--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't regard the real and true and…" description: "\"I don't regard the real and true and authentic as something to claim as a moral high ground.\" — Rachel Kushner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png" --- # I don't regard the real and true and authentic as… ![“I don't regard the real and true and authentic as something to claim as a moral high ground.” quote by Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png) > “I don't regard the real and true and authentic as something to claim as a moral high ground.” [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authenticity should not be used to claim moral superiority; it is a personal truth, not a badge. **In simple terms:** Don't use authenticity as a moral high ground. Key Takeaway Avoid weaponizing personal truth for moral judgment. Themes authenticity morality humility self‑awareness Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - creative writing - public speaking - personal relationships Key Concepts ethical relativism personal integrity social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What does authenticity mean to you? - When does authenticity become moral posturing? A Different Perspective Authenticity can be subjective and contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authentic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic/) [High ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-ground/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral high ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-high-ground/) ## Related quotes > [“The moral high ground proved to be one hell of an aphrodisiac...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-a-floriste/the-moral-high-ground-proved-to-be-one-hell-of-an-aphrodisiac/) Eve A. Floriste > [“We’re businessmen, Chubs. The moral high ground is wherever we set it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-businessmen-chubs-the-moral-high-ground-is-wherever-we-set-it/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“As Ben-Gurion so often said, the moral high ground is also the basis of power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/as-ben-gurion-so-often-said-the-moral-high-ground-is-also-the-basis/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“It’s called the real world. If we refused to do business with the morally questionable, the deal volume would drop in half and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simonson/it-s-called-the-real-world-if-we-refused-to-do-business-with-the/) [Helen Simonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simonson/) > [“The moral high ground to which I aspired had turned into a slippery slope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-alcorn/the-moral-high-ground-to-which-i-aspired-had-turned-into-a-slippery/) Alfred Alcorn > ['The Truth' is not meant to preach or point any fingers. It's meant to show that perhaps we should all avoid taking the moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/the-truth-is-not-meant-to-preach-or-point-any-fingers-it-s-meant-to/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) > [“It was all very well occupying the moral high ground on electoral reform, but what really mattered, she thought, was how you treated your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/it-was-all-very-well-occupying-the-moral-high-ground-on-electoral/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [For people who never tire of telling the world what a moral high ground they've taken in opposing Donald Trump, they sure don't seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-gallagher/for-people-who-never-tire-of-telling-the-world-what-a-moral-high/) [Mike Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-gallagher/) > [In the Trump era, the Left has smartly and justifiably seized a moral high ground that the Right has abandoned by its embrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/in-the-trump-era-the-left-has-smartly-and-justifiably-seized-a-moral/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [“And the moral high ground is a lovely place,” Marwick said, as if he were agreeing. “It won’t stop a missile, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/and-the-moral-high-ground-is-a-lovely-place-marwick-said-as-if-he/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [“It was one of those moments when the moral high ground opens and swallows you up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holt/it-was-one-of-those-moments-when-the-moral-high-ground-opens-and/) [Tom Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holt/) > [My father really set the tone for us to be a more moral nation, to take a moral high ground in everything that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-king/my-father-really-set-the-tone-for-us-to-be-a-more-moral-nation-to/) [Bernice King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-king/) > [I don't feel I'm taking the moral high ground, telling people to stop eating animals because I've done it. It just works for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ward/i-don-t-feel-i-m-taking-the-moral-high-ground-telling-people-to-stop/) [Bill Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ward/) > [I always say that playing Christ has just made me a better version of myself because I aspire to greater things, to a moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-roumie/i-always-say-that-playing-christ-has-just-made-me-a-better-version-of/) [Jonathan Roumie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-roumie/) > [That's how hatred is created: two different groups, each insisting they're on the moral high ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/that-s-how-hatred-is-created-two-different-groups-each-insisting-they/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) ## More by Rachel Kushner > [Leave, with no answer. Move on to the next question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/leave-with-no-answer-move-on-to-the-next-question/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [Motorcycles aren't about gaining agency, I don't think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/motorcycles-aren-t-about-gaining-agency-i-don-t-think/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“Gloria was still talking, something about how shooting people was in a sense safer than making art, in terms of avoiding serious lapses in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/gloria-was-still-talking-something-about-how-shooting-people-was-in-a/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“Because I didn't move here to fall in love. The desire for love is universal but that has never meant it's worthy of respect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/because-i-didn-t-move-here-to-fall-in-love-the-desire-for-love-is/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [Authenticity is too big a subject to just toss in with the question about the photographs!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/authenticity-is-too-big-a-subject-to-just-toss-in-with-the-question/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“We were in separate realities, fast and slow. There is no fixed reality, only objects in contrast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/we-were-in-separate-realities-fast-and-slow-there-is-no-fixed-reality/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [It's really a misconception to identify the writer with the main character, given that the author creates all the characters in the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/it-s-really-a-misconception-to-identify-the-writer-with-the-main/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [People are complicated. Personally I don't go in for puritanical people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/people-are-complicated-personally-i-don-t-go-in-for-puritanical-people/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [I am a rereader. Quality is variety if you wait long enough. Barthes, Baudelaire, Benjamin, Celine, Duras, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Melville: There is so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-am-a-rereader-quality-is-variety-if-you-wait-long-enough-barthes/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [“But I had seen, the night I met her, that her beauty was going to leave her like it does all women. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/but-i-had-seen-the-night-i-met-her-that-her-beauty-was-going-to-leave/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [When I see things in the world that leap out at me, I want to make use of them in fiction. Maybe every writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/when-i-see-things-in-the-world-that-leap-out-at-me-i-want-to-make-use/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [While it might be true that our reality would suggest that more writers would address these elemental issues of modern life - work, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/while-it-might-be-true-that-our-reality-would-suggest-that-more/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [And here I arrive at my point. The point is that everyone has a different dream. The point is that it is a grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/and-here-i-arrive-at-my-point-the-point-is-that-everyone-has-a/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [I guess I still feel that way and yet I'm slightly hesitant to insist on that idea, that it "better be fun for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-guess-i-still-feel-that-way-and-yet-i-m-slightly-hesitant-to-insist/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) > [A lot of politics in art is just institutional critique, which, in my opinion, is not all that political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/a-lot-of-politics-in-art-is-just-institutional-critique-which-in-my/) [Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) [Explore all 124 Rachel Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/) ## More Authentic quotes > [“RIGHT Do you do what feels right or what is seen right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/right-do-you-do-what-feels-right-or-what-is-seen-right/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [When somebody comes across as authentic and genuine and sweet, people just want to spend time with that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-holmes/when-somebody-comes-across-as-authentic-and-genuine-and-sweet-people/) [Pete Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-holmes/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [Being authentic can be a good thing in that often people who are fixated on that are also fixated on having very high standards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-meyer/being-authentic-can-be-a-good-thing-in-that-often-people-who-are/) [Edgar Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-meyer/) > [“REMEMBER Do you live your life according to how you want to remember it or how you will be remembered?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/remember-do-you-live-your-life-according-to-how-you-want-to-remember/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [I've put my days of fantasy behind me and make authentic realistic films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/i-ve-put-my-days-of-fantasy-behind-me-and-make-authentic-realistic/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [I think as long as you're authentic, people will relate to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-woodson/i-think-as-long-as-you-re-authentic-people-will-relate-to-that/) [Charles Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-woodson/) > [I had always wanted to expand to beauty, but I knew I wanted to be able to translate my design aesthetic in an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ronson/i-had-always-wanted-to-expand-to-beauty-but-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be/) [Charlotte Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ronson/) > [“But now? Being a sellout is the authentic thing. When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/but-now-being-a-sellout-is-the-authentic-thing-when/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [“The biggest mistake people make when trying to be authentic is just that: they try. They see these role models of what an "authentic"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/the-biggest-mistake-people-make-when-trying-to-be-authentic-is-just/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [“Some days I like to wander to old and warn our places, forests ripped apart by man and streams that carry stagnant water where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/some-days-i-like-to-wander-to-old-and-warn-our-places-forests-ripped/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [Christie led the way - with a bulldozer. The governor is blunt, brash, and self-consciously authentic, the antithesis to what turns off today's voters:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/christie-led-the-way-with-a-bulldozer-the-governor-is-blunt-brash-and/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [“Show up authentically and synergy will meet you there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/show-up-authentically-and-synergy-will-meet-you-there/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Disturb reality, defy gravity, be authentic and above all... be happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-gonzalez/disturb-reality-defy-gravity-be-authentic-and-above-all-be-happy/) [Joaquin Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-gonzalez/) > [We have to express ourselves in the most true and authentic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/we-have-to-express-ourselves-in-the-most-true-and-authentic-way/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) [Browse all 784 Authentic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't regard the real and true and authentic as something to claim as a moral high ground.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Kushner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-authentic-as-something-to-claim/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authentic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-authentic-as-something-to-claim/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/rachel-kushner-3631_authentic_i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-aut_669665.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't regard the real and true and authentic as something to claim as a moral high ground.” — Rachel Kushner", "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": "Rachel Kushner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't regard the real and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-authentic-as-something-to-claim/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/i-don-t-regard-the-real-and-true-and-authentic-as-something-to-claim/#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 } } ] } ```