--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was no wonder that people were so…" description: "\"It was no wonder that people were so horrible when they started life as children.\" — Kingsley Amis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png" --- # It was no wonder that people were so horrible when they… ![“It was no wonder that people were so horrible when they started life as children.” quote by Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png) > “It was no wonder that people were so horrible when they started life as children.” [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children’s early experiences shape their later capacity for cruelty. **In simple terms:** Early life influences later behavior. Key Takeaway Address childhood influences to reduce harm. Themes psychology development cruelty Mood somber analytical Type literary psychological When to use this quote - education - parenting - mental health - policy making Key Concepts behavioral science social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How do early experiences affect adult behavior? - What interventions can foster empathy in youth? A Different Perspective Not all children become cruel; many thrive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Horrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible/) [Horrible Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible-started-2867775/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-children-426649/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Horrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-horrible-505430/) [Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started/) [Started Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-life-457996/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [It is no wonder that people are so horrible when they start life as children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-is-no-wonder-that-people-are-so-horrible-when-they-start-life-as/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [No wonder people are so horrible when they start life as children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/no-wonder-people-are-so-horrible-when-they-start-life-as-children/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [It is no wonder that people are so horrible when they start their life as children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-is-no-wonder-that-people-are-so-horrible-when-they-start-their/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [I had this dream...that we had this new sixth member, for some reason, and he actually ended up being quite horrible! And he started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-tomlinson/i-had-this-dream-that-we-had-this-new-sixth-member-for-some-reason-2/) [Louis Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-tomlinson/) > [There's nothing that annoys me more than people being horrible to my mates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-tomlinson/there-s-nothing-that-annoys-me-more-than-people-being-horrible-to-my/) [Louis Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-tomlinson/) > [People do horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-paul/people-do-horrible-things/) [Logan Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-paul/) > [“People are horrible and they lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/people-are-horrible-and-they-lie/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [All of the most interesting people had a horrible time as kids. All the best rappers struggled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romesh-ranganathan/all-of-the-most-interesting-people-had-a-horrible-time-as-kids-all/) [Romesh Ranganathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romesh-ranganathan/) > [We only think about the difficult people and the horrible things that happen. That's what gets all the media attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/we-only-think-about-the-difficult-people-and-the-horrible-things-that/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Sometimes people only see horrible, terrible things in my paintings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-giger/sometimes-people-only-see-horrible-terrible-things-in-my-paintings/) [H. R. Giger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-giger/) > [There is nothing on earth intended for innocent people so horrible as a school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/there-is-nothing-on-earth-intended-for-innocent-people-so-horrible-as/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [I've played horrible people and done horrible things, and there were moments on 'The Knick' where it was super uncomfortable - some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-johnson/i-ve-played-horrible-people-and-done-horrible-things-and-there-were/) [Eric Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-johnson/) > [“People do horrible things in the name of keeping things just the way they are.” “Where”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/people-do-horrible-things-in-the-name-of-keeping-things-just-the-way/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I think people are screw-ups, and even our greatest heroes are deeply flawed human beings. People make bad decisions for all the wrong reasons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-d-moore/i-think-people-are-screw-ups-and-even-our-greatest-heroes-are-deeply/) [Ronald D. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-d-moore/) ## More by Kingsley Amis > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [Never despise a drink because it is easy to make and/or uses commercial mixes. Unquestioning devotion to authenticity is, in any department of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/never-despise-a-drink-because-it-is-easy-to-make-and-or-uses/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [“There was no excuse which didn't consist of inexcusable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/there-was-no-excuse-which-didn-t-consist-of-inexcusable/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The rewards for being sane may not be very many, but knowing what's funny is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/the-rewards-for-being-sane-may-not-be-very-many-but-knowing-what-s/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The human race has not devised any way of dissolving barriers, getting to know the other chap fast, breaking the ice, that is one-tenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/the-human-race-has-not-devised-any-way-of-dissolving-barriers-getting/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [“{Rogers} sexual aim is “to convert a creature who is cool, dry, calm, articulate, independent, purposeful into a creature who is the opposite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/rogers-sexual-aim-is-to-convert-a-creature-who-is-cool-dry-calm/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [If there's one word that sums up everything that's gone wrong since the war, it's Workshop. After Youth, that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/if-there-s-one-word-that-sums-up-everything-that-s-gone-wrong-since/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [Jake was close to tears. In that moment he saw the world in its true light, as a place where nothing had ever been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/jake-was-close-to-tears-in-that-moment-he-saw-the-world-in-its-true/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [It scored right away with me by being the smooth, fine-grained sort, not the coarse flaky, dry-on-the-outside rubbish full of chunds of gut and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-scored-right-away-with-me-by-being-the-smooth-fine-grained-sort/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [It's never pleasant to have one's unquestioning beliefs put in their historical context, as I know from experience, I can assure you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-s-never-pleasant-to-have-one-s-unquestioning-beliefs-put-in-their/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [“Jake did a quick run-through of women in his mind, not of the ones he had known or dealt with in the past few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/jake-did-a-quick-run-through-of-women-in-his-mind-not-of-the-ones-he/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [“I don't allow people of your sort to stand in my way. That's what you're leaving out of account. I'm having Christine because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/i-don-t-allow-people-of-your-sort-to-stand-in-my-way-that-s-what-you/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [If you are using an adverb, you have got the verb wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/if-you-are-using-an-adverb-you-have-got-the-verb-wrong/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [Outside every fat man there is an even fatter man trying to close in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/outside-every-fat-man-there-is-an-even-fatter-man-trying-to-close-in/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [“When the bishop farted we were amused to hear about it. Should the ploughboy find treasure we must be told. But when the ploughboy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/when-the-bishop-farted-we-were-amused-to-hear-about-it-should-the/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) [Explore all 102 Kingsley Amis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was no wonder that people were so horrible when they started life as children.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kingsley Amis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-horrible-when-they-started-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-horrible-when-they-started-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/kingsley-amis-5258_children_it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-hor_2719037.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was no wonder that people were so horrible when they started life as children.” — Kingsley Amis", "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": "Kingsley Amis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was no wonder that people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-horrible-when-they-started-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/it-was-no-wonder-that-people-were-so-horrible-when-they-started-life/#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 } } ] } ```