--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who sees cruelty and does nothing…" description: "\"He who sees cruelty and does nothing about it is himself cruel.\" — Abraham Lincoln" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png" --- # He who sees cruelty and does nothing about it is himself… ![“He who sees cruelty and does nothing about it is himself cruel.” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png) > “He who sees cruelty and does nothing about it is himself cruel.” [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Witnessing suffering without intervening makes one complicit in that suffering. **In simple terms:** Doing nothing to cruelty makes you cruel. Key Takeaway Act against injustice. Themes ethics responsibility humanity Mood serious urgent Type moral inspirational When to use this quote - community response - policy making - personal choices Key Concepts moral duty social justice Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do you have when you see injustice? - When is in action justified? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex situations where action is risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) ## Related quotes > [Cruelty does not make a person dishonest, the same way bravery does not make a person kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/cruelty-does-not-make-a-person-dishonest-the-same-way-bravery-does/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“...I'm ANGRY. 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It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. 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How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-glad-to-see-that-a-system-of-labor-prevails-under-which-laborers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-don-t-like-that-man-i-must-get-to-know-him-better/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and to the young, it comes with bitterest agony because it takes them unawares.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/in-this-sad-world-of-ours-sorrow-comes-to-all-and-to-the-young-it/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am. None who would do more to preserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-man-does-not-live-who-is-more-devoted-to-peace-than-i-am-none-who/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Explore all 1,437 Abraham Lincoln quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. 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The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. 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Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who sees cruelty and does nothing about it is himself cruel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abraham Lincoln" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-about-it-is-himself-cruel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-about-it-is-himself-cruel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26e/abraham-lincoln-88_animal_he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-abo_1922345.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who sees cruelty and does nothing about it is himself cruel.” — Abraham Lincoln", "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": "Abraham Lincoln", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who sees cruelty and does...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-about-it-is-himself-cruel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/he-who-sees-cruelty-and-does-nothing-about-it-is-himself-cruel/#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 } } ] } ```