--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bullies are just frightened people." description: "\"Bullies are just frightened people.\" — Elizabeth Strout" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png" --- # Bullies are just frightened people. ![“Bullies are just frightened people.” quote by Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png) > “Bullies are just frightened people.” [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bullies act out of fear; their aggression masks personal insecurity. **In simple terms:** Bullies are scared inside. Key Takeaway Address fear behind aggression. Themes psychology social behavior fear Mood empathetic analytical Type psychological social When to use this quote - education - workplace - family dynamics Key Concepts insecurity aggression vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What triggers bullying behavior? - How can we support fearful individuals? A Different Perspective Not all fear leads to bullying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bullies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullies/) [Bullies Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullies-just-1439837/) [Bully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bully/) [Bullying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) [Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened/) [Frightened People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened-people-684845/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-frightened-2226716/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I remember back to my days as a teenager. When you get your feelings hurt, you feel that moment of embarrassment. 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They are not supermen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/remember-that-the-enemy-is-just-as-frightened-as-you-are-and-probably/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [“Bullies are just men who don't know they are cowards, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-hodgson/bullies-are-just-men-who-don-t-know-they-are-cowards-of-course/) [Antonia Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-hodgson/) > [“This is how bullies are made. I’d just purposely made him feel unloved and unwanted. I’d told him he was alone. Even with everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/this-is-how-bullies-are-made-i-d-just-purposely-made-him-feel-unloved/) [Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/) > [If ISIS is using social media to track me, that's a dream come true in my book. 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There is deep anxiety and tension around success here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-like-people-a-lot-but-i-am-not-comfortable-in-literary-new-york/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [The fact of the matter is I always have a really high sense of responsibility to the reader, whether it's a few readers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-i-always-have-a-really-high-sense-of/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“Why do you need everyone married?" Christopher has said to him angrily, when Henry has asked about his son's life. "Why can't you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/why-do-you-need-everyone-married-christopher-has-said-to-him-angrily/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“one of those things about getting older was knowing that so many moments weren’t just moments, they were gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/one-of-those-things-about-getting-older-was-knowing-that-so-many/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) [Explore all 205 Elizabeth Strout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) ## More Bullies quotes > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [Bullies enjoy dark happiness; these are the blank parts that eventually fill their minds with nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-shanks/bullies-enjoy-dark-happiness-these-are-the-blank-parts-that/) [Emily Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-shanks/) > [Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/democracy-becomes-a-government-of-bullies-tempered-by-editors/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I daydreamed that when you grow up there are more bullies and how wonderful that would be if it were true, but, it's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-daydreamed-that-when-you-grow-up-there-are-more-bullies-and-how/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“I got tired of constantly watching shrewd little bullies like you walk around like you mean something, like you’re better than the people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-rankin/i-got-tired-of-constantly-watching-shrewd-little-bullies-like-you/) [Christopher Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-rankin/) > [No one should ever suffer in silence. Bullies thrive in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-whittle/no-one-should-ever-suffer-in-silence-bullies-thrive-in-silence/) [Ricky Whittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-whittle/) > [Even bullies need love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-walters/even-bullies-need-love/) [Eric Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-walters/) > [“The teacher pulled out a pile of papers. They were Bennie’s tests and homework assignments. Mrs. Lewis said, “Ma’am, here is the proof that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-phifer/the-teacher-pulled-out-a-pile-of-papers-they-were-bennie-s-tests-and/) [Harold Phifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-phifer/) > [Ineos is a friendly organisation. Very few people leave. It's collegiate. There's not much politics, and we like decent people. We don't like arrogance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ratcliffe/ineos-is-a-friendly-organisation-very-few-people-leave-it-s/) [Jim Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ratcliffe/) > [“There are times when your body takes control. Times when the gazelle says, ‘Fuck you, lioness,’ and delivers the biggest kick of its whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-bingham/there-are-times-when-your-body-takes-control-times-when-the-gazelle/) [Harry Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-bingham/) > [Our Animal Sanctuary initiative has many layers. We are aiming to create a place where abandoned and bullied creatures come together with bullied youth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/our-animal-sanctuary-initiative-has-many-layers-we-are-aiming-to/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) > [Some bullies just do what they want and know what they do, but they don't know is some of their victims have sad stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick/some-bullies-just-do-what-they-want-and-know-what-they-do-but-they/) [Nick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick/) > [The fool thinks he has won a battle when he bullies with harsh speech, but knowing how to be forbearing alone makes one victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-fool-thinks-he-has-won-a-battle-when-he-bullies-with-harsh-speech/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Trolls and cyber bullies have been feeling too safe in the cyber world for too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-fatehi/trolls-and-cyber-bullies-have-been-feeling-too-safe-in-the-cyber/) [Nora Fatehi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-fatehi/) [Browse all 387 Bullies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bullies are just frightened people.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Strout" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/bullies-are-just-frightened-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bullies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/bullies-are-just-frightened-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c2/elizabeth-strout-1799_bullies_bullies-are-just-frightened-people-27995_2799535.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bullies are just frightened people.” — Elizabeth Strout", "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": "Elizabeth Strout", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bullies are just frightened people.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/bullies-are-just-frightened-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/bullies-are-just-frightened-people/#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 } } ] } ```