Cruelty quotes are quotes that reflect on how cruel and unjust the world can be. These quotes may be about how people often hurt one another, or how the world can be unfair and cruel. They may also focus on how important it is to stay kind, even in the face of cruelty, and how our choices can make a difference in how we treat others. Cruelty quotes can be inspiring and give us hope in difficult times.
42 Best Cruelty Quotes
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“Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.”
– George Eliot
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“Cruelty is, perhaps, the worst kind of sin. Intellectual cruelty is certainly the worst kind of cruelty.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
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“Cruelty, whether physical or moral, is so disgraceful a vice that its very concealment implies guilt.”
– Johann Kaspar Lavater
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“It’s not the suffering of the many that is most cruel, but the knowledge of their suffering.”
– Orson Scott Card
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“Cruelty is not a part of justice. It is the antithesis of justice.”
– Emily Hamilton
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“Every cruelty, every harshness, every wrong deed, every unkind word, every thoughtless act of selfishness, is a link in the chain of cruelty.”
– Bertha von Suttner
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“The cruelest lies are often told in silence.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
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“Cruelty is, perhaps, the worst kind of sin. Intellectual cruelty is certainly the worst kind of cruelty.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
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“Cruelty, whether physical or moral, is so disgraceful a vice that its very concealment implies guilt.”
– Johann Kaspar Lavater
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“Cruelty is contagious in uncivilized communities.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky
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“Cruelty is a tyrant that’s always attended by fear.”
– William Cowper
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“Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.”
– George Eliot
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“The test of civilization is its estimate of human life. Cruel customs and ideas of cruelty are the greatest barbarism.”
– William E. H. Lecky
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“He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual.”
– Thomas Jefferson
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“Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.”
– George Eliot
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“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
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“Cruelty to animals is one of the most significant vices of a low and ignoble people.”
– Alphonse de Lamartine
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“The greatest cruelty is our casual blindness to the despair of others.”
– William Styron
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“Cruelty is not a part of justice. It is the antithesis of justice.”
– Emily Hamilton
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“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
– Immanuel Kant
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“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.”
– H.P. Lovecraft
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“Cruelty is the law pervading all nature and society; and we can’t get out of it if we would.”
– Thomas Hardy
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“It is easier to suppress a first desire than to satisfy those that follow.”
– Benjamin Franklin
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“The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.”
– George Bernard Shaw
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“Cruelty is, perhaps, the worst kind of sin. Intellectual cruelty is certainly the worst kind of cruelty.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
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“The test of civilization is its estimate of human life. Cruel customs and ideas of cruelty are the greatest barbarism.”
– William E. H. Lecky
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“Cruelty is contagious in uncivilized communities.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky
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“Cruelty is a tyrant that’s always attended by fear.”
– William Cowper
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“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
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“Cruelty is not a part of justice. It is the antithesis of justice.”
– Emily Hamilton
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“The cruelest lies are often told in silence.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
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“The most cruel thing a man can do to a woman is to portray her as perfection.”
– Jodi Picoult
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“Cruelty is a tyrant that’s always attended by fear.”
– William Cowper
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“Every cruelty, every harshness, every wrong deed, every unkind word, every thoughtless act of selfishness, is a link in the chain of cruelty.”
– Bertha von Suttner
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“Cruelty is a tyrant that’s always attended by fear.”
– William Cowper
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“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.”
– George Bernard Shaw
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“Cruelty is the law pervading all nature and society; and we can’t get out of it if we would.”
– Thomas Hardy
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“Cruelty is a part of nature, at least of human nature, but it is the one thing that seems unnatural to us.”
– Bertrand Russell
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“Cruelty is one fashion statement we can all do without.”
– Randy K. Milholland
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“The test of civilization is its estimate of human life. Cruel customs and ideas of cruelty are the greatest barbarism.”
– William E. H. Lecky
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“Cruelty to animals is one of the most significant vices of a low and ignoble people.”
– Alphonse de Lamartine
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“The worst cruelty is our casual blindness to the despair of others.”
– William Styron
Conclusion
We have explored some of the most famous cruelty quotes from some of the most respected thinkers and leaders throughout history. We have seen that cruelty is a universal feeling, one that is felt across cultures, religions, and beliefs. From the ancient Greeks to modern day leaders, the message is the same: cruelty is wrong and must be stopped. We hope that by reflecting on these quotes, we can all be inspired to work together to end cruelty in all its forms.
