--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …I’ve seen the world tell us with wars…" description: "\"“…I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate developments and bad politics and odd court decisions that our lives don’t matter. That may be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e2/richard-hugo-14365_bad-politics_i-ve-seen-the-world-tell-us-with-wars-an_303273.jpg" --- # …I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate… ![“…I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate developments and bad politics and odd court decisions that our lives don’t matter. That may be because we are too many. Architecture and application form, modern life says that with so many of us we can best survive by ignoring identity and…” quote by Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e2/richard-hugo-14365_bad-politics_i-ve-seen-the-world-tell-us-with-wars-an_303273.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e2/richard-hugo-14365_bad-politics_i-ve-seen-the-world-tell-us-with-wars-an_303273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e2/richard-hugo-14365_bad-politics_i-ve-seen-the-world-tell-us-with-wars-an_303273.jpg) > ““…I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate developments and bad politics and odd court decisions that our lives don’t matter. That may be because we are too many. Architecture and application form, modern life says that with so many of us we can best survive by ignoring identity and acting as it individual differences do not exist. Maybe the narcissism academics condemn in creative writers is but a last reaching for a kind of personal survival. Anyway, as a sound psychoanalyst once remarked to me dryly, narcissism is difficult to avoid. When we are told in dozens of insidious ways that our lives don’t matter, we may be forced to insist, often far too loudly, that they do.”” [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that societal forces diminish individual significance, prompting a defensive assertion of self-worth, often manifesting as narcissism. **In simple terms:** Society makes us feel insignificant, so we cling to self-importance. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance personal value with collective responsibility. Themes identity individualism societal pressure psychology survival narcissism Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical psychological social commentary When to use this quote - political activism - creative writing - therapy sessions - community organizing - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism social critique self-esteem defense mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - How do you assert your worth without dismissing others? - What societal messages shape your sense of importance? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on self can alienate others and hinder cooperation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-politics/) [Creative writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-writing/) [Individual differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-differences/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Modern life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-life/) [Narcissism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcissism/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Real estate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-estate/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Democrats are holistically bad at politics. 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Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celestine-sibley/being-a-reporter-is-one-of-the-noblest-things-you-can-do-in-life/) Celestine Sibley ## More by Richard Hugo > [“there’s too many people in here. If I had my way, I’d have nothing but young chicks, the innocent ones you can teach something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/there-s-too-many-people-in-here-if-i-had-my-way-i-d-have-nothing-but/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [I will garden on the double run, my rhythm obvious in the ringing rakes, and trust in fate to keep me poor and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-will-garden-on-the-double-run-my-rhythm-obvious-in-the-ringing/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [“I fear, trying to improve human nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/i-fear-trying-to-improve-human-nature/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [A poet is seldom hard up for advice. 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Semicolons indicate relationships that only idiots need defined by punctuation. Besides, they are ugly. Make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/maximum-sentence-length-seventeen-words-minimum-one-no-semicolons/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [A good creative-writing teacher can save a good writer a lot of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/a-good-creative-writing-teacher-can-save-a-good-writer-a-lot-of-time/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [“We won’t all disappear on a remote country road in the Monroe Valley, but like The Admiral and his wife we are all going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/we-won-t-all-disappear-on-a-remote-country-road-in-the-monroe-valley/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [“You might come here Sunday on a whim. Say your life broke down. The last good kiss you had was years ago. 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Write them when you're not in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/don-t-write-love-poems-when-you-re-in-love-write-them-when-you-re-not/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [“There are those usual people who try desperately to appear unusual and there are unusual people who try to appear usual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/there-are-those-usual-people-who-try-desperately-to-appear-unusual/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) [Explore all 46 Richard Hugo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) ## More Bad politics quotes > [Democrats are holistically bad at politics. 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So we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ament/it-was-hard-to-figure-out-what-were-the-good-causes-the-bad-causes/) [Jeff Ament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ament/) > [Not all negativity is bad. In politics, it's a necessary clarifying tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/not-all-negativity-is-bad-in-politics-it-s-a-necessary-clarifying-tool/) [Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/) > [“Don’t think it is enough to attend meetings and sit there like a lump…. 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Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celestine-sibley/being-a-reporter-is-one-of-the-noblest-things-you-can-do-in-life/) Celestine Sibley [Browse all 24 Bad politics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-politics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“…I’ve seen the world tell us with wars and real estate developments and bad politics and odd court decisions that our lives don’t matter. That may be because we are too many. Architecture and application form, modern life says that with so many of us we can best survive by ignoring identity and acting as it individual differences do not exist. Maybe the narcissism academics condemn in creative writers is but a last reaching for a kind of personal survival. Anyway, as a sound psychoanalyst once remarked to me dryly, narcissism is difficult to avoid. 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