--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How, if I know all this, you may ask…" description: "\"“How, if I know all this, you may ask, could I hound him – shatter him again and again, drive him deeper and deeper into woe? I have no answer, except ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png" --- # How, if I know all this, you may ask, could I hound him –… ![“How, if I know all this, you may ask, could I hound him – shatter him again and again, drive him deeper and deeper into woe? I have no answer, except this: why should I not? Has he made any move to deserve my kindness? If I give him a truce, will the king invite me in for a kiss on the forehead, a…” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png) > ““How, if I know all this, you may ask, could I hound him – shatter him again and again, drive him deeper and deeper into woe? I have no answer, except this: why should I not? Has he made any move to deserve my kindness? If I give him a truce, will the king invite me in for a kiss on the forehead, a cup of mead? Ha!”” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker questions the justification of relentless pursuit of suffering, wondering if kindness is deserved or merely a habit of cruelty. **In simple terms:** He doubts why he continues to torment someone who may not deserve it. Key Takeaway Consider compassion over cruelty. Themes ethics power humanity conflict Mood thoughtful intense Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership decisions - conflict resolution - self‑reflection Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology of aggression justice Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to repeat harmful actions? - Can kindness be given without expectation of reward? A Different Perspective The passage is theatrical and may not reflect real moral dilemmas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ## Related quotes > [I have been hired by Allah to get a wage, which if the space between the Earth and sky is filled up with pearls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatima-bint-muhammad/i-have-been-hired-by-allah-to-get-a-wage-which-if-the-space-between/) [Fatima bint Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatima-bint-muhammad/) > [Only those who ask for more can get more and only those who know there is more, ask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cohen/only-those-who-ask-for-more-can-get-more-and-only-those-who-know/) [Alan Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cohen/) > [If you want to know something then ask, don't assume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-know-something-then-ask-don-t-assume/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to know something, ask me. Don't assume, that's how drama starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-know-something-ask-me-don-t-assume-that-s-how-drama/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It takes a well-adjusted animal to know when to ask for help”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-pascoe/it-takes-a-well-adjusted-animal-to-know-when-to-ask-for-help/) [Sara Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-pascoe/) > [“ But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. -John 11:22 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/but-even-now-i-know-that-whatever-you-ask-of-god-god-will-give-you/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [Isn't it strange how much we know if only we ask ourselves instead of somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/isn-t-it-strange-how-much-we-know-if-only-we-ask-ourselves-instead-of/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The only thing I know is the only things that I know. You can't ask me to talk about something I have no information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-jhn/the-only-thing-i-know-is-the-only-things-that-i-know-you-can-t-ask-me/) [Saint Jhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-jhn/) > [“People give out information all the time. You just have to know who to ask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-griffin/people-give-out-information-all-the-time-you-just-have-to-know-who-to/) [Laura Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-griffin/) > [“Everybody asks the same questions -- but they don't know that they ask the same questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/everybody-asks-the-same-questions-but-they-don-t-know-that-they-ask/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [A wise man once said: I don't know ask a woman!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-wise-thought/a-wise-man-once-said-i-don-t-know-ask-a-woman/) The Wise Thought > [Microorganisms will give you anything you want if you know how to ask them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinichiro-sakaguchi/microorganisms-will-give-you-anything-you-want-if-you-know-how-to-ask/) Kinichiro Sakaguchi > [You can't expect people to give you the things you love, unless you know how to ask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-valentine/you-can-t-expect-people-to-give-you-the-things-you-love-unless-you/) [Genevieve Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-valentine/) > [If you wanna know something, ask me. Don't assume. That's how drama starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-bianco/if-you-wanna-know-something-ask-me-don-t-assume-that-s-how-drama/) [Tanya Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-bianco/) > [“you do that all the time you know. you ask me questions when you know the answer will piss you off. ask me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/you-do-that-all-the-time-you-know-you-ask-me-questions-when-you-know/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) ## More by John Gardner > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/they-only-think-they-think-no-total-vision-total-system-merely/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. One may tell the reader that the character went to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/good-writers-may-tell-about-almost-anything-in-fiction-except-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“the chief offense in bad fiction: we sense that characters are being manipulated, forced to do things they would not really do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-chief-offense-in-bad-fiction-we-sense-that-characters-are-being/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“There seems little or no hope for the adult writer who produces sentences like these: "Her cheeks were thick and smooth and held a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/there-seems-little-or-no-hope-for-the-adult-writer-who-produces/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In any long fiction, Henry James remarked, use of the first-person point of view is barbaric. James may go too far, but his point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-any-long-fiction-henry-james-remarked-use-of-the-first-person/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination than only writing about what you know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/nothing-can-be-more-limiting-to-the-imagination-than-only-writing/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [A nation that values bad philosophy above good plumbing will have neither good philosophy nor good plumbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-nation-that-values-bad-philosophy-above-good-plumbing-will-have/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-citizen-can-bring-our-political-and-governmental-institutions/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-a-web-of-words-pale-walls-of-dreams-between/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In writing short stories—as in writing novels—take one thing at a time. (For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-writing-short-stories-as-in-writing-novels-take-one-thing-at-a/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [All order, I've come to understand, is theoretical, unreal, a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between the two great, dark realities, the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-order-i-ve-come-to-understand-is-theoretical-unreal-a-harmless/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) [Explore all 138 John Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## More Kindness 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/) > [Each of our acts makes a statement as to our purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/each-of-our-acts-makes-a-statement-as-to-our-purpose/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Kindness unlocks doors that were thought to be closed forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/kindness-unlocks-doors-that-were-thought-to-be-closed-forever/) Unkown > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/praise-will-come-to-those-whose-kindness-leaves-you-without-debt/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [“A little bit of kindness goes a long way with women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/a-little-bit-of-kindness-goes-a-long-way-with-women/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [The smartest people are the ones who can bring a little bit of heaven to earth by using there kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isiahnunn/the-smartest-people-are-the-ones-who-can-bring-a-little-bit-of-heaven/) IsiahNunn > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) Talib al Habib > [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 6,600 Kindness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How, if I know all this, you may ask, could I hound him – shatter him again and again, drive him deeper and deeper into woe? I have no answer, except this: why should I not? Has he made any move to deserve my kindness? If I give him a truce, will the king invite me in for a kiss on the forehead, a cup of mead? Ha!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could-i-hound-him-shatter-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kindness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could-i-hound-him-shatter-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/john-gardner-3092_kindness_how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could_447150.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How, if I know all this, you may ask, could I hound him – shatter him again and again, drive him deeper and…” — John Gardner", "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": "John Gardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How, if I know all this,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could-i-hound-him-shatter-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/how-if-i-know-all-this-you-may-ask-could-i-hound-him-shatter-him/#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 } } ] } ```