---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that…"
description: "\"“I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that nothing is so cruel in its consequences as the toleration of heresy!”\" — George Bernard Shaw"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png"
---

#  I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that nothing is so…

![“I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that nothing is so cruel in its consequences as the toleration of heresy!” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png)

> ““I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that nothing is so cruel in its consequences as the toleration of heresy!””

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Tolerating heresy is more cruel than the heresy itself.

**In simple terms:** Endorsing false beliefs is harsher than the beliefs.

Key Takeaway

Challenge harmful ideas instead of ignoring them.

Themes

morality intolerance philosophy

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

philosophical provocative

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- religious debates
- education curricula

Key Concepts

ethics social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you confront harmful ideologies?
- When is silence justified?

A Different Perspective

Some may view tolerance as virtue.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cruelty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/)

## Related quotes

> [“Let no one steal your light with their lies or their cruelty. Shine on, through it all. Shine in spite of their hatred. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/let-no-one-steal-your-light-with-their-lies-or-their-cruelty-shine-on/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [I remember being bullied at school, and I remember being cruel to other kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/i-remember-being-bullied-at-school-and-i-remember-being-cruel-to/)

[Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/)

> [I cruelly hate cruelty, both by nature and reason, as the worst of all the vices. But then I am so soft in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-cruelly-hate-cruelty-both-by-nature-and-reason-as-the-worst-of-all/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Amongst all other vices there is none I hate more than cruelty, both by nature and judgment, as the extremest of all vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/amongst-all-other-vices-there-is-none-i-hate-more-than-cruelty-both/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [“Those who love and show compassion will always find happiness and good fortunes in their lives while those who hate and show cruelty will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-okafor/those-who-love-and-show-compassion-will-always-find-happiness-and/)

[DAVID OKAFOR](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-okafor/)

> [There is in man a specific lust for cruelty which infects even his passion of pity and makes it savage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/there-is-in-man-a-specific-lust-for-cruelty-which-infects-even-his/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Regarding lack of vision or disabilities of the organ of sight, it has long been known among researchers that it is the effect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/regarding-lack-of-vision-or-disabilities-of-the-organ-of-sight-it-has/)

[Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/)

> [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

James Nayler

> [He lacked tenderness; he was rude; and he had more than a streak of cruelty in him; he was a thief and a liar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/he-lacked-tenderness-he-was-rude-and-he-had-more-than-a-streak-of/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

> [There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-waterman/there-s-a-certain-edge-about-cruelty-if-you-re-honest-about-it-most/)

[Pete Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-waterman/)

> [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance, and her sunlight from before human cruelty or suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nature-is-pitiless-she-never-withdraws-her-flowers-her-music-her/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

## More by George Bernard Shaw

> [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

[Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## More Cruelty quotes

> [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/)

[Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/)

> [Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance, and her sunlight from before human cruelty or suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nature-is-pitiless-she-never-withdraws-her-flowers-her-music-her/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-waterman/there-s-a-certain-edge-about-cruelty-if-you-re-honest-about-it-most/)

[Pete Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-waterman/)

> [He lacked tenderness; he was rude; and he had more than a streak of cruelty in him; he was a thief and a liar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/he-lacked-tenderness-he-was-rude-and-he-had-more-than-a-streak-of/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

James Nayler

> [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [Regarding lack of vision or disabilities of the organ of sight, it has long been known among researchers that it is the effect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-heindel/regarding-lack-of-vision-or-disabilities-of-the-organ-of-sight-it-has/)

[Max Heindel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-heindel/)

> [“When you’re a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. She would like to restrain from cruelty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/when-you-re-a-monster-she-thought-you-are-thanked-and-praised-for-not/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [Music comes from the heart and returns to the heart... music is spontaneous, impulsive expression... its range is without limit... music is forever growing...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-stokowski/music-comes-from-the-heart-and-returns-to-the-heart-music-is/)

[Leopold Stokowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-stokowski/)

> [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/)

[Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/)

> [“in every pleasure, cruelty has its place...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/in-every-pleasure-cruelty-has-its-place/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Old people deserves a medal, a medal of existence which crowns their long-term victory against the cruelty of time and the dangers of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/old-people-deserves-a-medal-a-medal-of-existence-which-crowns-their/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

[Browse all 1,675 Cruelty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that nothing is so cruel in its consequences as the toleration of heresy!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Bernard Shaw"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that-nothing-is-so-cruel-in-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cruelty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that-nothing-is-so-cruel-in-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/george-bernard-shaw-68_cruelty_i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that_773586.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I say, if you hate cruelty, remember that nothing is so cruel in its consequences as the toleration of heresy!” — George Bernard Shaw",
                "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": "George Bernard Shaw",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I say, if you hate cruelty,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that-nothing-is-so-cruel-in-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-say-if-you-hate-cruelty-remember-that-nothing-is-so-cruel-in-its/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```