The trouble, in fact, is a difficult one to deal with…
““The trouble, in fact, is a difficult one to deal with, since it is inflamed alike by sympathy and by lack of sympathy. The person inclined to persecution mania, when he finds a hard-luck story believed, will embellish it until he reaches the frontier of credibility; when, on the other hand, he finds it disbelieved, he has merely another example of the peculiar hard-heartedness of mankind towards himself.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Sympathy and lack of sympathy both fuel persecution; stories are exaggerated when believed and dismissed when disbelieved, revealing human hardness.
In simple terms: Both sympathy and its absence fuel persecution.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate balanced empathy.
Themes
sympathy
persecution
human nature
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- justice work
- media analysis
- interpersonal conflict
- social policy
Key Concepts
ethics
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you assess credibility?
- What role does empathy play in justice?
A Different Perspective
Extreme bias can distort truth.