---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are a few things that'll move…"
description: "\"There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few, but the trouble is, when they've been used several times, they no longer work.\" — Bertolt Br..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg"
---

#  There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few…

![“There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few, but the trouble is, when they've been used several times, they no longer work.” quote by Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg)

> “There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few, but the trouble is, when they've been used several times, they no longer work.”

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Repeated emotional tactics lose impact; genuine empathy requires authenticity, not formulaic pity.

**In simple terms:** Overused tricks stop moving people; be sincere.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic connection, not cheap manipulation.

Themes

empathy authenticity manipulation

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

theatrical philosophical

When to use this quote

- political campaign
- charity appeal
- media storytelling
- personal apology

Key Concepts

psychology performance art political theater

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you felt a cliché lose its power?
- How can you convey compassion without cliché?

A Different Perspective

The view may ignore that some repeated motifs are culturally resonant.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/)

## Related quotes

> [People who pity themselves think, 'Why would I try to do anything? I'll just fail.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/people-who-pity-themselves-think-why-would-i-try-to-do-anything-i-ll/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [“When people pity you, it's like they don't realize that the exact same thing is coming for them. And then I feel embarrassed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/when-people-pity-you-it-s-like-they-don-t-realize-that-the-exact-same/)

[Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/)

> [Compassion doesn't, of course, mean feeling sorry for people, or pity, which is how the word has become emasculated in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/compassion-doesn-t-of-course-mean-feeling-sorry-for-people-or-pity/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [“If there is one thing worse than self-pity, it was other people's pity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-duggan/if-there-is-one-thing-worse-than-self-pity-it-was-other-people-s-pity/)

[C.J. Duggan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-duggan/)

> [“Its a cold comfort to have people pity you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-davis/its-a-cold-comfort-to-have-people-pity-you/)

[Heather Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-davis/)

> [“How ugly most people are! It's a pity they don't try to make up for it by being agreeable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/how-ugly-most-people-are-it-s-a-pity-they-don-t-try-to-make-up-for-it/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [I don't want people's pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-plum/i-don-t-want-people-s-pity/)

[Kelsey Plum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-plum/)

> [“I think of so many people who are no more, and I pity them. Yet they are not so much to be pitied, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/i-think-of-so-many-people-who-are-no-more-and-i-pity-them-yet-they/)

[Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/)

> [For pity's sake, don't start meeting troubles halfway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/for-pity-s-sake-don-t-start-meeting-troubles-halfway/)

[Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/)

> [P.S. You'll have to meet with Dan's principal when you get back. He got in trouble for doing ninja moves in class. Don't worry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/p-s-you-ll-have-to-meet-with-dan-s-principal-when-you-get-back-he-got/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [I do not want a kingdom, or heaven; what I want is to remove the trouble of the oppressed, the poor, and the needy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-a-kingdom-or-heaven-what-i-want-is-to-remove-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [People used to come knocking on my door saying, 'Your trouble is that you're a sex symbol who doesn't do enough sexy things.' I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-welch/people-used-to-come-knocking-on-my-door-saying-your-trouble-is-that/)

[Raquel Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-welch/)

> [When you wake up and learn to love yourself and want to take care of yourself, things are harder because people don't like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/when-you-wake-up-and-learn-to-love-yourself-and-want-to-take-care-of/)

[Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/)

> [I'm always moving furniture and things around in my house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-johnson/i-m-always-moving-furniture-and-things-around-in-my-house/)

[Belinda Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-johnson/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

## More by Bertolt Brecht

> [Their peace and their war Are like wind and storm. War grows from their peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/their-peace-and-their-war-are-like-wind-and-storm-war-grows-from/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Boy Meets Girl, So What?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/boy-meets-girl-so-what/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Some party hack decreed that the people had lost the government's confidence and could only regain it with redoubled effort. If that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/some-party-hack-decreed-that-the-people-had-lost-the-government-s/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/art-is-not-a-mirror-held-up-to-reality-but-a-hammer-with-which-to/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [People remain what they are even if their faces fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/people-remain-what-they-are-even-if-their-faces-fall-apart/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Go make yourself a plan And be a shining light. Then make yourself a second plan, For neither will come right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/go-make-yourself-a-plan-and-be-a-shining-light-then-make-yourself-a/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Fearful is the seductive power of goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/fearful-is-the-seductive-power-of-goodness/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/hungry-man-reach-for-the-book-it-is-a-weapon/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [There are some with brains and some without. It makes for a better division of labour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/there-are-some-with-brains-and-some-without-it-makes-for-a-better/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [“When the sharks the sharks devour Little fishes have their hour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/when-the-sharks-the-sharks-devour-little-fishes-have-their-hour/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [“In my poetry a rhyme Would seem to me almost insolent. Inside me contend Delight at the apple tree in blossom And horror at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/in-my-poetry-a-rhyme-would-seem-to-me-almost-insolent-inside-me/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [“The law was made for one thing alone,for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [From the start it has been the theatre's business to entertain people ... it needs no other passport than fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/from-the-start-it-has-been-the-theatre-s-business-to-entertain-people/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Whenever there are great virtues, it's a sure sign something's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/whenever-there-are-great-virtues-it-s-a-sure-sign-something-s-wrong/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [First feed the face, then talk right and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/first-feed-the-face-then-talk-right-and-wrong/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

[Explore all 260 Bertolt Brecht quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

## More Moving quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/)

[Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/)

Spencer Moody

> [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/)

[Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/)

> [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/)

[Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/)

> [All around you everything is on the move,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/all-around-you-everything-is-on-the-move/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [I do not want a kingdom, or heaven; what I want is to remove the trouble of the oppressed, the poor, and the needy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-a-kingdom-or-heaven-what-i-want-is-to-remove-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/)

[Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/)

> [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/)

[Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/)

> [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/)

[Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/)

> [I've discovered special makeup by a company called M.A.C. You could wear it on the surface of the sun and it wouldn't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-smith/i-ve-discovered-special-makeup-by-a-company-called-m-a-c-you-could/)

[Robert Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-smith/)

Browse all 14,495 Moving quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few, but the trouble is, when they've been used several times, they no longer work.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bertolt Brecht"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-people-to-pity-a-few-but-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Moving"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-people-to-pity-a-few-but-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/267/bertolt-brecht-1065_moving_there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-peop_765533.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are a few things that'll move people to pity, a few, but the trouble is, when they've been used…” — Bertolt Brecht",
                "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": "Bertolt Brecht",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are a few things that'll...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-people-to-pity-a-few-but-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/there-are-a-few-things-that-ll-move-people-to-pity-a-few-but-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
