--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Much benevolence of the passive order may…" description: "\"Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself.\" — George Meredith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg" --- # Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a… ![“Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself.” quote by George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg) > “Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself.” [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passive kindness may stem from an aversion to self-harm, revealing a hidden self-protective motive. **In simple terms:** Kindness can hide self‑preservation. Key Takeaway Recognize motives behind generosity. Themes self‑preservation kindness psychology passivity motivation Mood thoughtful empathetic introspective Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - volunteering - counseling - conflict resolution Key Concepts ethical theory psychodynamic moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Why do we sometimes avoid hurting ourselves? - How does self‑preservation affect relationships? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on kindness may enable avoidance of personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benevolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benevolence/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) ## Related quotes > [There's a great public disinclination toward politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/there-s-a-great-public-disinclination-toward-politicians/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [Men resemble the gods in nothing so much as in doing good to their fellow creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/men-resemble-the-gods-in-nothing-so-much-as-in-doing-good-to-their/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [There is in St. Paul's definite, soul-stirring assertion of the wrath of God and the reality of the judgment at hand, a truth more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-allen/there-is-in-st-paul-s-definite-soul-stirring-assertion-of-the-wrath/) [Roland Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-allen/) > [Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality, and benevolence; the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/generosity-during-life-is-a-very-different-thing-from-generosity-in/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [ They \[spies\] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/they-spies-cannot-be-properly-managed-without-benevolence-and/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [When you have lived as long as I have, the div replied, you find that cruelty and benevolence are but shades of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/when-you-have-lived-as-long-as-i-have-the-div-replied-you-find-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Want compassion is not to be numbered among the general faults of mankind. The black ingredient which fouls our disposition is envy. Hence our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/want-compassion-is-not-to-be-numbered-among-the-general-faults-of/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [Nobody but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/nobody-but-a-beggar-chooses-to-depend-chiefly-upon-the-benevolence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [The individualism of current economic theory is manifest in the purely self-interested behaviour it generally assumes. It has no real place for fairness, malevolence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-daly/the-individualism-of-current-economic-theory-is-manifest-in-the/) [Herman E. Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-daly/) > [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [“Now general benevolence was one of the leading features of the Pickwickian theory, and no one was more remarkable for the zealous manner in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/now-general-benevolence-was-one-of-the-leading-features-of-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The benevolence of wrapping the partridge in a vine leaf brings out its quality, just as the barrel of Diogenes brought forth the qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-des-essarts/the-benevolence-of-wrapping-the-partridge-in-a-vine-leaf-brings-out/) Emmanuel des Essarts > [Elect me to office. I will protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Because there's no constitutional authority for Congress spending on the objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/elect-me-to-office-i-will-protect-and-defend-the-u-s-constitution/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) ## More by George Meredith > [Caricature is rough truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/caricature-is-rough-truth/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betrayed by what is false within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/in-tragic-life-god-wot-no-villain-need-be-passions-spin-the-plot-we/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Possession without obligation to the object possessed approaches felicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/possession-without-obligation-to-the-object-possessed-approaches/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [O have a care of natures that are mute!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/o-have-a-care-of-natures-that-are-mute/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Lowly, with a broken neck, The crocus lays her cheek to mire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/lowly-with-a-broken-neck-the-crocus-lays-her-cheek-to-mire/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [I expect Woman will be the last thing civilized by Man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/i-expect-woman-will-be-the-last-thing-civilized-by-man/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Prayer for worldly goods is worse than fruitless, but prayer for strength of soul is that passion of the soul which catches the gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/prayer-for-worldly-goods-is-worse-than-fruitless-but-prayer-for/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [There is nothing the body suffers the soul may not profit by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/there-is-nothing-the-body-suffers-the-soul-may-not-profit-by/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [And if I drink oblivion of a day, / So shorten I the stature of my soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/and-if-i-drink-oblivion-of-a-day-so-shorten-i-the-stature-of-my-soul/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Poetry is talking on tiptoe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/poetry-is-talking-on-tiptoe/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [It's past parsons to console us: No, nor no doctor fetch for me: I can die without my bolus; Two of a trade, lass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/it-s-past-parsons-to-console-us-no-nor-no-doctor-fetch-for-me-i-can/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [I've studied men from my topsy-turvy Close, and I reckon, rather true. Some are fine fellows: some, right scurvy; Most, a dash between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/i-ve-studied-men-from-my-topsy-turvy-close-and-i-reckon-rather-true/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Swift doth young Love flee, And we stand wakened, shivering from our dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/swift-doth-young-love-flee-and-we-stand-wakened-shivering-from-our/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [A witty woman is a treasure; a witty beauty is a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/a-witty-woman-is-a-treasure-a-witty-beauty-is-a-power/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [“just got back from a beautiful eve of winter solstice snowshoeing. my heart was lost and enlivened by both the hush of the mountainous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/just-got-back-from-a-beautiful-eve-of-winter-solstice-snowshoeing-my/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) [Explore all 96 George Meredith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) ## More Benevolence quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [Elect me to office. I will protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Because there's no constitutional authority for Congress spending on the objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/elect-me-to-office-i-will-protect-and-defend-the-u-s-constitution/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [The benevolence of wrapping the partridge in a vine leaf brings out its quality, just as the barrel of Diogenes brought forth the qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-des-essarts/the-benevolence-of-wrapping-the-partridge-in-a-vine-leaf-brings-out/) Emmanuel des Essarts > [“Now general benevolence was one of the leading features of the Pickwickian theory, and no one was more remarkable for the zealous manner in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/now-general-benevolence-was-one-of-the-leading-features-of-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [The individualism of current economic theory is manifest in the purely self-interested behaviour it generally assumes. It has no real place for fairness, malevolence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-daly/the-individualism-of-current-economic-theory-is-manifest-in-the/) [Herman E. Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-daly/) > [Nobody but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/nobody-but-a-beggar-chooses-to-depend-chiefly-upon-the-benevolence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Want compassion is not to be numbered among the general faults of mankind. The black ingredient which fouls our disposition is envy. Hence our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/want-compassion-is-not-to-be-numbered-among-the-general-faults-of/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [When you have lived as long as I have, the div replied, you find that cruelty and benevolence are but shades of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/when-you-have-lived-as-long-as-i-have-the-div-replied-you-find-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [ They \[spies\] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/they-spies-cannot-be-properly-managed-without-benevolence-and/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality, and benevolence; the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/generosity-during-life-is-a-very-different-thing-from-generosity-in/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [There is in St. Paul's definite, soul-stirring assertion of the wrath of God and the reality of the judgment at hand, a truth more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-allen/there-is-in-st-paul-s-definite-soul-stirring-assertion-of-the-wrath/) [Roland Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-allen/) > [Men resemble the gods in nothing so much as in doing good to their fellow creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/men-resemble-the-gods-in-nothing-so-much-as-in-doing-good-to-their/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [General benevolence, but not general friendship, made a man what he ought to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/general-benevolence-but-not-general-friendship-made-a-man-what-he/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) [Browse all 371 Benevolence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benevolence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Meredith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-may-be-traced-to-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Benevolence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-may-be-traced-to-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/george-meredith-6931_benevolence_much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-ma_2764318.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself.” — George Meredith", "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 Meredith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Much benevolence of the passive order...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-may-be-traced-to-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/much-benevolence-of-the-passive-order-may-be-traced-to-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 } } ] } ```