--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a strange man, a kind of black…" description: "\"It was a strange man, a kind of black humorist, a true philosopher. One day he said: \"If my books could ensure an increase in the number of murders, we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg" --- # It was a strange man, a kind of black humorist, a true… ![“It was a strange man, a kind of black humorist, a true philosopher. One day he said: "If my books could ensure an increase in the number of murders, well, it will mean that they have been quite useful in some way or another."” quote by William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg) > “It was a strange man, a kind of black humorist, a true philosopher. One day he said: "If my books could ensure an increase in the number of murders, well, it will mean that they have been quite useful in some way or another."” [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A darkly comic view that a work’s impact can be measured by its provocative, even harmful, influence. **In simple terms:** Even harmful influence can be seen as usefulness. Key Takeaway Consider the ethical weight of your work. Themes humor philosophy ethics impact Mood cynical reflective Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - public discourse - media criticism Key Concepts dark humor social influence responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Is provocation a valid artistic goal? - How do you balance shock with responsibility? A Different Perspective Such influence may cause real harm beyond intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-humor/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Humorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorists/) [Italian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/italian/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [No real estate is permanently valuable but the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/no-real-estate-is-permanently-valuable-but-the-grave/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The true philosopher is one who makes people believe that he admires what he does not admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-true-philosopher-is-one-who-makes-people-believe-that-he-admires/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“Here was a man some twenty thousand miles from home, by the way of Cape Horn, that is - which was the only way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/here-was-a-man-some-twenty-thousand-miles-from-home-by-the-way-of/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [The true philosopher and the true poet are one, and a beauty, which is truth, and a truth, which is beauty, is the aim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-true-philosopher-and-the-true-poet-are-one-and-a-beauty-which-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The true lover of learning then must his earliest youth, as far as in him lies, desire all truth… He whose desires are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-true-lover-of-learning-then-must-his-earliest-youth-as-far-as-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The true philosopher lives his life as a dress rehearsal for death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-true-philosopher-lives-his-life-as-a-dress-rehearsal-for-death/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [For my future I have no concern, and as a true philosopher, I never would have any, for I know not what it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/for-my-future-i-have-no-concern-and-as-a-true-philosopher-i-never/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) > [The true philosopher does not demonstrate; he shows and says nothing to those who don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/the-true-philosopher-does-not-demonstrate-he-shows-and-says-nothing/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [The world is truly beautiful solely in the eyes of a true philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/the-world-is-truly-beautiful-solely-in-the-eyes-of-a-true-philosopher/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [A true philosopher is like an elephant; he never puts the second foot down until the first one is solidly in place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/a-true-philosopher-is-like-an-elephant-he-never-puts-the-second-foot/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [My doctor said to me afterwards, 'When you were ill you behaved like a true philosopher. Every time you came to yourself you made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/my-doctor-said-to-me-afterwards-when-you-were-ill-you-behaved-like-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Man's greatest battle is being a true philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/man-s-greatest-battle-is-being-a-true-philosopher/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [“Where other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/where-other-powers-of-entertainment-are-wanting-the-true-philosopher/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [To have no time for philosophy is to be a true philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/to-have-no-time-for-philosophy-is-to-be-a-true-philosopher/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [He who has lived as a true philosopher has reason to be of good cheer when he is about to die, and that after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/he-who-has-lived-as-a-true-philosopher-has-reason-to-be-of-good-cheer/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) ## More by William C. Brown > [Would you like to do something good for the future of the human race; well, start killing some of its powerful members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/would-you-like-to-do-something-good-for-the-future-of-the-human-race/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Appeal to all scholars of stupidity in the world. Come to Italy, this country has the highest rate of morons of the universe, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/appeal-to-all-scholars-of-stupidity-in-the-world-come-to-italy-this/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Italian politicians are stupid and expensive, that's why they should be fired, abolished, or better eliminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/italian-politicians-are-stupid-and-expensive-that-s-why-they-should/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Life is deceitful because all warfare is based on deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/life-is-deceitful-because-all-warfare-is-based-on-deception/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Man is the only animal for whom his own stupid existence is a problem which he has to try in vain to solve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/man-is-the-only-animal-for-whom-his-own-stupid-existence-is-a-problem/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Never underestimate the enemy, above all if he is a stupid one and deserves to be killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/never-underestimate-the-enemy-above-all-if-he-is-a-stupid-one-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [When the balance is broken then everything includes itself in power, power into will, will into appetite. So appetite, aided by will and power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/when-the-balance-is-broken-then-everything-includes-itself-in-power/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [First of all you must understand that practising martial arts means studying a certain oriental philosophy of life, otherwise it's merely a vacuous sport…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/first-of-all-you-must-understand-that-practising-martial-arts-means/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Dear doctor, you must not only let the patient tells his story, but you should also try to understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/dear-doctor-you-must-not-only-let-the-patient-tells-his-story-but-you/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [An aphorism is a mental exercise, psychical, logical, linguistic, spiritual, ritual, emotional and rational, it is a major conceptual and literary activity, a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/an-aphorism-is-a-mental-exercise-psychical-logical-linguistic/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [If you don't like trading, gambling and betting, then you don't like living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/if-you-don-t-like-trading-gambling-and-betting-then-you-don-t-like/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [When I was young I used to practice a martial art that was a mixture of karate, kung fu, Jujitsu, Yawara Kubotan, Aikido, Okinawan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/when-i-was-young-i-used-to-practice-a-martial-art-that-was-a-mixture/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Religion is only literature, but luckily literature is not only religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/religion-is-only-literature-but-luckily-literature-is-not-only/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Literature can be divided into two large families: the religious and the secular one. The first reveals the origin of stupidity, the second follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/literature-can-be-divided-into-two-large-families-the-religious-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Italian politicians are too stupid to deserve my vote, but they can get over it with my critical, denunciatory, satirical, vitriolic and vituperative invectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/italian-politicians-are-too-stupid-to-deserve-my-vote-but-they-can/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) [Explore all 61 William C. Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) Frank B. Wilderson III > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a strange man, a kind of black humorist, a true philosopher. One day he said: \"If my books could ensure an increase in the number of murders, well, it will mean that they have been quite useful in some way or another.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William C. Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-humorist-a-true-philosopher-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-humorist-a-true-philosopher-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/william-c-brown-11174_black_it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-hum_2378848.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a strange man, a kind of black humorist, a true philosopher. One day he said: \"If my books could…” — William C. Brown", "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": "William C. Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was a strange man, a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-humorist-a-true-philosopher-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/it-was-a-strange-man-a-kind-of-black-humorist-a-true-philosopher-one/#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 } } ] } ```