--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What people loathe the most is to be…" description: "\"What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.\" — Laozi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/laozi-147_cruel_what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orp_45499.jpg" --- # What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate… ![“What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.” quote by Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/laozi-147_cruel_what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orp_45499.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/laozi-147_cruel_what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orp_45499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/025/laozi-147_cruel_what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orp_45499.jpg) > “What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.” [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights the paradox that those in power often feel isolated and inadequate, despite their status. **In simple terms:** Power can breed loneliness. Key Takeaway Authority doesn't guarantee fulfillment. Themes paradox power loneliness identity status Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical proverb When to use this quote - leadership isolation - royal duty - executive burnout - political alienation Key Concepts social hierarchy self-perception existential angst Practical Applications - counseling for leaders - organizational culture assessments Questions to Reflect On - How does power affect personal identity? - Can authority shield one from existential dread? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Taoism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taoism/) ## Related quotes > [The majority of the common people loathe war and pray for peace; only a handful of individuals, whose evil joys depend on general misery,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/the-majority-of-the-common-people-loathe-war-and-pray-for-peace-only/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [“But then, people always loathe those they have wronged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-horsley/but-then-people-always-loathe-those-they-have-wronged/) [Sebastian Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-horsley/) > [Try to dwell on the people you'd like to love, instead of all the people you do loathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-brass/try-to-dwell-on-the-people-you-d-like-to-love-instead-of-all-the/) [Perry Brass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-brass/) > [“People loathe the idea of destruction, particularly when it is the destruction of property or of life one is talking about (Destruction of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukta-singh-zocchi/people-loathe-the-idea-of-destruction-particularly-when-it-is-the/) Mukta Singh-Zocchi > [Supreme good is like water. Water greatly benefits all things, without conflict. It flows through places that people loathe. Thereby it is close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/supreme-good-is-like-water-water-greatly-benefits-all-things-without/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [ I expected the unexpected and went \[on the Moon\] with an open mind. I think the visual scene was described by my words on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-expected-the-unexpected-and-went-on-the-moon-with-an-open-mind-i/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [Leaves like rusty tin for the desolate mind that has seen the end- the barest glimmerings. Leaves aswirl with gulls made wild by winter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgos-seferis/leaves-like-rusty-tin-for-the-desolate-mind-that-has-seen-the-end-the/) [Giorgos Seferis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgos-seferis/) > [He who abhors and shuns the light of the Sun,He who refuses to behold with respect the living creation of God,He who leads the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoroaster/he-who-abhors-and-shuns-the-light-of-the-sun-he-who-refuses-to-behold/) [Zoroaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoroaster/) > [“That’s a stupid name! Whirly-gig is much better, I think. Who in their right mind would point at this thing and say, ‘I’m going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/that-s-a-stupid-name-whirly-gig-is-much-better-i-think-who-in-their/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [And really, the reason we think of death in celestial terms is that the visible firmament, especially at night (above our blacked-out Paris with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-really-the-reason-we-think-of-death-in-celestial-terms-is-that/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [We live in an era where masses of people come and go across a hostile planet, desolate and violent. Refugees, emigrants, exiles, deportees. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/we-live-in-an-era-where-masses-of-people-come-and-go-across-a-hostile/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Call me crazy, but there is something terribly wrong with this city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-reese-maher/call-me-crazy-but-there-is-something-terribly-wrong-with-this-city/) [Nathan Reese Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-reese-maher/) > [At a time when it's possible for thirty people to stand on the top of Everest in one day, Antarctica still remains a remote,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/at-a-time-when-it-s-possible-for-thirty-people-to-stand-on-the-top-of/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Spirit of BEAUTY, that dost consecrate With thine own hues all thou dost shine upon Of human thought or form, where art thou gone?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/spirit-of-beauty-that-dost-consecrate-with-thine-own-hues-all-thou/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) ## More by Laozi > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In lightness the root is lost. In haste the ruler is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-lightness-the-root-is-lost-in-haste-the-ruler-is-lost/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If the sage wants to stand above people, he must speak to them from below. If he wants to lead people, he must follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-the-sage-wants-to-stand-above-people-he-must-speak-to-them-from/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Goodie-goodies are the thieves of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/goodie-goodies-are-the-thieves-of-virtue/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [He that humbles himself shall be preserved entire. He that bends shall be made straight. He that is empty shall be filled. He that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-that-humbles-himself-shall-be-preserved-entire-he-that-bends-shall/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-way-of-the-sage-is-to-act-but-not-to-compete/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Do nondoing, strive for nonstriving, savor the flavorless, regard the small as important, make much of little, repay enmity with virtue; plan for difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/do-nondoing-strive-for-nonstriving-savor-the-flavorless-regard-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Without looking through the window, you can see Heaven's Way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/without-looking-through-the-window-you-can-see-heaven-s-way/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [What's the difference between beautiful and ugly?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-s-the-difference-between-beautiful-and-ugly/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In stillness the muddied water returns to clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-stillness-the-muddied-water-returns-to-clarity/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [He (the sage) is good to those who are good. He is also good to those who are not good. That is the virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-the-sage-is-good-to-those-who-are-good-he-is-also-good-to-those/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [There is a thing inherent and natural which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, It stands alone and never changes; It pervades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/there-is-a-thing-inherent-and-natural-which-existed-before-heaven-and/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Explore all 1,140 Laozi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) Keith Thompson > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. 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. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) Katie D. Anderson > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. 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/) > [If I can be cruel; I'm not a big fan of the Audi R8, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/if-i-can-be-cruel-i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-the-audi-r8-actually/) [Richard Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/) Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. 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