--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Therein lies the most common trap we fall…" description: "\"“Therein lies the most common trap we fall into when trying to make the internet a safer place: framing it as a war of good people versus bad people in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/zoe-quinn-7410_bad-people_therein-lies-the-most-common-trap-we-fal_1627022.jpg" --- # Therein lies the most common trap we fall into when trying… ![“Therein lies the most common trap we fall into when trying to make the internet a safer place: framing it as a war of good people versus bad people instead of looking at acceptable and unacceptable ways to treat each other. 'Good people' get off the hook for doing bad things, while 'bad people'…” quote by Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/zoe-quinn-7410_bad-people_therein-lies-the-most-common-trap-we-fal_1627022.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/zoe-quinn-7410_bad-people_therein-lies-the-most-common-trap-we-fal_1627022.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/zoe-quinn-7410_bad-people_therein-lies-the-most-common-trap-we-fal_1627022.jpg) > ““Therein lies the most common trap we fall into when trying to make the internet a safer place: framing it as a war of good people versus bad people instead of looking at acceptable and unacceptable ways to treat each other. 'Good people' get off the hook for doing bad things, while 'bad people' aren't considered worth understanding or empathizing with and aren't encouraged to progress, evolve, and do better. The question isn't 'What the hell is wrong with those people?' It's 'What the hell is wrong with us?' Or even 'What the hell was wrong with me?”” [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The danger is labeling internet safety as a battle between good and bad, which excuses wrongdoing and ignores self‑responsibility. **In simple terms:** Labeling people as good or bad hides our own flaws. Key Takeaway Question our own behavior instead of blaming others. Themes ethics online safety responsibility Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - policy making - community moderation - personal reflection - education programs Key Concepts moral psychology social dynamics empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can we shift from blame to shared accountability? - What steps can we take to understand harmful behavior? A Different Perspective Assuming clear moral binaries oversimplifies complex online interactions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-people/) [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Doing Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-bad/) [Good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-people/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [People Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-hell-348651/) [Wrong people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-people/) ## Related quotes > [Good people were also capable of doing very bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chandler/good-people-were-also-capable-of-doing-very-bad-things/) [Elizabeth Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chandler/) > [The capacity of the mind is broad and huge, like the vast sky. Do not sit with a mind fixed on emptiness. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huineng/the-capacity-of-the-mind-is-broad-and-huge-like-the-vast-sky-do-not/) [Huineng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huineng/) > [That to me is the basic message of events like the rise of Nazism, the Salem witch trials, and so on: not that bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/that-to-me-is-the-basic-message-of-events-like-the-rise-of-nazism-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [Why bad things happen to good people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/why-bad-things-happen-to-good-people/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [Good people can do bad things, make bad decisions. It doesn't make them bad people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-people-can-do-bad-things-make-bad-decisions-it-doesn-t-make-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bad people doing bad things is not interesting. What I find interesting is good people doing bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/bad-people-doing-bad-things-is-not-interesting-what-i-find/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [Life is just like a boomerang doing bad things to others and karma is turning back double to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-just-like-a-boomerang-doing-bad-things-to-others-and-karma-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I realized that I have a lot of good people in my life. I shall appreciate you all way more instead of waisting time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-realized-that-i-have-a-lot-of-good-people-in-my-life-i-shall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But I know something else, too: bad people are rare. Good people are everywhere”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bauman/but-i-know-something-else-too-bad-people-are-rare-good-people-are/) [Jeff Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bauman/) > [We do not come to God as bad people trying to become good people; we come as rebels to lay down our arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-do-not-come-to-god-as-bad-people-trying-to-become-good-people-we/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The truth is that Africa is like everywhere else. There are poor areas, there are rich areas, there is a middle class. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/the-truth-is-that-africa-is-like-everywhere-else-there-are-poor-areas/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. We are one society, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/deterrents-properly-placed-can-help-but-that-is-not-enough-we-are-one/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Any discussion of money and success would be lacking if I did not state that money is neither good nor bad. In the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/any-discussion-of-money-and-success-would-be-lacking-if-i-did-not/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) ## More by Zoe Quinn > [The reason I namecheck restorative justice so much is because that, to me, is the utopia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-reason-i-namecheck-restorative-justice-so-much-is-because-that-to/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [I like the idea of using cool cyberpunk stuff to tell really stupid jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-like-the-idea-of-using-cool-cyberpunk-stuff-to-tell-really-stupid/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [“Normal people don’t want me to honestly answer the question “What’s up?” Not many people are equipped to handle answers like “A fanatical juice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/normal-people-don-t-want-me-to-honestly-answer-the-question-what-s-up/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [“We were cautious in how we set it up, because we were extremely afraid of creating yet another shitty institution that would fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/we-were-cautious-in-how-we-set-it-up-because-we-were-extremely-afraid/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [It only makes sense that as our society becomes more and more integrated with technology, we'll start to see more cyborgs, grinders, biohackers -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/it-only-makes-sense-that-as-our-society-becomes-more-and-more/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [Our justice system is a punitive one that's there to sort of deal with what happens after someone's already offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/our-justice-system-is-a-punitive-one-that-s-there-to-sort-of-deal/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [I just wanted to make video games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-just-wanted-to-make-video-games/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [Everyone who has felt alienated by the games industry, both would-be players and creators, needs to rally together and support one another as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/everyone-who-has-felt-alienated-by-the-games-industry-both-would-be/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [The bulk of my work is comedy and I wanted to use the gaming world as a vehicle to deliver comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-bulk-of-my-work-is-comedy-and-i-wanted-to-use-the-gaming-world-as/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [In terms of client & press requests, I operate under the assumption that anything I say will be blasted out in public, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/in-terms-of-client-press-requests-i-operate-under-the-assumption-that/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [The thing about astroturfing is that it can be really believable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-thing-about-astroturfing-is-that-it-can-be-really-believable/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [GamerGate-promoted outlets fail at grown-up journalistic ethics, and they also fail at the cheap knockoff brand of GamerGate brand ethics, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/gamergate-promoted-outlets-fail-at-grown-up-journalistic-ethics-and/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [I really, really, really love writing comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-really-really-really-love-writing-comics/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [Sailor Moon' was the first time I could say I was a super-duper-fan of something. I remember watching before school, at like 6 A.M.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/sailor-moon-was-the-first-time-i-could-say-i-was-a-super-duper-fan-of/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [The first week of Gamergate, I didn't sleep or eat at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-first-week-of-gamergate-i-didn-t-sleep-or-eat-at-all/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) [Explore all 91 Zoe Quinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) ## More Bad people quotes > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [“Any discussion of money and success would be lacking if I did not state that money is neither good nor bad. In the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-stovall/any-discussion-of-money-and-success-would-be-lacking-if-i-did-not/) [Jim Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-stovall/) > [When people walk away from you, let them go. You're destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-walk-away-from-you-let-them-go-you-re-destiny-is-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/if-you-have-the-ability-and-the-opportunity-to-help-someone-but-you/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Really bad people around the world, because of the genius of American innovation, use our products and infrastructure for their emails, for their communications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/really-bad-people-around-the-world-because-of-the-genius-of-american/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [“If you sought to leave the world, don’t go alone. Since there are too many bad people you can take them too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-you-sought-to-leave-the-world-don-t-go-alone-since-there-are-too/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“To feel someone’s life drain from their body by your hands . . . bad, bad people who need to be plucked from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/to-feel-someone-s-life-drain-from-their-body-by-your-hands-bad-bad/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. We are one society, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/deterrents-properly-placed-can-help-but-that-is-not-enough-we-are-one/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“Plato argued that good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will always find a way around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-howard/plato-argued-that-good-people-do-not-need-laws-to-tell-them-to-act/) [Philip K. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-howard/) > [Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/too-bad-all-the-people-who-know-how-to-run-this-country-are-busy/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [The truth is that Africa is like everywhere else. There are poor areas, there are rich areas, there is a middle class. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/the-truth-is-that-africa-is-like-everywhere-else-there-are-poor-areas/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I'm a very placid human being. I don't want to kill anyone. I guess I have played a lot of bad people in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mays/i-m-a-very-placid-human-being-i-don-t-want-to-kill-anyone-i-guess-i/) [Daniel Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mays/) > [We do not come to God as bad people trying to become good people; we come as rebels to lay down our arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/we-do-not-come-to-god-as-bad-people-trying-to-become-good-people-we/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Browse all 703 Bad people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Therein lies the most common trap we fall into when trying to make the internet a safer place: framing it as a war of good people versus bad people instead of looking at acceptable and unacceptable ways to treat each other. 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