--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pity was meant to be a spur that drives…" description: "\"Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help misery. But it can be used the wrong way round. It can be used for a kind of blackmailing. Those wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/anonymous-1_helping_pity-was-meant-to-be-a-spur-that-drives_793754.jpg" --- # Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help… ![“Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help misery. But it can be used the wrong way round. It can be used for a kind of blackmailing. Those who choose misery can hold joy up to ransom, by pity.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/anonymous-1_helping_pity-was-meant-to-be-a-spur-that-drives_793754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/anonymous-1_helping_pity-was-meant-to-be-a-spur-that-drives_793754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/anonymous-1_helping_pity-was-meant-to-be-a-spur-that-drives_793754.jpg) > “Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help misery. But it can be used the wrong way round. It can be used for a kind of blackmailing. Those who choose misery can hold joy up to ransom, by pity.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pity can motivate aid but also be misused to manipulate or control others. **In simple terms:** Pity can both help and harm. Key Takeaway Use compassion responsibly. Themes ethics empathy power Mood thoughtful cautious Type ethical reflective When to use this quote - charitable work - social work - personal relationships Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - When does pity become manipulation? - How can you offer help without coercion? A Different Perspective Excessive pity may foster dependency or resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choose Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-misery-4116102/) [Help Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-misery-5728707/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Meant to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-to-be/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Misery Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery-used-6091096/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Pity Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity-meant-6091097/) [Ransom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ransom/) [Ransom Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ransom-pity-6091098/) [Spurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spurs/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Were meant to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were-meant-to-be/) [Wrong way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-way/) ## Related quotes > [The world we live in is the world we choose to live in, whether consciously or unconsciously. If we choose bliss, that's what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-we-live-in-is-the-world-we-choose-to-live-in-whether/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometime you just have to run to a friend to help you get through all this misery. It will all work out eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgett/sometime-you-just-have-to-run-to-a-friend-to-help-you-get-through-all/) [Bridgett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgett/) > [It is almost impossible for anyone, even the most ineffective among us, to continue to choose misery after becoming aware that it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/it-is-almost-impossible-for-anyone-even-the-most-ineffective-among-us/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) > [I have always believed that writing advertisements is the second most profitable form of writing. The first, of course, is ransom notes...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-always-believed-that-writing-advertisements-is-the-second-most/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fasting-for-a-fixed-number-of-days-but-if-any-of-you-is-ill-or-on-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To ransom one lost moment with a rhyme! Or if fate and grudging gods demure, To clutch Life's hair, and thrust one naked phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-ransom-one-lost-moment-with-a-rhyme-or-if-fate-and-grudging-gods/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was called a tribute before a battle and a ransom afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-called-a-tribute-before-a-battle-and-a-ransom-afterwards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You are guilty of no evil, Ransom of Thulcandra, except a little fearfulness. For that, the journey you go on is your pain, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-guilty-of-no-evil-ransom-of-thulcandra-except-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well,' said Ransom, 'if it is a delusion, it's a pretty stubborn one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-said-ransom-if-it-is-a-delusion-it-s-a-pretty-stubborn-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ransom notes keep falling out of your mouth, mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut offs, speak no feeling, no I dont believe you. You dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ransom-notes-keep-falling-out-of-your-mouth-mid-sweet-talk-newspaper/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/will-not-collect-a-ransom-in-exchange-for-not-crashing-the-american/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Thankfully the rest of the world assumed that the Irish were crazy, a theory that the Irish themselves did nothing to debunk. They had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/thankfully-the-rest-of-the-world-assumed-that-the-irish-were-crazy-a/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus/for-even-the-son-of-man-came-not-to-be-ministered-unto-but-to/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus/) > [“You’ve never felt good. Your suffering protects you. Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/you-ve-never-felt-good-your-suffering-protects-you-pain-is-the-ransom/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Helping quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-to-remind-people-that-you-vote-you-matter-and-that-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) [Browse all 17,861 Helping quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help misery. But it can be used the wrong way round. It can be used for a kind of blackmailing. 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