--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The child who is permitted to torment, or…" description: "\"The child who is permitted to torment, or destroy, the minutest object in creation, who will wantonly tread upon a worm, or unhumanly pass a pin throug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg" --- # The child who is permitted to torment, or destroy, the… ![“The child who is permitted to torment, or destroy, the minutest object in creation, who will wantonly tread upon a worm, or unhumanly pass a pin through the body of a fly, will in all probabiilty, as he increases in years, feel no more compunction at tormenting a fellow-creature, than he did in…” quote by Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg) > “The child who is permitted to torment, or destroy, the minutest object in creation, who will wantonly tread upon a worm, or unhumanly pass a pin through the body of a fly, will in all probabiilty, as he increases in years, feel no more compunction at tormenting a fellow-creature, than he did in witnessing the wreathing agonies of a fly.” [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early cruelty to tiny beings predicts later indifference to larger suffering, suggesting a desensitization process. **In simple terms:** Small cruelty predicts later cruelty. Key Takeaway Watch early behavior for warning signs. Themes empathy morality development Mood concerned reflective Type ethical observational When to use this quote - parenting - education - animal welfare - prison rehabilitation Key Concepts psychology desensitization moral development Questions to Reflect On - Can early kindness prevent later cruelty? - How does society respond to early signs of cruelty? A Different Perspective Not all who harm small things become cruel adults; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Bullying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Compunction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compunction/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/) [Tormenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tormenting/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [What is the cause that one is hardened, and another readily moved to compunction? Listen! It springs from the will, in the latter case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/symeon-the-new-theologian/what-is-the-cause-that-one-is-hardened-and-another-readily-moved-to/) [Symeon the New Theologian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/symeon-the-new-theologian/) > [As the cleansing ocean closes over bin Laden's carcass, may the earth lie lightly on the countless graves of those he sentenced without compunction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/as-the-cleansing-ocean-closes-over-bin-laden-s-carcass-may-the-earth/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It is strange how in some things honest people can be dishonest without the slightest compunction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/it-is-strange-how-in-some-things-honest-people-can-be-dishonest/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [I have never forgotten how the deprivation of work erodes human beings, those not working and those related to them. And from that time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-schiller/i-have-never-forgotten-how-the-deprivation-of-work-erodes-human/) [Herbert Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-schiller/) > [I say if black people don't unite and begin to support themselves, their communities and their families, they might as well begin to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/i-say-if-black-people-don-t-unite-and-begin-to-support-themselves/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [Cruelty is no more the cure of crimes than it is the cure of sufferings; compassion, in the first instance, is good for both;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/cruelty-is-no-more-the-cure-of-crimes-than-it-is-the-cure-of/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [If my work is pornography, so what? I don't have any moral compunction about pornography. Any feelings I have about it are purely stylistic...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/if-my-work-is-pornography-so-what-i-don-t-have-any-moral-compunction/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [Prayer is not eloquence but earnestness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/prayer-is-not-eloquence-but-earnestness/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [The rat had no morals, no conscience, no scruples, no consideration, no decency, no milk of rodent kindness, no compunctions, no higher feeling, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-rat-had-no-morals-no-conscience-no-scruples-no-consideration-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The industrial mind is a mind without compunction; it simply accepts that people, ultimately, will be treated as things and that things, ultimately, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-industrial-mind-is-a-mind-without-compunction-it-simply-accepts/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but earnestness of soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/prayer-is-not-eloquence-but-earnestness-not-the-definition-of/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [I've spent my entire adult life with the United States as a superpower and one that had no compunction about spending what it took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-ve-spent-my-entire-adult-life-with-the-united-states-as-a/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I am not your God. Or if I am, I'm no God you can seek out for deliverance or explanation. I'm the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/i-am-not-your-god-or-if-i-am-i-m-no-god-you-can-seek-out-for/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [Quick question. Does this magical skill with gray matter come with a total lack of compunction for your kind, or is it just you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/quick-question-does-this-magical-skill-with-gray-matter-come-with-a/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Once you've seen certain things, the moral compunction drives you to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/once-you-ve-seen-certain-things-the-moral-compunction-drives-you-to/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) ## More by Laetitia Pilkington > [when a swinging sin is to be committed, there is nothing like a gown and a cassock to cover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/when-a-swinging-sin-is-to-be-committed-there-is-nothing-like-a-gown/) [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) > [Is it not monstrous that our seducers should be our accusers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/is-it-not-monstrous-that-our-seducers-should-be-our-accusers/) [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) > [by the general love of scandal and detraction in Dublin, one might reasonably imagine they were all to feed themselves through the holes which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/by-the-general-love-of-scandal-and-detraction-in-dublin-one-might/) [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) > [I was most incorrigibly devoted to versifying, and all my spouse's wholesome admonitions had no manner of effect on me; in short, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/i-was-most-incorrigibly-devoted-to-versifying-and-all-my-spouse-s/) [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) > [Reputation ... is as often gained without merit as lost without a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/reputation-is-as-often-gained-without-merit-as-lost-without-a-crime/) [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) > [A third volume of Memoirs is really a bold undertaking ... I cannot, like a certain female writer, say, I hope if I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/a-third-volume-of-memoirs-is-really-a-bold-undertaking-i-cannot-like/) [Laetitia Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) [Explore all 7 Laetitia Pilkington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/) ## More Agony quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/) [John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/) [Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/) > [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [Pay special attention to their agony so I might take some pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/pay-special-attention-to-their-agony-so-i-might-take-some-pleasure/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) [Browse all 813 Agony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The child who is permitted to torment, or destroy, the minutest object in creation, who will wantonly tread upon a worm, or unhumanly pass a pin through the body of a fly, will in all probabiilty, as he increases in years, feel no more compunction at tormenting a fellow-creature, than he did in witnessing the wreathing agonies of a fly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laetitia Pilkington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or-destroy-the-minutest-object/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or-destroy-the-minutest-object/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/laetitia-pilkington-50348_agony_the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or_2044142.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The child who is permitted to torment, or destroy, the minutest object in creation, who will wantonly tread…” — Laetitia Pilkington", "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": "Laetitia Pilkington", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-pilkington/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The child who is permitted to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or-destroy-the-minutest-object/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-pilkington/the-child-who-is-permitted-to-torment-or-destroy-the-minutest-object/#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 } } ] } ```