---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no cruelty so inexorable and…"
description: "\"There is no cruelty so inexorable and unrelenting as that which proceeds from a bigoted and presumptuous supposition of doing service to God. The victi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg"
---

#  There is no cruelty so inexorable and unrelenting as that…

![“There is no cruelty so inexorable and unrelenting as that which proceeds from a bigoted and presumptuous supposition of doing service to God. The victim of the fanatical persecutor will find that the stronger the motives he can urge for mercy are, the weaker will be his chance for obtaining it…” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg)

> “There is no cruelty so inexorable and unrelenting as that which proceeds from a bigoted and presumptuous supposition of doing service to God. The victim of the fanatical persecutor will find that the stronger the motives he can urge for mercy are, the weaker will be his chance for obtaining it, for the merit of his destruction will be supposed to rise in value in proportion as it is effected at the expense of every feeling both of justice and of humanity.”

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

## About This Quote

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

Extreme cruelty stems from dogmatic belief in divine service, where persecutors justify violence as moral.

**In simple terms:** Dogmatic belief can cause severe cruelty.

Key Takeaway

Question the moral justification behind extreme actions.

Themes

religion morality persecution

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- political rhetoric
- religious conflicts
- legal judgments

Key Concepts

dogmatism justice humanity

Questions to Reflect On

- What moral frameworks can prevent such cruelty?
- How can societies balance faith and human rights?

A Different Perspective

Blind faith can excuse inhumanity and suppress empathy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Fanaticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fanaticism/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Inexorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inexorable/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Service to god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-to-god/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/)

## Related quotes

> [“In this world unburdened by concepts, even ferocity was pure: the fish wriggling beneath the wave would soon be only a choice morsel, bleeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-this-world-unburdened-by-concepts-even-ferocity-was-pure-the-fish/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A victim of God may, Through learning adaption, Become a partner of God, A victim of God may, Through forethought and planning, Become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/a-victim-of-god-may-through-learning-adaption-become-a-partner-of-god/)

[Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/)

> [Service to humanity is service to God. Let the love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who look upon you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/service-to-humanity-is-service-to-god-let-the-love-and-light-of-the/)

[Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/)

> [I believe we do a disservice to God and probably to the pro-life cause if God is never mentioned in our pro-life arguments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-cardinal-pell/i-believe-we-do-a-disservice-to-god-and-probably-to-the-pro-life/)

[George Cardinal Pell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-cardinal-pell/)

> [“1.  Declaration of Intent: Hand lifting to the sky The first step is the collective declaration of intent to reestablish Kintuadi between Creator, Catalyst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dom-pedro-v/1-declaration-of-intent-hand-lifting-to-the-sky-the-first-step-is-the/)

Dom Pedro V

> [“When God wins your heart, He has won it forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/when-god-wins-your-heart-he-has-won-it-forever/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“Service to God is largely unacceptable without service to men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/service-to-god-is-largely-unacceptable-without-service-to-men/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [I was by birth a gentleman, living neither in any considerable height, nor yet in obscurity. I have been called to several employments in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-cromwell/i-was-by-birth-a-gentleman-living-neither-in-any-considerable-height/)

[Oliver Cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-cromwell/)

> [A service of worship is primarily a service to God. When we realize this and act upon it, we make it a service to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-service-of-worship-is-primarily-a-service-to-god-when-we-realize/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [All who in this world render true service to God or man receive a preparatory training in the school of sorrow. The weightier the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/all-who-in-this-world-render-true-service-to-god-or-man-receive-a/)

[Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/)

> [The leaves do not change color from the blighting touch of the frost, but from the process of natural decay. They fall when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/the-leaves-do-not-change-color-from-the-blighting-touch-of-the-frost/)

[Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/)

> [“They say, love God, for it is the greatest virtue. I say, love humans, for there is no greater virtue, no greater religion, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/they-say-love-god-for-it-is-the-greatest-virtue-i-say-love-humans-for/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Preparation for a mission is important. A mission is a voluntary act of service to God and humankind. Missionaries support that privilege with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/preparation-for-a-mission-is-important-a-mission-is-a-voluntary-act/)

[Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/)

> [“This idea (Taqwa)can be effectively conveyed by the term "conscience," if the object of conscience transcends it. This is why it is proper to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fazlur-rahman/this-idea-taqwa-can-be-effectively-conveyed-by-the-term-conscience-if/)

[Fazlur Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fazlur-rahman/)

> [“Service to humanity is service to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/service-to-humanity-is-service-to-god/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

## More by Charles Caleb Colton

> [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/none-are-so-fond-of-secrets-as-those-who-do-not-mean-to-keep-them/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/mental-pleasures-never-cloy-unlike-those-of-the-body-they-are/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Ignorance lies at the bottom of all human knowledge, and the deeper we penetrate, the nearer we arrive unto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/ignorance-lies-at-the-bottom-of-all-human-knowledge-and-the-deeper-we/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We ought not to be over-anxious to encourage innovation in cases of doubtful improvement, for an old system must ever have two advantages over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-ought-not-to-be-over-anxious-to-encourage-innovation-in-cases-of/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-owe-almost-all-our-knowledge-not-to-those-who-have-agreed-but-to/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Faith and works are necessary to our spiritual life as Christians, as soul and body are to our natural life as men; for faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/faith-and-works-are-necessary-to-our-spiritual-life-as-christians-as/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

[Explore all 778 Charles Caleb Colton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

## More Chance quotes

> [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/)

[Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/)

> [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/)

[Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/)

> [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [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/)

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/)

Alejandro Taubas

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/)

[Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/)

> [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/)

[Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/)

> [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/)

[Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/)

[Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is no cruelty so inexorable and unrelenting as that which proceeds from a bigoted and presumptuous supposition of doing service to God. The victim of the fanatical persecutor will find that the stronger the motives he can urge for mercy are, the weaker will be his chance for obtaining it, for the merit of his destruction will be supposed to rise in value in proportion as it is effected at the expense of every feeling both of justice and of humanity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Caleb Colton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-unrelenting-as-that-which/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-unrelenting-as-that-which/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/charles-caleb-colton-270_chance_there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-un_3232270.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no cruelty so inexorable and unrelenting as that which proceeds from a bigoted and presumptuous…” — Charles Caleb Colton",
                "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": "Charles Caleb Colton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is no cruelty so inexorable...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-unrelenting-as-that-which/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/there-is-no-cruelty-so-inexorable-and-unrelenting-as-that-which/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
