--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in…" description: "\"“Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in cases of involuntary suffering than of crime and offences committed voluntarily and with malice aforethought.”..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg" --- # Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in cases of… ![“Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in cases of involuntary suffering than of crime and offences committed voluntarily and with malice aforethought.” quote by Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg) > ““Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in cases of involuntary suffering than of crime and offences committed voluntarily and with malice aforethought.”” [Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compassion is appropriate for involuntary suffering, not for willful wrongdoing. **In simple terms:** Pity applies to unchosen suffering. Key Takeaway Reserve pity for victims, not perpetrators. Themes ethics compassion justice Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - legal judgments - medical ethics - social welfare Key Concepts moral philosophy voluntary vs involuntary harm empathy Questions to Reflect On - When is pity justified? - How to differentiate suffering types? A Different Perspective Moral judgments can be complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Involuntary Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involuntary-suffering-1559422/) [Malice Aforethought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice-aforethought-2600089/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Pity Properly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity-properly-2600088/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-crime-1982640/) ## Related quotes > [“‪The more voluntary suffering you build into your life, the less involuntary suffering will affect your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-more-voluntary-suffering-you-build-into-your-life-the-less/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Knowledge is like a knife. In the hands of a well-balanced adult it is an instrument for good of inestimable value; but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-baekeland/knowledge-is-like-a-knife-in-the-hands-of-a-well-balanced-adult-it-is/) [Leo Baekeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-baekeland/) > [The only medicine for suffering, crime, and all other woes of mankind, is wisdom. Teach a man to read and write, and you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/the-only-medicine-for-suffering-crime-and-all-other-woes-of-mankind/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [“The only medicine for suffering, crime, and all the other woes of mankind, is wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/the-only-medicine-for-suffering-crime-and-all-the-other-woes-of/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [The only medicine for suffering, crime, murder, and all other woes of mankind, is wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/live-skate-smoke/the-only-medicine-for-suffering-crime-murder-and-all-other-woes-of/) [Live\_Skate\_Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/live-skate-smoke/) > [“It is not often the worst trait that occasions the loudest outcry. Men complain of their suffering and not of the crime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-not-often-the-worst-trait-that-occasions-the-loudest-outcry-men/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Such exceptional suffering and calamity, then, affecting the hero, and-we must now add-generally extending far and wide beyond him, so as to make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bradley/such-exceptional-suffering-and-calamity-then-affecting-the-hero-and/) [A. C. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bradley/) > [Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child; Pity my simplicity, Suffer me to come to thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/gentle-jesus-meek-and-mild-look-upon-a-little-child-pity-my/) [Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/) > [I know the compassion of others is a relief at first. I don't despise it. But it can't quench pain, it slips through your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/i-know-the-compassion-of-others-is-a-relief-at-first-i-don-t-despise/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [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/) > [“How dare I, Mrs Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth. You think I have no feelings, and that I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/how-dare-i-mrs-reed-how-dare-i-because-it-is-the-truth-you-think-i/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is a pity that, commonly, more care is had--yea, and that among very wise men--to find out rather a cunning man for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ascham/it-is-a-pity-that-commonly-more-care-is-had-yea-and-that-among-very/) [Roger Ascham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ascham/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [It's a pity that there's such a negative connotation about paying for sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-sprinkle/it-s-a-pity-that-there-s-such-a-negative-connotation-about-paying-for/) [Annie Sprinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-sprinkle/) ## More by Antiphon > [“One's own character inevitably comes to resemble the things one spends most of one's day with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/one-s-own-character-inevitably-comes-to-resemble-the-things-one/) [Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) > [Time is but a thought, a means of measurement, not a reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/time-is-but-a-thought-a-means-of-measurement-not-a-reality/) [Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) > [The greatest sacrifice is the sacrifice of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/the-greatest-sacrifice-is-the-sacrifice-of-time/) [Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) > [The greatest cost, namely time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/the-greatest-cost-namely-time/) [Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) [Explore all 5 Antiphon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) ## More Pity quotes > [It's a pity that there's such a negative connotation about paying for sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-sprinkle/it-s-a-pity-that-there-s-such-a-negative-connotation-about-paying-for/) [Annie Sprinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-sprinkle/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [It is a pity that, commonly, more care is had--yea, and that among very wise men--to find out rather a cunning man for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ascham/it-is-a-pity-that-commonly-more-care-is-had-yea-and-that-among-very/) [Roger Ascham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ascham/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“How dare I, Mrs Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth. You think I have no feelings, and that I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/how-dare-i-mrs-reed-how-dare-i-because-it-is-the-truth-you-think-i/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [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/) > [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [Please dont say you dont miss him. Just to pity me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-yap/please-dont-say-you-dont-miss-him-just-to-pity-me/) [William Yap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-yap/) > [It's really a pity that there are observers who view political events like comic strips. There has to be a Zorro, there has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/it-s-really-a-pity-that-there-are-observers-who-view-political-events/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The only justice is to follow the sincere intuition of the soul, angry or gentle. Anger is just, and pity is just, but judgement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-justice-is-to-follow-the-sincere-intuition-of-the-soul-angry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [“Self-pity is the worst disability a person can have, Callie. It's crippling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-terrell/self-pity-is-the-worst-disability-a-person-can-have-callie-it-s/) [Shelley Terrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-terrell/) [Browse all 2,046 Pity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in cases of involuntary suffering than of crime and offences committed voluntarily and with malice aforethought.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Antiphon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases-of-involuntary-suffering-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Pity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases-of-involuntary-suffering-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/antiphon-59268_pity_pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases_264452.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pity . . . is more properly bestowed in cases of involuntary suffering than of crime and offences committed…” — Antiphon", "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": "Antiphon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Pity . . . is more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases-of-involuntary-suffering-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/pity-is-more-properly-bestowed-in-cases-of-involuntary-suffering-than/#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 } } ] } ```