--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realize more and more how instinctively…" description: "\"I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so bowled over by it -- and am never surprised by..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png" --- # I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am… ![“I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so bowled over by it -- and am never surprised by injustice, malice or personal attack.” quote by Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png) > “I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so bowled over by it -- and am never surprised by injustice, malice or personal attack.” [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observes that human kindness feels overwhelming and unexpected, while negative behaviors like injustice and malice are taken for granted. **In simple terms:** Kindness feels rare; negativity seems normal. Key Takeaway Kindness is surprising; cruelty is expected. Themes human nature trust cynicism empathy social perception Mood thoughtful skeptical reflective Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - reflecting on personal relationships - navigating workplace dynamics - encountering societal events - discussing moral philosophy Key Concepts kindness injustice malice personal attack Practical Applications - counseling to foster empathy - policy design to address systemic injustice Questions to Reflect On - Why do we often overlook kindness? - How can we shift expectations toward positivity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-kindness/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Instinctively Pessimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinctively-pessimistic-393896/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Personal attacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-attacks/) [Pessimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimistic/) [Pessimistic Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimistic-human-393897/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) ## Related quotes > [I am pessimistic about the human race because it is too ingenious for its own good. Our approach to nature is to beat it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-pessimistic-about-the-human-race-because-it-is-too-ingenious-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's hard not to be kind of pessimistic about human beings generally, because we do tend to mess things up. If you just look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/it-s-hard-not-to-be-kind-of-pessimistic-about-human-beings-generally/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“I don't get involved in personal abuse. I'm not reducing myself to that level. If people don't like what I wear, don't like what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/i-don-t-get-involved-in-personal-abuse-i-m-not-reducing-myself-to/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [It's really unfortunate that instead of focusing on the really important issues in our world, Donald Trump chooses to make personal attacks on people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-winter/it-s-really-unfortunate-that-instead-of-focusing-on-the-really/) [Ariel Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-winter/) > [When I first came to Washington in the 1960s, even at the height of the Vietnam War, until the end there in '68 there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-i-first-came-to-washington-in-the-1960s-even-at-the-height-of/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [You don't hear me lambasting, engaging in personal attacks, getting nasty. I don't think that belongs in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/you-don-t-hear-me-lambasting-engaging-in-personal-attacks-getting/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Politically, I don't care what party you're from, offer a point of view and let's see what happens and really debate the issues rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/politically-i-don-t-care-what-party-you-re-from-offer-a-point-of-view/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [ The reality is \[Donald\] Trump is just better at this game than they are. Blaming the media may be a convenient foil, but the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/the-reality-is-donald-trump-is-just-better-at-this-game-than-they-are/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [“The left loses most policy debates, leading them to engage in the politics of personal destruction. Many liberals do not see conservatives as human,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-golub/the-left-loses-most-policy-debates-leading-them-to-engage-in-the/) [Eric Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-golub/) > [I try not to make personal attacks on people - unless they're deserving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-griffin/i-try-not-to-make-personal-attacks-on-people-unless-they-re-deserving/) [Forrest Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-griffin/) > [Making personal attacks or speaking with malicious intention is something that I have always refrained from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uddhav-thackeray/making-personal-attacks-or-speaking-with-malicious-intention-is/) [Uddhav Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uddhav-thackeray/) > [Obama wanted to offer his support to birth control activist Sandra Fluke. He wanted to express his disappointment that she has been the subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/obama-wanted-to-offer-his-support-to-birth-control-activist-sandra/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [Nobody even mentioned the word losing, losing games. We know we've been a losing franchise. He just wanted to say something back like he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-crawford/nobody-even-mentioned-the-word-losing-losing-games-we-know-we-ve-been/) [Carl Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-crawford/) > [“The left wants, needs, loves, and exacerbates violent conflict. The question is…why?...Conservatives generally want policy discussions because we disagree with liberals. Liberals need gutter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-golub/the-left-wants-needs-loves-and-exacerbates-violent-conflict-the/) [Eric Golub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-golub/) > [Effective leaders do not fear passion. They welcome it. But from time to time passionate discussions digress into personal attacks, and real people get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hybels/effective-leaders-do-not-fear-passion-they-welcome-it-but-from-time/) [Bill Hybels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hybels/) ## More by Dawn Powell > [For a genius to be a genius, he must have a selfless slave between himself and the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/for-a-genius-to-be-a-genius-he-must-have-a-selfless-slave-between/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [The human comedy is always tragic, but since its ingredients are always the same - dupe, fox, straight, like burlesque skits - the repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/the-human-comedy-is-always-tragic-but-since-its-ingredients-are/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [I want so much for my lover. At night when our beds are drawn close together I waken and see his dear yellow head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-want-so-much-for-my-lover-at-night-when-our-beds-are-drawn-close/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [“It was not a jolly place at all for a sun-loving soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/it-was-not-a-jolly-place-at-all-for-a-sun-loving-soul/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [Joe and Jojo and I had lovely day together. I love Joe so much - more and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/joe-and-jojo-and-i-had-lovely-day-together-i-love-joe-so-much-more/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [You woke in the morning with the weight of doom on your head. You lay with eyes shut wondering why you dreaded the day;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/you-woke-in-the-morning-with-the-weight-of-doom-on-your-head-you-lay/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [Satire is people as they are; romanticism, people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/satire-is-people-as-they-are-romanticism-people-as-they-would-like-to/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [Rage swept over her at being young, young and little, as if some evil fairy had put that spell on her. Why must you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/rage-swept-over-her-at-being-young-young-and-little-as-if-some-evil/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [Hold fast to whatever fragments of love that exist, for sometimes a mosaic is more beautiful than an unbroken pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/hold-fast-to-whatever-fragments-of-love-that-exist-for-sometimes-a/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [I think we will have a boy baby and he will be born on the 20th of August. Everyone else has a girl baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-think-we-will-have-a-boy-baby-and-he-will-be-born-on-the-20th-of/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [There is really one city for everyone just as there is one major love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/there-is-really-one-city-for-everyone-just-as-there-is-one-major-love/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [Yet better for one of my nature to have it that way than to have life a peaceful, placid flow of quiet contentment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/yet-better-for-one-of-my-nature-to-have-it-that-way-than-to-have-life/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [I cannot exist without the oxygen of laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-cannot-exist-without-the-oxygen-of-laughter/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [A novel is like a gland pill - it nips off the cream of my hysterics and gets them running on track in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/a-novel-is-like-a-gland-pill-it-nips-off-the-cream-of-my-hysterics/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) > [There is something more annoying than pleasant in finding neighbors from back home chiselling in on your own exclusive New York. It mitigates your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/there-is-something-more-annoying-than-pleasant-in-finding-neighbors/) [Dawn Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) [Explore all 24 Dawn Powell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/) ## More Human kindness quotes > [When the milk of human kindness turns sour, it is a singularly unpalatable draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/when-the-milk-of-human-kindness-turns-sour-it-is-a-singularly/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [“The milk of human kindness was kept often in the larder, and the tea served with lemon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-halperin/the-milk-of-human-kindness-was-kept-often-in-the-larder-and-the-tea/) [John Halperin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-halperin/) > [But love's true nature remains forever beyond the grasp of all our faculties. It is far greater than any feeling or emotion and completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-may/but-love-s-true-nature-remains-forever-beyond-the-grasp-of-all-our/) [Gerald May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-may/) > [“My faith has been tempered in Hell. My faith has emerged from the flames of the crematoria, from the concrete of the gas chamber.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/my-faith-has-been-tempered-in-hell-my-faith-has-emerged-from-the/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [For some people, the definition of who is and who isn't an American defies logic, historical accuracy, common sense, decency, good manners, the milk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-kamau-bell/for-some-people-the-definition-of-who-is-and-who-isn-t-an-american/) [W. Kamau Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-kamau-bell/) > [The milk of human kindness should be brought fresh to the table every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/the-milk-of-human-kindness-should-be-brought-fresh-to-the-table-every/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [As a fiction writer, one of things you learn is God lives in specificity. You know, human kindness is increased as we pursue specificity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/as-a-fiction-writer-one-of-things-you-learn-is-god-lives-in/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“As a youth, I was too sunny and filled with the milk of human kindness to be able to comprehend such a bitter moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-wright-2/as-a-youth-i-was-too-sunny-and-filled-with-the-milk-of-human-kindness/) [John C Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-wright-2/) > [“Focus on building up others, and your own sense of self-worth will improve. Some call these random acts of human kindness. But the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hamilton/focus-on-building-up-others-and-your-own-sense-of-self-worth-will/) [Scott Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hamilton/) > [Nothing is as difficult as to achieve results in this world if one is filled full of great tolerances and the milk of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-roosevelt-robinson/nothing-is-as-difficult-as-to-achieve-results-in-this-world-if-one-is/) [Corinne Roosevelt Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-roosevelt-robinson/) > [“When evening comes, I return home and enter my study; on the threshold I take off my workday clothes, covered with mud and dirt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/when-evening-comes-i-return-home-and-enter-my-study-on-the-threshold/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [I'll work for global peace and the sweet release of the love and human kindness in us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chicago-band/i-ll-work-for-global-peace-and-the-sweet-release-of-the-love-and/) [Chicago (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chicago-band/) > [“I can feel the irrationality and anxiety draining my store of energy like a battery-operated racecar grinding away in the corner. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/i-can-feel-the-irrationality-and-anxiety-draining-my-store-of-energy/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [Human kindness has no reward. You should give to others in every way you see. expect absolutely nothing from anyone. It should be your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/human-kindness-has-no-reward-you-should-give-to-others-in-every-way/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [He who distributes the milk of human kindness cannot help but spill a little on himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-barrie/he-who-distributes-the-milk-of-human-kindness-cannot-help-but-spill-a/) [James M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-barrie/) [Browse all 98 Human kindness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-kindness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so bowled over by it -- and am never surprised by injustice, malice or personal attack.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dawn Powell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctively-pessimistic-i-am-of-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human kindness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctively-pessimistic-i-am-of-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a4/dawn-powell-24235_human-kindness_i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctivel_19926.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I realize more and more how instinctively pessimistic I am of all human kindness -- since I am always so…” — Dawn Powell", "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": "Dawn Powell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-powell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I realize more and more how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctively-pessimistic-i-am-of-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-powell/i-realize-more-and-more-how-instinctively-pessimistic-i-am-of-all/#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 } } ] } ```