--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and…" description: "\"Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change. What is import..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/daisaku-ikeda-1472_circumstances_reality-is-harsh-it-can-be-cruel-and-ugl_2784461.png" --- # Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter… ![“Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change. What is important is not to be defeated, to forge ahead bravely. If we do this, a path will open before us.” quote by Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/daisaku-ikeda-1472_circumstances_reality-is-harsh-it-can-be-cruel-and-ugl_2784461.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/daisaku-ikeda-1472_circumstances_reality-is-harsh-it-can-be-cruel-and-ugl_2784461.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/359/daisaku-ikeda-1472_circumstances_reality-is-harsh-it-can-be-cruel-and-ugl_2784461.png) > “Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change. What is important is not to be defeated, to forge ahead bravely. If we do this, a path will open before us.” [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledges harsh reality but urges perseverance, suggesting that resilience can open new opportunities despite suffering. **In simple terms:** Reality is harsh but we must persevere. Key Takeaway Persist despite adversity. Themes resilience hope action Mood inspirational determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - self-help - motivational speaking - life coaching Key Concepts adversity personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take forward? - How do you stay hopeful? A Different Perspective May underestimate systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Grieving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieving/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Our environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-environment/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [Why were we put here, so inclined to love, when end of our story = death? That harsh. That cruel. Do not like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/why-were-we-put-here-so-inclined-to-love-when-end-of-our-story-death/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Love was the balm that tried to cure everything, the shutters in front of one’s eyes, keeping out the harsh, cruel face of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-was-the-balm-that-tried-to-cure-everything-the-shutters-in-front/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Especially in this Internet age, routine practices are being exposed and rightly recognized as harsh and cruel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-pacelle/especially-in-this-internet-age-routine-practices-are-being-exposed/) [Wayne Pacelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-pacelle/) > [She was right that reality can be harsh and that you shut your eyes to it only at your peril because if you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/she-was-right-that-reality-can-be-harsh-and-that-you-shut-your-eyes/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [World is Cruel! Reality is Harsh! Truth is Bitter! Consequences are Painful! and Weakness is Death!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/world-is-cruel-reality-is-harsh-truth-is-bitter-consequences-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/will-you-come-with-me-to-the-mountains-it-will-hurt-at-first-until/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When a human in happy time, he/she doesn’t understand the reality! He/she doesn’t realize it until he/she is touched by sadness, pain, poverty, refusal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-aziz/when-a-human-in-happy-time-he-she-doesn-t-understand-the-reality-he/) [Salman Aziz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-aziz/) > [Reality is a harsh mistress. She demands our honesty. She demands our work. She demands that we give up comforts, that we let ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-christina/reality-is-a-harsh-mistress-she-demands-our-honesty-she-demands-our/) [Greta Christina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-christina/) > [Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reality-is-harsh-to-the-feet-of-shadows-but-will-you-come/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But be practical - reality is harsh and has no sympathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-northcott/but-be-practical-reality-is-harsh-and-has-no-sympathy/) [Blake Northcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-northcott/) > [“Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/reality-is-harsh-to-the-feet-of-shadows/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [It is senseless to blame others or your environment for your miseries. Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/it-is-senseless-to-blame-others-or-your-environment-for-your-miseries/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [A person who respects others is respected by others in return. Those who treat others with compassion and concern are protected and supported by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/a-person-who-respects-others-is-respected-by-others-in-return-those/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [You're more responsible ethically for being there with your interconnection to the world, but the you now is an always changing one, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/you-re-more-responsible-ethically-for-being-there-with-your/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [In a world without Chevron, very little would change except perhaps the most important things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gorsuch/in-a-world-without-chevron-very-little-would-change-except-perhaps/) Neil Gorsuch ## More by Daisaku Ikeda > [Dialogue and education for peace can help free our hearts from the impulse toward intolerance and the rejection of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/dialogue-and-education-for-peace-can-help-free-our-hearts-from-the/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/prayer-is-the-way-to-destroy-all-fear-it-is-the-way-to-banish-sorrow/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [The differences between people need not act as barriers that wound, harm and drive us apart. Rather, these very differences among cultures and civilizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/the-differences-between-people-need-not-act-as-barriers-that-wound/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [A sense of being part of the great all-inclusive life prompts us to reflect on our own place and on how we ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/a-sense-of-being-part-of-the-great-all-inclusive-life-prompts-us-to/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [I believe that a culture of peace must be the essential foundation of our efforts for peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-believe-that-a-culture-of-peace-must-be-the-essential-foundation-of/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Come on obstacles! I've been expecting you! This is the chance that I've been waiting for!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/come-on-obstacles-i-ve-been-expecting-you-this-is-the-chance-that-i/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Like the ocean that remains calm in its depths even when waves rage over its surface, and like the sun that continues shining on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/like-the-ocean-that-remains-calm-in-its-depths-even-when-waves-rage/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Never be shaken, no matter what happens or what others may say. Never be flustered; never lose confidence. This is the way we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/never-be-shaken-no-matter-what-happens-or-what-others-may-say-never/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [What our world most requires now is the kind of education that foster love for humankind, that develops character-that provides an intellectual basis for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/what-our-world-most-requires-now-is-the-kind-of-education-that-foster/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [“Human wisdom has advanced to the point where man can construct satellites. And yet man in his wisdom cannot find a way to rescue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/human-wisdom-has-advanced-to-the-point-where-man-can-construct/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Men and women who know the brutal reality of war, who know that war strips people of their very humanity, must unite in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/men-and-women-who-know-the-brutal-reality-of-war-who-know-that-war/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [But I think we need to remember that democracy everywhere is by its nature incomplete, a work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/but-i-think-we-need-to-remember-that-democracy-everywhere-is-by-its/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Life can unfold unlimitedly as long as we have a heart of appreciation and an undefeated mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/life-can-unfold-unlimitedly-as-long-as-we-have-a-heart-of/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Humanity's collective mission in the cosmos lies in the practice of compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/humanity-s-collective-mission-in-the-cosmos-lies-in-the-practice-of/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) [Explore all 237 Daisaku Ikeda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) ## More Circumstances quotes > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I don't think you would have missed that putt, but in these circumstances, I would never give you the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-don-t-think-you-would-have-missed-that-putt-but-in-these/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-used-to-think-i-could-shape-the-circumstances-around-me-but-now-i/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 4,560 Circumstances quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reality is harsh. It can be cruel and ugly. Yet no matter how much we grieve over our environment and circumstances nothing will change. What is important is not to be defeated, to forge ahead bravely. 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