Calling Quote by Catherynne M. Valente
“Everyone is afraid of you and when folk are afraid of a person it usually means the person is cruel in some way, and I think you are cruel, Miss Marquess, but please don’t punish me for saying it. I think you know you’re cruel. I think you like being cruel. I think calling you cruel is the same as calling someone else kind. And I don’t want to run errands for someone cruel.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Invention of Ghosts by Catherynne M. Valente, 2016
The speaker accuses a cruel person of enjoying their cruelty and warns against serving them.
In simple terms: Calling someone cruel and refusing to serve them.
Key Takeaway
Refuse to enable cruelty.
Themes
power
cruelty
morality
relationships
Mood
tense
defensive
Type
critical
confrontational
When to use this quote
- courtroom drama
- personal confrontation
- social hierarchy
Key Concepts
psychology
ethics
self‑preservation
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you ever enable cruelty to feel safe?
- How can you confront cruelty without becoming cruel?
A Different Perspective
Cruelty may be a mask for vulnerability.
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