--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And what we students of history always…" description: "\"And what we students of history always learn is that the human being is a very complicated contraption and that they are not good or bad but are good a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg" --- # And what we students of history always learn is that the… ![“And what we students of history always learn is that the human being is a very complicated contraption and that they are not good or bad but are good and bad and the good comes out of the bad and the bad out of the good, and the devil take the hindmost.” quote by Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg) > “And what we students of history always learn is that the human being is a very complicated contraption and that they are not good or bad but are good and bad and the good comes out of the bad and the bad out of the good, and the devil take the hindmost.” [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature is complex, containing both good and bad; moral outcomes arise from the interplay of these forces. **In simple terms:** People are mix of good and bad; outcomes mix. Key Takeaway Recognize duality in actions. Themes human nature morality duality Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - political leadership - personal decisions - conflict resolution - character study Key Concepts Ethics philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance good and bad in choices? - When does bad become good? A Different Perspective Simplifies moral judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Good and bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-bad/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [“--that the human being is a very complicated contraption and that they are not good or bad but are good and bad and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/that-the-human-being-is-a-very-complicated-contraption-and-that-they/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“It's a familiar moment to students of history: the late stage of empire, hairline fractures shooting through the foundations of society. They're like cracks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sharlet/it-s-a-familiar-moment-to-students-of-history-the-late-stage-of/) [Jeff Sharlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sharlet/) > [“I believe that the human being is the most complicated chapter of existence, with thousands of dimensions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/i-believe-that-the-human-being-is-the-most-complicated-chapter-of/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) > [“The relationship between a dog and a human is always complicated. 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Howl the eternal yes! \[N.B. this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/being-human-is-a-complicated-gig-so-give-that-ol-dark-night-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Surely there is the handful of nursery marchen that start, ‘Once in the middle of a forest lived an old witch’ or ‘The devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/surely-there-is-the-handful-of-nursery-marchen-that-start-once-in-the/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [I want to open myself. ... I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus. I danced for the Devil;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-williams/i-want-to-open-myself-i-want-the-light-of-god-i-want-the-sweet-love/) [Abigail Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-williams/) > [“There is nothing good in the devil and there is nothing bad in God and with God all things are possible . 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We may judge results but not process. The morally bad agent may perform the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/process-as-process-is-neither-morally-good-nor-morally-bad-we-may/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [The end of man is knowledge, but there is one thing he can't know. He can't know whether knowledge will save him or kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/the-end-of-man-is-knowledge-but-there-is-one-thing-he-can-t-know-he/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [For the truth is a terrible thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/for-the-truth-is-a-terrible-thing/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) [Explore all 184 Robert Penn Warren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) ## More Complicated quotes > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) Marlin > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Two people could build an outhouse in four hours. They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/) Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And what we students of history always learn is that the human being is a very complicated contraption and that they are not good or bad but are good and bad and the good comes out of the bad and the bad out of the good, and the devil take the hindmost.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Penn Warren" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/and-what-we-students-of-history-always-learn-is-that-the-human-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complicated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/and-what-we-students-of-history-always-learn-is-that-the-human-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/522/robert-penn-warren-2118_complicated_and-what-we-students-of-history-always-l_2116031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And what we students of history always learn is that the human being is a very complicated contraption and…” — Robert Penn Warren", "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": "Robert Penn Warren", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And what we students of history...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/and-what-we-students-of-history-always-learn-is-that-the-human-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/and-what-we-students-of-history-always-learn-is-that-the-human-being/#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 } } ] } ```