--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not only the prisoners who grow…" description: "\"It is not only the prisoners who grow coarse and hardened from corporal punishment, but those as well who perpetrate the act or are present to witness ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/anton-chekhov-298_coarse_it-is-not-only-the-prisoners-who-grow-co_1704516.jpg" --- # It is not only the prisoners who grow coarse and hardened… ![“It is not only the prisoners who grow coarse and hardened from corporal punishment, but those as well who perpetrate the act or are present to witness it.” quote by Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/anton-chekhov-298_coarse_it-is-not-only-the-prisoners-who-grow-co_1704516.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/anton-chekhov-298_coarse_it-is-not-only-the-prisoners-who-grow-co_1704516.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/anton-chekhov-298_coarse_it-is-not-only-the-prisoners-who-grow-co_1704516.jpg) > “It is not only the prisoners who grow coarse and hardened from corporal punishment, but those as well who perpetrate the act or are present to witness it.” [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence dehumanizes both victims and observers, making all involved more brutal. **In simple terms:** Violence makes everyone harder. Key Takeaway Recognize and stop cruelty early. Themes violence dehumanization morality Mood somber reflective Type ethical philosophical social. When to use this quote - prison guards - military training - police work - school discipline - domestic abuse Key Concepts psychology social influence empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does witnessing harm affect your behavior? - Can you intervene without risk? A Different Perspective Even observers can become complicit if they ignore harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coarse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coarse/) [Corporal punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporal-punishment/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Hardened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardened/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) [Prisoners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoners/) [Prisoners Grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoners-grow-1184097/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Punishment Perpetrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment-perpetrate-1184096/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Witness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witness/) ## Related quotes > [If trees can create art, if they can encircle the globe seven times in one year, if prisoners can grow plants and raise frogs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-nadkarni/if-trees-can-create-art-if-they-can-encircle-the-globe-seven-times-in/) [Nalini Nadkarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-nadkarni/) > [It had never occurred to him that the body of a woman of fifty, blown up to monstrous dimensions by childbearing, then hardened, roughened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-had-never-occurred-to-him-that-the-body-of-a-woman-of-fifty-blown/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Do not make the spanking a joke. 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