--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do we insist on inflicting more…" description: "\"“Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world that is already fraught with it?”\" — Eowyn Ivey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg" --- # Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world… ![“Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world that is already fraught with it?” quote by Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg) > ““Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world that is already fraught with it?”” [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We should not add extra pain to an already suffering world. **In simple terms:** Avoid causing more suffering. Key Takeaway Practice compassion and restraint. Themes ethics compassion responsibility Mood concerned thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - personal interactions - global aid Key Concepts moral philosophy human suffering environmental impact Questions to Reflect On - What actions unintentionally increase suffering? - How can we balance helping with not harming? A Different Perspective Human intentions can be misguided despite good intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inflicting Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inflicting-suffering-327369/) [Insist Inflicting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist-inflicting-5428765/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Suffering World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering-world/) [World Fraught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-fraught-5428766/) ## Related quotes > [For at the same time many people seem eager to extend the circle of our moral consideration to animals, in our factory farms and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/for-at-the-same-time-many-people-seem-eager-to-extend-the-circle-of/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [They call war an art, but it isn't. It largely consists in outwitting people, robbing widows and orphans, and inflicting suffering on the helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-roberts/they-call-war-an-art-but-it-isn-t-it-largely-consists-in-outwitting/) [Kenneth Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-roberts/) > [ “\[..\] it has remained for man alone among all creatures to kill senselessly and wantonly for the mere pleasure of inflicting suffering and death.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-has-remained-for-man-alone-among-all-creatures-to-kill-senselessly/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“Nothing a man suffers will prevent him from inflicting suffering on others. Indeed, it will teach him the way”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/nothing-a-man-suffers-will-prevent-him-from-inflicting-suffering-on/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [Something terrible has happened to the soul of the Republican Party. We've gone from bad economic doctrine. 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All the happiness in the world comes from seeking pleasure for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantideva/all-the-suffering-in-the-world-comes-from-seeking-pleasure-for/) [Shantideva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantideva/) > [The next time I find myself getting upset over something petty, I'll remember the ones who are really suffering in this world. The ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laleh-javaheri/the-next-time-i-find-myself-getting-upset-over-something-petty-i-ll/) [Laleh Javaheri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laleh-javaheri/) > [“All the happiness in the world stems from wanting others to be happy, and all the suffering in the world stems from wanting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timber-hawkeye/all-the-happiness-in-the-world-stems-from-wanting-others-to-be-happy/) [Timber Hawkeye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timber-hawkeye/) ## More by Eowyn Ivey > [“It was beautiful, Mabel knew, but it was a beauty that ripped you open and scored you clean so that you were left helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/it-was-beautiful-mabel-knew-but-it-was-a-beauty-that-ripped-you-open/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Makes me see that there might be some sense to having children after all, just so your entire life and all your family’s contributions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/makes-me-see-that-there-might-be-some-sense-to-having-children-after/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She and Jack had formed her of snow and birch boughs and frosty wild grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-and-jack-had-formed-her-of-snow-and-birch-boughs-and-frosty-wild/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“You’ll drive yourself crazy looking for something that’s not there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/you-ll-drive-yourself-crazy-looking-for-something-that-s-not-there/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She might be curt and ungrateful, but by God she could bake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-might-be-curt-and-ungrateful-but-by-god-she-could-bake/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“And if it is true...that we are each inhabited by some bit of divine light, then upon death, how long before those particles dissipate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/and-if-it-is-true-that-we-are-each-inhabited-by-some-bit-of-divine/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Carry me on and on to the edge of the earth, with children's laughter like a wind - full sail, then carry me beyond”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/carry-me-on-and-on-to-the-edge-of-the-earth-with-children-s-laughter/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“When she first fell in love with Jack, she had dreamed she could fly, that on a warm, inky black night she had pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/when-she-first-fell-in-love-with-jack-she-had-dreamed-she-could-fly/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“But what makes the question of cultural loss the most uncomfortable, and difficult for me to address, are the inherent definitions built into it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/but-what-makes-the-question-of-cultural-loss-the-most-uncomfortable/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Sewing was different. Mabel knew if she was patient and meticulous, if she carefully followed the lines, took each step as it came, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/sewing-was-different-mabel-knew-if-she-was-patient-and-meticulous-if/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“As Jack's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he saw the ground covered in white and, in the light of Garrett"s lantern, snowflakes spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/as-jack-s-eyes-grew-accustomed-to-the-darkness-he-saw-the-ground/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Doubt crouched over his shoulder, ready to take him by the throat, whispering in his ear, You are an old man. An old, old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/doubt-crouched-over-his-shoulder-ready-to-take-him-by-the-throat/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/in-my-old-age-i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and-terrible-than-the/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) [Explore all 84 Eowyn Ivey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## More Suffering quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“But, you know, if you choose to be with someone you should feel good with them, otherwise it doesn't make sense... How do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assia-petricelli/but-you-know-if-you-choose-to-be-with-someone-you-should-feel-good/) [Assia Petricelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assia-petricelli/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Because we live in a fallen world, we suffer. But those of us who know Jesus are never alone in the suffering, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-turner-lee/because-we-live-in-a-fallen-world-we-suffer-but-those-of-us-who-know/) [Melissa Turner Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-turner-lee/) > [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) [Browse all 13,957 Suffering quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world that is already fraught with it?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eowyn Ivey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suffering-on-a-world-that-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Suffering" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suffering-on-a-world-that-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/eowyn-ivey-7989_suffering_why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suff_3110039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why do we insist on inflicting more suffering on a world that is already fraught with it?” — Eowyn Ivey", "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": "Eowyn Ivey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why do we insist on inflicting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suffering-on-a-world-that-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/why-do-we-insist-on-inflicting-more-suffering-on-a-world-that-is/#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 } } ] } ```