--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some primal instinct tells the parent, or…" description: "\"“Some primal instinct tells the parent, or the person down on their luck, than if we let it go — the child's hand, or our dignity — all is lost, and we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/bobby-underwood-16263_children_some-primal-instinct-tells-the-parent-or_1482932.jpg" --- # Some primal instinct tells the parent, or the person down… ![“Some primal instinct tells the parent, or the person down on their luck, than if we let it go — the child's hand, or our dignity — all is lost, and we’ll never get it back. That’s why, if you even bother to look, you’ll sometimes see a bag lady pushing a shopping cart down the street, wearing a…” quote by Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/bobby-underwood-16263_children_some-primal-instinct-tells-the-parent-or_1482932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/bobby-underwood-16263_children_some-primal-instinct-tells-the-parent-or_1482932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/bobby-underwood-16263_children_some-primal-instinct-tells-the-parent-or_1482932.jpg) > ““Some primal instinct tells the parent, or the person down on their luck, than if we let it go — the child's hand, or our dignity — all is lost, and we’ll never get it back. That’s why, if you even bother to look, you’ll sometimes see a bag lady pushing a shopping cart down the street, wearing a nice dress underneath her torn and tattered coat. Or she’ll have a pretty plastic flower pinned to her beat-up old hat. The flower and the dress remind her that she’s human, a real person. Dignity and compassion, they’re all that separate us from the four-legged creatures operating only on survival instinct, the law of the jungle. Without them, we’re all just animals.”” [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that dignity and compassion distinguish humans from animals, urging us to hold onto humanity even in hardship. **In simple terms:** Dignity and compassion keep us human. Key Takeaway Cultivate dignity and compassion daily. Themes humanity compassion dignity survival identity Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - homelessness - poverty - mental health - personal crisis - social work Key Concepts existentialism psychology social behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can you remind yourself of your humanity in tough times? - What small acts can restore dignity for others? A Different Perspective Compassion may be hard to practice when resources are scarce. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Survival instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival-instinct/) ## Related quotes > [Retaliation is related to nature and instinct, not to law. Law, by definition, cannot obey the same rules as nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/retaliation-is-related-to-nature-and-instinct-not-to-law-law-by/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Never take a person's dignity: it is worth everything to them, and nothing to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-barron/never-take-a-person-s-dignity-it-is-worth-everything-to-them-and/) [Frank Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-barron/) > [“There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know, and to demand that each and every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-is-after-all-a-real-limit-to-how-much-ordinary-people-can-learn/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [All life deserves respect, dignity, and compassion. All life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-douglas/all-life-deserves-respect-dignity-and-compassion-all-life/) [Anthony Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-douglas/) > [“All life deserves respect, dignity, and compassion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-douglas/all-life-deserves-respect-dignity-and-compassion/) [Anthony Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-douglas/) > [Treat everyone with kindness, dignity, compassion and respect, irrespective of whether you think they understand or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-pistorius/treat-everyone-with-kindness-dignity-compassion-and-respect/) [Martin Pistorius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-pistorius/) > [Well, I think when we can turn to the person sitting next to us and really see them with kindness and see ourselves reflected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/well-i-think-when-we-can-turn-to-the-person-sitting-next-to-us-and/) [Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/) > [We need a permanent solution to TPS recipients and develop a path to citizenship. And, more fundamentally, we need to ensure that our immigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/we-need-a-permanent-solution-to-tps-recipients-and-develop-a-path-to/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [Two words guided the making of 'Babel' for me: 'dignity' and 'compassion.' These things are normally forgotten in the making of a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/two-words-guided-the-making-of-babel-for-me-dignity-and-compassion/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“At the beginning of human history, man lost some of the basic animal instincts in which an animal's behavior is embedded and by which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-emil-frankl/at-the-beginning-of-human-history-man-lost-some-of-the-basic-animal/) [Viktor Emil Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-emil-frankl/) > [Intuition is a strange instinct that tells a woman she is right, whether she is or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/intuition-is-a-strange-instinct-that-tells-a-woman-she-is-right/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“… It’s the gut you have to listen to, boy. That’s your instinct, that's what tells you the things you can’t see or feel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/it-s-the-gut-you-have-to-listen-to-boy-that-s-your-instinct-that-s/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [My Hindu instinct tells me that all religions are more or less true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-hindu-instinct-tells-me-that-all-religions-are-more-or-less-true/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“grinned. “That is what you call instinct. You feel the trust. You know by instinct that you can trust me, and the same instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosanne-bittner/grinned-that-is-what-you-call-instinct-you-feel-the-trust-you-know-by/) [Rosanne Bittner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosanne-bittner/) ## More by Bobby Underwood > [“All families were like that, with their private damage they kept among themselves, ghosts they lived with that only other family members knew about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/all-families-were-like-that-with-their-private-damage-they-kept-among/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“I never had a more wonderful time with anyone than I had with Mary that afternoon. I won her a small stuffed bear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/i-never-had-a-more-wonderful-time-with-anyone-than-i-had-with-mary/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“Off in the distance big white cruise ships had pulled into port, glistening beneath the Mexican sun. Vacationers for whom murder was not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/off-in-the-distance-big-white-cruise-ships-had-pulled-into-port/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“Fate had somehow conspired against me, giving me a life of its choosing rather than my own. 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She whispered, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” I laughed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/her-face-especially-those-lovely-eyes-filled-with-amusement-she/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“I was empty and lonely, unable to remember the last time I'd felt any real happiness, or if I ever had at all. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/i-was-empty-and-lonely-unable-to-remember-the-last-time-i-d-felt-any/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“The painting was so vibrant and alive with summertime that it seemed to fill the entire room with light. It depicted a small town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/the-painting-was-so-vibrant-and-alive-with-summertime-that-it-seemed/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“I don’t know if I’ll get in with all the bad in life I done. But at least when Saint Peter, or whoever they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/i-don-t-know-if-i-ll-get-in-with-all-the-bad-in-life-i-done-but-at/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“Each morning fog rolls over the bay and caresses the Golden Gate, the most picturesque bridge in the world. In the evenings night descends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/each-morning-fog-rolls-over-the-bay-and-caresses-the-golden-gate-the/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“We sat next to each other. The sound of the locomotive and the smell of the sea drifted in through the open window. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/we-sat-next-to-each-other-the-sound-of-the-locomotive-and-the-smell/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“San Francisco is still the loveliest city in the world for my money, despite how they've tried to ruin her. Yeah, it attracts all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/san-francisco-is-still-the-loveliest-city-in-the-world-for-my-money/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) > [“And that’s why I fell in love with you so quickly. Your heart was the one I’d always been looking for. It’s almost instinctive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-underwood/and-that-s-why-i-fell-in-love-with-you-so-quickly-your-heart-was-the/) [Bobby Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) [Explore all 40 Bobby Underwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-underwood/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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