Brothers and sisters Quote by William March
““In the first place, good people are rarely suspicious; they cannot imagine others doing the things they themselves are incapable of doing; usually they accept the undramatic conclusion as the correct one, and let matters rest there. Then, too, the normal are inclined to view the multiple killer as the as the one who’s as monstrous in appearance as he is in mind, which is about as far from the truth as one could well get. He paused and then said that these monsters of real life usually looked and behaved in a more normal manner than their actually normal brothers and sisters: they presented a more convincing picture of virtue than virtue presented of itself—just as the wax rosebud or the plastic peach seemed more perfect to the eye, more what the mind thought a rosebud or a peach should be than the imperfect original from which it had been modeled.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Bad Seed, William March, 1954
Good people often trust too easily and misjudge true character, seeing a polished façade as virtue while real flaws hide behind normalcy.
In simple terms: Trust can blind us to real danger.
Key Takeaway
Question appearances, seek deeper truth.
Themes
trust
perception
virtue
deception
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
advice
observational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- leadership decisions
- media consumption
- hiring processes
Key Concepts
psychology
social bias
identity
appearance vs reality
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate genuine virtue from a convincing façade?
- What cues reveal hidden motives?
A Different Perspective
Appearances can be misleading, leading to false security.
![“Good people are rarely suspicious: they cannot imagine others doing things they themselves are incapable of doing; usually they accept the undramatic solution as the correct oe, and let matters rest there. Then too, the normal are inclined to visualize the [psychopath] as one who's as monstrous in…” quote by Robert D. Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cda/robert-d-hare-29849_brothers-and-sisters_good-people-are-rarely-suspicious-they-c_2881080.jpg)
![“The anthropological criminologists tell us that the typical criminal is ugly: monstrum in fronte, monstrum in animo [monstrous in appearance, monstrous in spirit].” quote by Frederick Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3cf/frederick-nietzsche-70804_quote_the-anthropological-criminologists-tell_993995.jpg)
![“What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for [Donald] Trump, and do not participate in that brand of animus, that gas-bagging of enormous bigotry.” quote by Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/01d/michael-eric-dyson-1424_animus_what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-c_14940.jpg)
