--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A random group of homeless people under a…" description: "\"A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be far more intellectually sound and principled than anything I've encountered at the university..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg" --- # A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be… ![“A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be far more intellectually sound and principled than anything I've encountered at the university so far.” quote by Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg) > “A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be far more intellectually sound and principled than anything I've encountered at the university so far.” [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker claims that a community of homeless individuals would exhibit greater intellectual and moral integrity than the university environment encountered. **In simple terms:** Homelessness may reflect higher moral standards than academia. Key Takeaway Question societal assumptions about intelligence and morality. Themes social critique morality education Mood critical provocative Type social political When to use this quote - university culture - homeless advocacy - public policy Key Concepts ethics sociology Questions to Reflect On - How can we address both intellectual integrity and material need? - What biases exist in academic institutions? A Different Perspective The statement risks romanticizing poverty and overlooking systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Homeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeless/) [Homeless people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeless-people/) [Homelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homelessness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [Philadelphia caught my attention in 1995 when a group of homeless families were living in an abandoned cathedral. Even from the beginning they connected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/philadelphia-caught-my-attention-in-1995-when-a-group-of-homeless/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) > [ “TRACY MARANDER: \[Kurt Cobain\] was a really good artist. He would draw cartoons with funny sayings. I have this huge picture of this homeless… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-prato/tracy-marander-kurt-cobain-was-a-really-good-artist-he-would-draw/) [Greg Prato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-prato/) > [Watching snowing would be much greater if there were no homeless people! Man can never be fully happy and comfortable till all men become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/watching-snowing-would-be-much-greater-if-there-were-no-homeless/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Just to be a functioning adult in the world, we develop all of these layers of protection. When we see homeless people, we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/just-to-be-a-functioning-adult-in-the-world-we-develop-all-of-these/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Homeless people go to bed freezing and wake up shaking in the morning, even if they have a sleeping bag. If they don’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/homeless-people-go-to-bed-freezing-and-wake-up-shaking-in-the-morning/) [Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/) > [When passerby's ignore homeless people, they don't know if that was a man or woman in uniform previously. They should not be invisible. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-martini/when-passerby-s-ignore-homeless-people-they-don-t-know-if-that-was-a/) [Max Martini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-martini/) > [“I don't know what's worse by number in America, the vacant houses standing, or the homeless people falling into them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/i-don-t-know-what-s-worse-by-number-in-america-the-vacant-houses/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-mckechnie/people-who-are-homeless-are-not-social-inadequates-they-are-people/) Sheila McKechnie > [“There were some places, and streets, where he did not venture since he had learnt that others had claims there greater than his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/there-were-some-places-and-streets-where-he-did-not-venture-since-he/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [All these people talking about morality should just take a walk downtown. They don't want to go downtown because instantly they see homeless people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/all-these-people-talking-about-morality-should-just-take-a-walk/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [“What would it hurt for me to give that homeless guy a couple bucks? Who the hell cares if he spends it on beer?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/what-would-it-hurt-for-me-to-give-that-homeless-guy-a-couple-bucks/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [“If you walk five blocks north from the wholefoods in Berkeley along Telegraph Avenue and then turn right at Dwight way, you'll soon come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/if-you-walk-five-blocks-north-from-the-wholefoods-in-berkeley-along/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“His body had become a companion which seemed always about to leave him: it had its own pains which moved him to pity, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/his-body-had-become-a-companion-which-seemed-always-about-to-leave/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“Homelessness in the context of austerity-led welfare reforms involves more than concepts of accommodation and pathways in or out of homelessness. Seen in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-de-oliveira/homelessness-in-the-context-of-austerity-led-welfare-reforms-involves/) Bruno De Oliveira ## More by Ward Churchill > [The American people are free to do exactly what they are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/the-american-people-are-free-to-do-exactly-what-they-are-told/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [They were targeting those people I referred to as 'little Eichmanns.' These were legitimate targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/they-were-targeting-those-people-i-referred-to-as-little-eichmanns/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [The term 'human rights defender,' incidentally, isn't something I or my attorneys came up with. Personally, I find it a little embarrassing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/the-term-human-rights-defender-incidentally-isn-t-something-i-or-my/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [People have a bad habit of blaming the victims. Damn Jews! If hadn't been for them the Nazis wouldn't have exterminated 'em all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/people-have-a-bad-habit-of-blaming-the-victims-damn-jews-if-hadn-t/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [“If the U.S. foreign policy results in massive death and destruction abroad, they cannot feign innocence when some of that destruction is returned. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/if-the-u-s-foreign-policy-results-in-massive-death-and-destruction/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [Could it be that toxic mimics are toxic because they ignore responsibility, they ignore relationship, they ignore presence, they substitute control for fluidity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/could-it-be-that-toxic-mimics-are-toxic-because-they-ignore/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [When you kill 500,000 children in order to impose your will on other countries, then you shouldn't be surprised when somebody responds in kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/when-you-kill-500-000-children-in-order-to-impose-your-will-on-other/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [My comments are reserved for reputable journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/my-comments-are-reserved-for-reputable-journalists/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [I hear Republicans and Libertarians and so forth talking about property rights, but they stop talking about property rights as soon as the subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/i-hear-republicans-and-libertarians-and-so-forth-talking-about/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [There's always merit to having a debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/there-s-always-merit-to-having-a-debate/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [Guess what? By virtue of being American, you are not innocent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/guess-what-by-virtue-of-being-american-you-are-not-innocent/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [I consider PirateBallerina to be the most credible news source in the Denver area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/i-consider-pirateballerina-to-be-the-most-credible-news-source-in-the/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [Among the worst examples is that of the Alberni Indian Residential School (British Columbia) where, during the 1920s, children caught talking Indian suffered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/among-the-worst-examples-is-that-of-the-alberni-indian-residential/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [In Israel, the maximum legal penalty for denying the existence of God is one year in prison, while the punishment for denying the existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/in-israel-the-maximum-legal-penalty-for-denying-the-existence-of-god/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [And why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people here should have done a long time ago?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/and-why-by-the-way-did-it-take-arabs-to-do-what-people-here-should/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) [Explore all 35 Ward Churchill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) ## More Bridges quotes > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/) [Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) [Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be far more intellectually sound and principled than anything I've encountered at the university so far.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ward Churchill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under-a-bridge-would-be-far-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bridges" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under-a-bridge-would-be-far-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/ward-churchill-18105_bridges_a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under_2873096.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A random group of homeless people under a bridge would be far more intellectually sound and principled than…” — Ward Churchill", "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": "Ward Churchill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A random group of homeless people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under-a-bridge-would-be-far-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/a-random-group-of-homeless-people-under-a-bridge-would-be-far-more/#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 } } ] } ```