--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Friends should be very delicate and…" description: "\"Friends should be very delicate and careful in administering pity as medicine, when enemies use the same article as poison.\" — John Frederick Boyes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/john-frederick-boyes-35201_articles_friends-should-be-very-delicate-and-care_878395.jpg" --- # Friends should be very delicate and careful in… ![“Friends should be very delicate and careful in administering pity as medicine, when enemies use the same article as poison.” quote by John Frederick Boyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/john-frederick-boyes-35201_articles_friends-should-be-very-delicate-and-care_878395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/john-frederick-boyes-35201_articles_friends-should-be-very-delicate-and-care_878395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/john-frederick-boyes-35201_articles_friends-should-be-very-delicate-and-care_878395.jpg) > “Friends should be very delicate and careful in administering pity as medicine, when enemies use the same article as poison.” [John Frederick Boyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frederick-boyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pity should be administered delicately like medicine, while enemies may weaponize the same compassion as poison. **In simple terms:** Pity must be careful; enemies can turn kindness into harm. Key Takeaway Use compassion wisely. Themes morality compassion ethics danger Mood cautionary thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - Healthcare - political negotiations - personal relationships Key Concepts Moral relativism weaponized empathy Questions to Reflect On - When is pity counterproductive? - How to guard against malicious kindness? A Different Perspective Compassion can be exploited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administering Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administering-pity-1026239/) [Article Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/article-poison-1026241/) [Articles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articles/) [Careful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful/) [Careful Administering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful-administering-1026242/) [Delicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delicate/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Medicine Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine-enemies-1026243/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Pity Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity-medicine-1026240/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) ## Related quotes > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [I have always loved to read, and now that I have penned 10 novels and a few magazine articles, I have fallen seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/i-have-always-loved-to-read-and-now-that-i-have-penned-10-novels-and/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) > [An article on playwrights in the Daily Mail , listed according to Hard Left, Soft Left, Hard Right, Soft Right and Centre. 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