--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life was indeed cruel; but it was better…" description: "\"“Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.”\" — John Gray" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg" --- # Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the… ![“Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.” quote by John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg) > ““Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.”” [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that embracing one's will, even if life is cruel, is preferable to denial, emphasizing agency over victimhood. **In simple terms:** Embrace will over denial. Key Takeaway Choose agency. Themes philosophy will existence cruelty agency resilience Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - career setbacks - ethical decisions Key Concepts Existentialism personal empowerment psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does embracing will look like for you? - When is denial protective? 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Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. 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It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better-to-glorify-the-will-than-deny/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better-to-glorify-the-will-than-deny/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca3/john-gray-4628_cruel_life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better_252673.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life was indeed cruel; but it was better to glorify the Will than deny it.” — John Gray", "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 Gray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Life was indeed cruel; but it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better-to-glorify-the-will-than-deny/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/life-was-indeed-cruel-but-it-was-better-to-glorify-the-will-than-deny/#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 } } ] } ```