well-the-shame-that-drowned-us-after-the/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [An enemy who sees the error of his ways ceases to be an enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/an-enemy-who-sees-the-error-of-his-ways-ceases-to-be-an-enemy/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“Willingly or not we come to terms with power, forgetting that we are all in the ghetto, that the ghetto is walled in, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/willingly-or-not-we-come-to-terms-with-power-forgetting-that-we-are/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [Nothing can be said: nothing sure, nothing probable, nothing honest. Better to err through omission than through commission: better to refrain from steering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/nothing-can-be-said-nothing-sure-nothing-probable-nothing-honest/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“We were also born," Line said abruptly. Mendel questioned her with a look, and Line tried to clarify her thought: "Born, expelled. Russia conceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/we-were-also-born-line-said-abruptly-mendel-questioned-her-with-a/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“They are the typical product of the structure of the German Lager: if one offers a position of privilege to a few individuals in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/they-are-the-typical-product-of-the-structure-of-the-german-lager-if/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [Anyone who has obeyed nature by transmitting a piece of gossip experiences the explosive relief that accompanies the satisfying of a primary need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/anyone-who-has-obeyed-nature-by-transmitting-a-piece-of-gossip/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [I beg the reader not to go in search of messages. It is a term that I detest because it distresses me greatly, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/i-beg-the-reader-not-to-go-in-search-of-messages-it-is-a-term-that-i/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [“One of them declared: 'Doing this work, one either goes crazy the first day or gets accustomed to it.' Another, though: 'Certainly I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/one-of-them-declared-doing-this-work-one-either-goes-crazy-the-first/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) > [For me chemistry represented an indefinite cloud of future potentialities which enveloped my life to come in black volutes torn by fiery flashes, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/for-me-chemistry-represented-an-indefinite-cloud-of-future/) [Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) [Explore all 130 Primo Levi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. 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Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. 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