Equal Quote by Ben Elton
“Sympathy for victims is always counter-balanced by an equal and opposite feeling of resentment towards them.”
About This Quote
Source Film: Beaches, 1988
People often feel both sympathy and resentment toward victims, creating a conflicted emotional response.
In simple terms: Sympathy can coexist with resentment.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and separate mixed feelings.
Themes
empathy
resentment
conflict
justice
psychology
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
observational
When to use this quote
- counseling
- legal judgments
- media coverage
- social activism
Key Concepts
cognitive dissonance
moral psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance empathy with resentment?
- What drives resentment toward victims?
A Different Perspective
Resentment may undermine supportive actions toward victims.
![“[S]omething inside us, the feeling of resentment, the feeling that wants to get one's own back, must be simply killed. I do not mean that anyone can decide this moment that he will never feel it anymore. That is not how things happen. I mean that every time it bobs its head up, day after day, year…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8e8/anonymous-1_bob_s-omething-inside-us-the-feeling-of-rese_303417.jpg)
![“[H]e was damned if he was going to water down his arguments simply to satisfy the preference of the mob for dogma and ignorance.” quote by Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/998/ben-elton-12329_dogma_h-e-was-damned-if-he-was-going-to-water_19083.jpg)
