--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With a little time, and a little more…" description: "\"With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to see both ourselves and our enemies in humbler profiles. We are not really as innocent as we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/lewis-b-smedes-4850_easier_with-a-little-time-and-a-little-more-ins_1815668.png" --- # With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to… ![“With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to see both ourselves and our enemies in humbler profiles. We are not really as innocent as we felt when we were first hurt. And we do not usually have a gigantic monster to forgive; we have a weak, needy, and somewhat stupid human being…” quote by Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/lewis-b-smedes-4850_easier_with-a-little-time-and-a-little-more-ins_1815668.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/lewis-b-smedes-4850_easier_with-a-little-time-and-a-little-more-ins_1815668.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/lewis-b-smedes-4850_easier_with-a-little-time-and-a-little-more-ins_1815668.png) > “With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to see both ourselves and our enemies in humbler profiles. We are not really as innocent as we felt when we were first hurt. And we do not usually have a gigantic monster to forgive; we have a weak, needy, and somewhat stupid human being. When you see your enemy and yourself in the weakness and silliness of the humanity you share, you will make the miracle of forgiving a little easier.” [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing enemies as flawed humans reveals shared vulnerability, making forgiveness more attainable. **In simple terms:** Recognize shared humanity to ease forgiveness. Key Takeaway View enemies as imperfect humans. Themes forgiveness empathy self‑awareness Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal healing - relationship repair - team dynamics Key Concepts human frailty shared vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice empathy toward someone who hurt you? - What steps help you see your own flaws in conflict? A Different Perspective Forgiveness can be hard when pain is deep; empathy may not always arise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Enemies Humbler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-humbler-2151079/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/) [Forgive Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-weak-2151077/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Little time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-time/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Monster Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster-forgive-2151078/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Needy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needy/) [Profile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profile/) [Share](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/share/) [Silliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silliness/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [It is more easy to forgive the weak who have injured us than the powerful whom we have injured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-more-easy-to-forgive-the-weak-who-have-injured-us-than-the/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Forgive and forget, and don't hold grudges, because those who hold grudges are immature, those who never forgive are weak, and those who accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-johnson/forgive-and-forget-and-don-t-hold-grudges-because-those-who-hold/) [Alex Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-johnson/) > [If you cannot free people from their wrongs and see them as the needy people they are, you enslave yourself to your own painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/if-you-cannot-free-people-from-their-wrongs-and-see-them-as-the-needy/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [I learned about what I love. Imagination, deep friendship, animals, family, the natural world, ideas and ideals ... and silliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-learned-about-what-i-love-imagination-deep-friendship-animals/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Never stay up on the barren heights of cleverness, but come down into the green valleys of silliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/never-stay-up-on-the-barren-heights-of-cleverness-but-come-down-into/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Men insist that they don't mind women succeeding so long as they retain their "femininity". Yet the qualities that men consider "feminine" - timidity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gould-davis/men-insist-that-they-don-t-mind-women-succeeding-so-long-as-they/) [Elizabeth Gould Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gould-davis/) > [The inspiration comes from everywhere, from what I grew up with. There's so much silliness and nonsense in the world that we regard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/the-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere-from-what-i-grew-up-with-there/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [The silliness-much of which is clearly intentional-is blended with some genuine grandeur. The Pixar touch is evident in the precision of the visual detail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-scott/the-silliness-much-of-which-is-clearly-intentional-is-blended-with/) [A. O. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-o-scott/) > [ I think \[director\] Malcolm Lee is a real master at being able to make you laugh while bringing serious subject-matter, so the movie doesn't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-think-director-malcolm-lee-is-a-real-master-at-being-able-to-make/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [It's not all silliness, as interactive SXSW is filled with aggressive learning, discussing, and a whole lot of futurizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/it-s-not-all-silliness-as-interactive-sxsw-is-filled-with-aggressive/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [“Where did you find construction guys swapping dirty jokes in proto-Númenorean?” Aura asked. “On construction sites. Is that coffee ready?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/where-did-you-find-construction-guys-swapping-dirty-jokes-in-proto-n/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [The amount of silliness that happens to me is insane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seales/the-amount-of-silliness-that-happens-to-me-is-insane/) [Amanda Seales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seales/) > [You can't just boss bacteria around like that," said the younger Mrs. Hempstock. "They don't like it." "Stuff and silliness," said the old lady.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-t-just-boss-bacteria-around-like-that-said-the-younger-mrs/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The world is full of vulgar Purists, who bring discredit on all selection by the silliness of their choice; and this the more, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-world-is-full-of-vulgar-purists-who-bring-discredit-on-all/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) ## More by Lewis B. Smedes > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [...Forgiving is not having to understand. Understanding may come later, in fragments, an insight here and a glimpse there, after forgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-is-not-having-to-understand-understanding-may-come-later-in/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The God who has the whole world in his hands has grace for the whole world in his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/the-god-who-has-the-whole-world-in-his-hands-has-grace-for-the-whole/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Nobody sees reality whole; we all need others to show us the parts of it that they see better than we do. Nobody sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nobody-sees-reality-whole-we-all-need-others-to-show-us-the-parts-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [I have discovered that most people who tell me that they cannot forgive a person who wronged them are handicapped by a mistaken understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/i-have-discovered-that-most-people-who-tell-me-that-they-cannot/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Spoken forgiveness, no matter how heartfelt, works best when we do not demand the response we want. I mean that when we tell people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/spoken-forgiveness-no-matter-how-heartfelt-works-best-when-we-do-not/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-does-not-erase-the-bitter-past-a-healed-memory-is-not-a/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [We feel properly embarrassed when we are caught doing something that makes us look inept, knuckleheaded, or inappropriate. Maybe the difference is this: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/we-feel-properly-embarrassed-when-we-are-caught-doing-something-that/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-does-not-erase-the-bitter-past-a-healed-memory-is-not-a-2/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [When I feel the joy of receiving a gift my heart nudges me to join creation's ballet, the airy dance of giving and receiving,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/when-i-feel-the-joy-of-receiving-a-gift-my-heart-nudges-me-to-join/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Our sense of fairness tells us that people should pay for the wrong they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/our-sense-of-fairness-tells-us-that-people-should-pay-for-the-wrong/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Gratitude is the best feeling I would ever have, the ultimate joy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/gratitude-is-the-best-feeling-i-would-ever-have-the-ultimate-joy-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [My father was only thirty-one when he died of a heart attack, much too young for a father to die and leave his young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/my-father-was-only-thirty-one-when-he-died-of-a-heart-attack-much-too/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The only way to heal the pain which will not heal itself is to forgive the person who hurt you. Forgiveness heals the memory's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/the-only-way-to-heal-the-pain-which-will-not-heal-itself-is-to/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [If you cannot free people from their wrongs and see them as the needy people they are, you enslave yourself to your own painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/if-you-cannot-free-people-from-their-wrongs-and-see-them-as-the-needy/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) [Explore all 106 Lewis B. Smedes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) ## More Easier quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) [Roger Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-sperry/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It's funny, everything is so much easier when you do it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/it-s-funny-everything-is-so-much-easier-when-you-do-it-yourself/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/) [Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/) > [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-know-it-is-easier-said-than-done-but-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) [Browse all 5,480 Easier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "With a little time, and a little more insight, we begin to see both ourselves and our enemies in humbler profiles. We are not really as innocent as we felt when we were first hurt. And we do not usually have a gigantic monster to forgive; we have a weak, needy, and somewhat stupid human being. When you see your enemy and yourself in the weakness and silliness of the humanity you share, you will make the miracle of forgiving a little easier.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lewis B. 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