--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The deplorable thing is that the people…" description: "\"The deplorable thing is that the people who were tortured yesterday, torture today.\" — B. Traven" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/b-traven-31879_people_the-deplorable-thing-is-that-the-people_1962075.png" --- # The deplorable thing is that the people who were tortured… ![“The deplorable thing is that the people who were tortured yesterday, torture today.” quote by B. Traven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/b-traven-31879_people_the-deplorable-thing-is-that-the-people_1962075.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/b-traven-31879_people_the-deplorable-thing-is-that-the-people_1962075.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/b-traven-31879_people_the-deplorable-thing-is-that-the-people_1962075.png) > “The deplorable thing is that the people who were tortured yesterday, torture today.” [B. Traven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-traven/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Those who suffered oppression become oppressors, perpetuating cycles of cruelty. **In simple terms:** Victims can become torturers. Key Takeaway Break cycles of violence and oppression. Themes violence cycle human nature Mood somber critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - post‑conflict societies - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology of oppression historical trauma Questions to Reflect On - Why do victims repeat oppression? - What stops the cycle of cruelty? A Different Perspective Changing behavior is difficult without intervention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Tortured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-tortured-319867/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) [Torture Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture-today-3245435/) [Tortured Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortured-yesterday-3245436/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) [Yesterday Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday-torture-3245434/) ## Related quotes > [Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/torture-is-such-a-slippery-slope-as-soon-as-you-allow-a-society-or/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“It's ludicrous to even talk about (Marquis) de Sade, let alone indulge in all that, when people are being tortured and suffering for real,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/it-s-ludicrous-to-even-talk-about-marquis-de-sade-let-alone-indulge/) [Françoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“From the window, I had a clear view of the farmyard and the Mayor’s home, which had been converted into an improvised Gestapo Headquarters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/from-the-window-i-had-a-clear-view-of-the-farmyard-and-the-mayor-s/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Suppresed I Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/) > [If I had been born in Germany with family of Nazis and if I had been raised with those beliefs, there was very little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/if-i-had-been-born-in-germany-with-family-of-nazis-and-if-i-had-been/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) > [And you know, I've done a lot of research and I've been working on projects that embrace people who are tortured, or exploring what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kari-skogland/and-you-know-i-ve-done-a-lot-of-research-and-i-ve-been-working-on/) [Kari Skogland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kari-skogland/) > [I hate the narrative that people have to be tortured in order to be good artists. 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