Despicable Quote by W. Somerset Maugham
“The nature of men and women - their essential nature - is so vile and despicable that if you were to portray a person as he really is, no one would believe you.”
About This Quote
The quote suggests that human nature is so corrupt that an honest portrayal would be unbelievable.
In simple terms: Human nature is portrayed as irredeemably corrupt.
Key Takeaway
Recognize bias when judging character.
Themes
human nature
corruption
perception
Mood
cynical
skeptical
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- literary analysis
- ethical debates
- character studies
Key Concepts
moral relativism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- Do we often idealize others?
- Can we accept uncomfortable truths?
A Different Perspective
Even if true, people may reject harsh truths.
![“I don't see [the jungle] so much erotic. I see it more full of obscenity. It's just - Nature here is vile and base. I wouldn't see anything erotical here. I would see fornication and asphyxiation and choking and fighting for survival and growing and just rotting away. Of course, there's a lot of…” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1b3/werner-herzog-964_asphyxiation_i-don-t-see-the-jungle-so-much-erotic-i_1128692.jpg)
![“The American experiment, the United States in the past eight years [2008-2016] was not considered worthy of leading, because we had committed too many transgressions. We didn't have the moral authority to lead anybody because we had too many injustices in our past and too many discriminations and…” quote by Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/837/rush-limbaugh-28_authority_the-american-experiment-the-united-state_153892.jpg)
