--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can forgivenes for the crimes done to a…" description: "\"“Can forgivenes for the crimes done to a child be not just ineffective but actively harmful? It certainly can because the body does not understand mora..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/alice-miller-3713_blind-eye_can-forgivenes-for-the-crimes-done-to-a_2146295.png" --- # Can forgivenes for the crimes done to a child be not just… ![“Can forgivenes for the crimes done to a child be not just ineffective but actively harmful? It certainly can because the body does not understand moral precepts. It fights to make our conscious minds admit the truth and transcend our denial of genuine feelings. This is something children cannot…” quote by Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/alice-miller-3713_blind-eye_can-forgivenes-for-the-crimes-done-to-a_2146295.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/alice-miller-3713_blind-eye_can-forgivenes-for-the-crimes-done-to-a_2146295.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8a/alice-miller-3713_blind-eye_can-forgivenes-for-the-crimes-done-to-a_2146295.png) > ““Can forgivenes for the crimes done to a child be not just ineffective but actively harmful? It certainly can because the body does not understand moral precepts. It fights to make our conscious minds admit the truth and transcend our denial of genuine feelings. This is something children cannot afford to do. They have to deceive themselves and turn a blind eye to their parents' crimes in order to survive. Adults no longer need to repress their feelings. But if they do, the price they pay is high. Either they ruin their own health or they make others foot the bill.”” [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children cannot process adult moral complexities, leading to harmful denial and emotional repression in adults. **In simple terms:** Children can't handle adult moral truths, causing harmful denial. Key Takeaway Recognize and address repressed feelings early. Themes psychology family trauma repression health Mood reflective somber Type advice psychological When to use this quote - parenting - therapy - self‑care - mental‑health support Key Concepts developmental trauma moral development emotional health Questions to Reflect On - How does denial affect adult health? - What steps can break this cycle? A Different Perspective Denial may protect short‑term survival but harms long‑term wellbeing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conscious mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-mind/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“People with an entertaining rigid structure are brought up in environments in which the parents are uncomfortable with expressing feelings. This is not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-greene/people-with-an-entertaining-rigid-structure-are-brought-up-in/) [Elliot Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-greene/) > [Of course, I get angry. Of course, I get sad. I have a full range of emotions. 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It takes an adult to choose to be cruel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-strnad/you-were-a-child-you-didn-t-mean-to-hurt-my-feelings-children-are/) [Jan Strnad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-strnad/) > [I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/i-do-not-pretend-to-understand-the-moral-universe-the-arc-is-a-long-2/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [“Man is made of dirt - I saw him made. I am not made of dirt. Man is a museum of diseases, a home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-made-of-dirt-i-saw-him-made-i-am-not-made-of-dirt-man-is-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I am convinced that the majority of American people do understand that we have a moral responsibility to foster the concepts of opportunity, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lugar/i-am-convinced-that-the-majority-of-american-people-do-understand/) [Richard Lugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lugar/) > [How can our kids really understand the moral complexities of being alive if they are not allowed to engage in those complexities outdoors?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/how-can-our-kids-really-understand-the-moral-complexities-of-being/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [Girls must understand not only their moral obligation but their power to be allies to each other at parties and other potentially unsafe spaces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/girls-must-understand-not-only-their-moral-obligation-but-their-power/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [“Moral experience—the actual possession and exercise of good character—is necessary truly to understand moral principles and profitably to apply them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/moral-experience-the-actual-possession-and-exercise-of-good-character/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one. . . . But from what I see I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/i-do-not-pretend-to-understand-the-moral-universe-the-arc-is-a-long/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [“Do I want to be loved in spite of?Do you? Does anyone? But aren't we all to some degree? Aren't there important parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/do-i-want-to-be-loved-in-spite-of-do-you-does-anyone-but-aren-t-we/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“Will we ever learn and truly see, when we continue turning a blind eye to those in despair, that are in badly need...we help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/will-we-ever-learn-and-truly-see-when-we-continue-turning-a-blind-eye/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More by Alice Miller > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Wherever I look, I see signs of the commandment to honor one's parents and nowhere of a commandment that calls for the respect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/wherever-i-look-i-see-signs-of-the-commandment-to-honor-one-s-parents/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [The art of not experiencing feelings. A child can experience her feelings only when there is somebody there who accepts her fully, understands her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-art-of-not-experiencing-feelings-a-child-can-experience-her/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Disrespect is the weapon of the weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/disrespect-is-the-weapon-of-the-weak/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“Even if one ultimately risks losing all contact with oneself and merely functioning as a mask, an "as if" personality, there are always drugs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/even-if-one-ultimately-risks-losing-all-contact-with-oneself-and/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“Thus he spent his whole life searching for his own truth, but it remained hidden to him because he had learned at a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/thus-he-spent-his-whole-life-searching-for-his-own-truth-but-it/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“Most people do exactly the opposite. Without realizing that the past is constantly determining their present actions, they avoid learning anything about their history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/most-people-do-exactly-the-opposite-without-realizing-that-the-past/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [People who, as children, were intellectually far beyond their parents and therefore admired by them, but who also therefore had to solve their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/people-who-as-children-were-intellectually-far-beyond-their-parents/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Parents are indeed capable of routinely torturing their children without anyone interceding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/parents-are-indeed-capable-of-routinely-torturing-their-children/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Ultimately the body will rebel. Even if it can be temporarily pacified with the help of drugs, cigarettes or medicine, it usually has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/ultimately-the-body-will-rebel-even-if-it-can-be-temporarily-pacified/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [The child has a primary need to be regarded and respected as the person he really is at any given time, and as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-child-has-a-primary-need-to-be-regarded-and-respected-as-the/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [For some years now, there has been proof that the devastating effects of the traumatization of children take their inevitable tollon society--a fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/for-some-years-now-there-has-been-proof-that-the-devastating-effects/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“The older we get, the more difficult it is to find other people who can give us the love our parents denied us. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-older-we-get-the-more-difficult-it-is-to-find-other-people-who/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [It is very difficult for people to believe the simple fact that every persecutor was once a victim. Yet it should be very obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/it-is-very-difficult-for-people-to-believe-the-simple-fact-that-every/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [We don't yet know, above all, what the world might be like if children were to grow up without being subjected to humiliation, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/we-don-t-yet-know-above-all-what-the-world-might-be-like-if-children/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) [Explore all 120 Alice Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) ## More Blind eye quotes > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Will we ever learn and truly see, when we continue turning a blind eye to those in despair, that are in badly need...we help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/will-we-ever-learn-and-truly-see-when-we-continue-turning-a-blind-eye/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [“Do I want to be loved in spite of?Do you? Does anyone? But aren't we all to some degree? Aren't there important parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/do-i-want-to-be-loved-in-spite-of-do-you-does-anyone-but-aren-t-we/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [My left eye went when I was young. I was working the speed bag, and some steel went in the eye and scratched it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/my-left-eye-went-when-i-was-young-i-was-working-the-speed-bag-and/) [Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/) > [We think of justice sometimes as getting what you deserve, you know - what crime was committed and what is the punishment for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/we-think-of-justice-sometimes-as-getting-what-you-deserve-you-know/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Blind in the eye, so I see you with my heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-ali/blind-in-the-eye-so-i-see-you-with-my-heart/) [Brother Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother-ali/) > [The consequences of turning a blind eye to government corruption go far beyond simply letting some corrupt politicians and bureaucrats walk free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-fitton/the-consequences-of-turning-a-blind-eye-to-government-corruption-go/) [Tom Fitton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-fitton/) > [The newspapers turn a blind eye to how they get their material as long as they have great photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sienna-miller/the-newspapers-turn-a-blind-eye-to-how-they-get-their-material-as/) [Sienna Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sienna-miller/) > [That's one part of this industry that you really have to get used to, the idea of turning a blind eye to pretty much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/that-s-one-part-of-this-industry-that-you-really-have-to-get-used-to/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [“DON’T BE RULED BY HIDDEN FAULTS AND WILLFUL SIN But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tsika/don-t-be-ruled-by-hidden-faults-and-willful-sin-but-who-can-discern/) Paul Tsika > [When I could not see the light with my blind eyes, I blamed not my eyes, but the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/when-i-could-not-see-the-light-with-my-blind-eyes-i-blamed-not-my/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [“my love is blind eyes druged by beauty legs maimed from dancing for joy hearing impared from great song I still dont care because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savage/my-love-is-blind-eyes-druged-by-beauty-legs-maimed-from-dancing-for/) [Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savage/) > [Never forget that turning a blind eye to oppression and watching from the sidelines is itself opression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-forget-that-turning-a-blind-eye-to-oppression-and-watching-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I try to live my life every day in the present, and try not to turn a blind eye to injustice and need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/i-try-to-live-my-life-every-day-in-the-present-and-try-not-to-turn-a/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [“We simply cannot engage with either the ills or promises of society if we continue to turn a blind eye to the egregious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-kyodo-williams/we-simply-cannot-engage-with-either-the-ills-or-promises-of-society/) Angel Kyodo Williams Browse all 153 Blind eye quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Can forgivenes for the crimes done to a child be not just ineffective but actively harmful? 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