--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is only when he is a burden that…" description: "\"“It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated”\" — Dietrich Bonhoeffer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg" --- # It is only when he is a burden that another person is… ![“It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated” quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg) > ““It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated”” [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True brotherhood emerges when one bears another's burdens, not when one exploits them. **In simple terms:** Being a real brother means sharing burdens. Key Takeaway Support others sincerely. Themes brotherhood solidarity ethics Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - family care - community service - team projects Key Concepts altruism human dignity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance helping others with self‑care? - What defines a genuine supportive relationship? A Different Perspective Self‑sacrifice can be unsustainable if one party always bears the load. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) ## Related quotes > [“The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-christian-however-must-bear-the-burden-of-a-brother-he-must/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“How embarrassing. 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The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. 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This is the true catholic church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-only-one-church-the-church-of-faith-ruled-by-the-word-of/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“As Christians, we needn’t be at all ashamed of some impatience, longing, opposition to what is unnatural, and our full share of desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/as-christians-we-needn-t-be-at-all-ashamed-of-some-impatience-longing/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/those-who-love-their-dream-of-a-christian-community-more-than-the/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“From now on there can be no more wars of faith. The only way to overcome our enemy is by loving him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/from-now-on-there-can-be-no-more-wars-of-faith-the-only-way-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The scriptures do not present us with a series of Christian types to be imitated according to choice; they preach to us in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-scriptures-do-not-present-us-with-a-series-of-christian-types-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-not-to-simply-bandage-the-wounds-of-victims-beneath-the-wheels/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) [Explore all 711 Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) ## More Brother quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. 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Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) [Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-another-person-is-really-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brother" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-another-person-is-really-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c9/dietrich-bonhoeffer-303_brother_it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-anot_3080302.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be…” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "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": "Dietrich Bonhoeffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is only when he is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-another-person-is-really-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/it-is-only-when-he-is-a-burden-that-another-person-is-really-a/#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 } } ] } ```