--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The weak are cruel. The strong have no…" description: "\"The weak are cruel. The strong have no need to be.\" — Alice Hoffman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/alice-hoffman-427_cruel_the-weak-are-cruel-the-strong-have-no-ne_499314.png" --- # The weak are cruel. The strong have no need to be. ![“The weak are cruel. The strong have no need to be.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/alice-hoffman-427_cruel_the-weak-are-cruel-the-strong-have-no-ne_499314.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/alice-hoffman-427_cruel_the-weak-are-cruel-the-strong-have-no-ne_499314.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/alice-hoffman-427_cruel_the-weak-are-cruel-the-strong-have-no-ne_499314.png) > “The weak are cruel. The strong have no need to be.” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The powerless often act harshly, while the powerful lack the need to be cruel. **In simple terms:** Weak people can be cruel; strong people don’t need to be. Key Takeaway Recognize power dynamics in behavior. Themes power morality human nature psychology Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace leadership - social activism - education Key Concepts social hierarchy empathy ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Why do the weak sometimes lash out? - Can power be used kindly? A Different Perspective Strength can breed complacency, not always kindness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) [Cruel Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-strong-2971834/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-need-516230/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Weak Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-cruel-4171499/) ## Related quotes > [“My heart is not brave or big. It is not cruel either. It is not strong at all. I keep it within this iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-ashe/my-heart-is-not-brave-or-big-it-is-not-cruel-either-it-is-not-strong/) [Rebecca Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-ashe/) > [Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/only-the-weak-are-cruel-gentleness-can-only-be-expected-from-the/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/i-learned-that-it-is-the-weak-who-are-cruel-and-that-gentleness-is-to/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are defenseless against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cruel-for-then-we-are/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [“It is the weak who are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-roskin/it-is-the-weak-who-are-cruel-gentleness-can-only-be-expected-from-the/) [Leo Roskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-roskin/) > [“He was such an enigma, really - fierce and strong and weak and cruel. An incomparable friend and a son of a bitch. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/he-was-such-an-enigma-really-fierce-and-strong-and-weak-and-cruel-an/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [Its not that I dont need a man its just that I'm strong enough not to be in need of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-that-i-dont-need-a-man-its-just-that-i-m-strong-enough-not-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You Don't Always Have To Pretend To Be Strong. There's No Need To Prove All The Time That Everything Is Going Well. You Shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/you-don-t-always-have-to-pretend-to-be-strong-there-s-no-need-to/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [Everyone can be strong, but once every now and they some one will need a hug and be told that everything will be alright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-can-be-strong-but-once-every-now-and-they-some-one-will-need/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes you need to be strong for yourself because you need to accept the feeling of losing someone..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/sometimes-you-need-to-be-strong-for-yourself-because-you-need-to/) [Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/) > [The great majority of people have a strong need for authority which they can admire, to which they can submit, and which dominates and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-great-majority-of-people-have-a-strong-need-for-authority-which/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [When A Person Has Something Important They Want To Protect... That's When They Can Became Truly Strong... As Strong As They Need To Be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haku/when-a-person-has-something-important-they-want-to-protect-that-s/) [Haku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haku/) > [“Because a thing is going strong now, it need not go strong for ever,' she said. 'This craze for motion has only set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/because-a-thing-is-going-strong-now-it-need-not-go-strong-for-ever/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [I am not strong enough. Sometimes I need to cry to release all the pain that I felt for too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iceprincess/i-am-not-strong-enough-sometimes-i-need-to-cry-to-release-all-the/) [IcePrincess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iceprincess/) > [I obviously felt a very strong need to be a part of a family. Looking at trains and thinking 'These kids are writing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie/i-obviously-felt-a-very-strong-need-to-be-a-part-of-a-family-looking/) [Goldie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) [Keith Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thompson/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) [Katie D. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-d-anderson/) > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The weak are cruel. 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