--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Having gone through what I went through…" description: "\"Having gone through what I went through, watching my family be torn to shreds and my children suffer immensely, I can't be the agent of doing that to s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg" --- # Having gone through what I went through, watching my… ![“Having gone through what I went through, watching my family be torn to shreds and my children suffer immensely, I can't be the agent of doing that to someone else. I can't be the agent of causing someone to go to prison.” quote by Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg) > “Having gone through what I went through, watching my family be torn to shreds and my children suffer immensely, I can't be the agent of doing that to someone else. I can't be the agent of causing someone to go to prison.” [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal trauma can drive a commitment to prevent others from suffering similar harm. **In simple terms:** Past suffering motivates protecting others from harm. Key Takeaway Use experience to protect others. Themes trauma ethics prevention personal responsibility Mood somber reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - family crises - criminal justice reform - support groups Key Concepts moral psychology empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can personal pain be channeled constructively? - What safeguards prevent burnout? A Different Perspective Personal guilt may not translate into effective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [I'm just a step away I'm just a breath away Losin' my faith today I am just a man Not superhuman Someone save me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-just-a-step-away-i-m-just-a-breath-away-losin-my-faith-today-i-am/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For those of you who are able to prepare and catch up with the wave will benefit massively. But for those who fall behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/think-maverick/for-those-of-you-who-are-able-to-prepare-and-catch-up-with-the-wave/) Think Maverick > [A foul-mouthed oaf, a drunken laborer lying in a drain, a beaten wife with blackened eyes and torn clothes, cannot be made romantic to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/a-foul-mouthed-oaf-a-drunken-laborer-lying-in-a-drain-a-beaten-wife/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [More children suffer from interference than from non-interference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/more-children-suffer-from-interference-than-from-non-interference/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [How many innocent people and children suffer in the world! Lord, grant us your peace!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/how-many-innocent-people-and-children-suffer-in-the-world-lord-grant/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“For a child a library needs to be round the corner. And if we lose local libraries it is children who will suffer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/for-a-child-a-library-needs-to-be-round-the-corner-and-if-we-lose/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [While most Americans have access to the best oral health care in the world, low-income children suffer disproportionately from oral disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-simpson/while-most-americans-have-access-to-the-best-oral-health-care-in-the/) [Michael K. Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-simpson/) > [Throughout my years championing for civil rights, analyzing politics and advocating on behalf of the voiceless, I am disturbed the most when harmless children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/throughout-my-years-championing-for-civil-rights-analyzing-politics/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Then I reminded myself that all intelligent children suffer bad dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/then-i-reminded-myself-that-all-intelligent-children-suffer-bad-dreams/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [I know, as a mother, it hurts you very much to see your children suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-trudeau/i-know-as-a-mother-it-hurts-you-very-much-to-see-your-children-suffer/) [Margaret Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-trudeau/) > [Most American children suffer too much mother and too little father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/most-american-children-suffer-too-much-mother-and-too-little-father/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Most children suffer from a crippling lack of stimulation. The brain is like any other muscle; use it, and it develops. Ignore it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/most-children-suffer-from-a-crippling-lack-of-stimulation-the-brain/) [Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/) > [Lord, give to me who are old and rougher The things that little children suffer, And let keep bright and undefiled The young years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-masefield/lord-give-to-me-who-are-old-and-rougher-the-things-that-little/) [John Masefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-masefield/) > [There's nothing more heart-breaking than watching your children suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-boston/there-s-nothing-more-heart-breaking-than-watching-your-children-suffer/) [Rachel Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-boston/) > [We tend to forget at times that it is the little ones, the children, who do suffer the greatest hurt. If we cannot comprehend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/we-tend-to-forget-at-times-that-it-is-the-little-ones-the-children/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) ## More by Jack Abramoff > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [I'm a human being. I'm not perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-a-human-being-i-m-not-perfect/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [I'm a hypercompetitive individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-a-hypercompetitive-individual/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [I can't afford to be a member of a golf course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-can-t-afford-to-be-a-member-of-a-golf-course/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [I mean, money is a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-mean-money-is-a-tool/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [Words will not be able to ever express how sorry I am for this, and I have profound regret and sorrow for the multitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/words-will-not-be-able-to-ever-express-how-sorry-i-am-for-this-and-i/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [Well, I don't think most Americans are playing the super-PAC game. I think what you have is elites on both sides playing the super-PAC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/well-i-don-t-think-most-americans-are-playing-the-super-pac-game-i/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [All I want is for people not to see me as this cartoon monster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/all-i-want-is-for-people-not-to-see-me-as-this-cartoon-monster/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, and a libertarian is a conservative who's been indicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/a-conservative-is-a-liberal-who-s-been-mugged-and-a-libertarian-is-a/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [Washington's a dangerous place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/washington-s-a-dangerous-place/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [One of my personality defects, perhaps, is that I'm rather ADD, and I work on a bunch of things at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/one-of-my-personality-defects-perhaps-is-that-i-m-rather-add-and-i/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [I don't pay much attention to sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-don-t-pay-much-attention-to-sports/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The reason there are tens of thousands of lobbyists is because the ever-expanding federal government creates ever-increasing opportunities for abuse. The more the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/the-reason-there-are-tens-of-thousands-of-lobbyists-is-because-the/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [I did this within a philosophical framework, and a moral and legal framework. And I have been turned into a cartoon of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-did-this-within-a-philosophical-framework-and-a-moral-and-legal/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) [Explore all 68 Jack Abramoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) ## More Agents quotes > [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/) > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/) Tom Atlee > [Love is the supreme form of communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as the supreme developing agent of the humanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/love-is-the-supreme-form-of-communication-in-the-hierarchy-of-needs/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [I have always believed that women are not victims, we are agents of change, we are drivers of progress, we are makers of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-always-believed-that-women-are-not-victims-we-are-agents-of/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Many American TV actors employ agents, managers, business managers, publicists and stylists, and are now adding digital media manager to the list. Their job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/many-american-tv-actors-employ-agents-managers-business-managers/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [The ultimate goal of radical politics is gradually to displace the limit of social exclusions, empowering the excluded agents (sexual and ethnic minorities) by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/the-ultimate-goal-of-radical-politics-is-gradually-to-displace-the/) [Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My first job was a film called 'Storm Damage' for the BBC. I was 16 and working with really respected British actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/my-first-job-was-a-film-called-storm-damage-for-the-bbc-i-was-16-and/) [Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/) > [Government is the agent of those who are too refined to do their own mugging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/government-is-the-agent-of-those-who-are-too-refined-to-do-their-own/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [While much of modern behavioral and social science treats individuals as autonomous agents, it is absolutely clear that the way we think and act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-r-nelson/while-much-of-modern-behavioral-and-social-science-treats-individuals/) Richard R. Nelson > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [“Honestly,” he says, “I judge writers on how they write queries. If you’re a good writer, you’re a good writer.” And if not, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/honestly-he-says-i-judge-writers-on-how-they-write-queries-if-you-re/) [Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/) Browse all 1,567 Agents quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Having gone through what I went through, watching my family be torn to shreds and my children suffer immensely, I can't be the agent of doing that to someone else. I can't be the agent of causing someone to go to prison.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Abramoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/having-gone-through-what-i-went-through-watching-my-family-be-torn-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/having-gone-through-what-i-went-through-watching-my-family-be-torn-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/jack-abramoff-10031_agents_having-gone-through-what-i-went-through_146176.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having gone through what I went through, watching my family be torn to shreds and my children suffer…” — Jack Abramoff", "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": "Jack Abramoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Having gone through what I went...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/having-gone-through-what-i-went-through-watching-my-family-be-torn-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/having-gone-through-what-i-went-through-watching-my-family-be-torn-to/#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 } } ] } ```