--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A sneer is like a flame; it may…" description: "\"A sneer is like a flame; it may occasionally be curative because it cauterizes, but it leaves a bitter scar.\" — Margaret Deland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png" --- # A sneer is like a flame; it may occasionally be curative… ![“A sneer is like a flame; it may occasionally be curative because it cauterizes, but it leaves a bitter scar.” quote by Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png) > “A sneer is like a flame; it may occasionally be curative because it cauterizes, but it leaves a bitter scar.” [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sneer can temporarily hurt but ultimately leaves lasting emotional damage. **In simple terms:** Insults may feel relieving yet cause lasting pain. Key Takeaway Avoid scornful remarks. Themes communication emotions conflict psychology Mood thoughtful somber Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace feedback - public discourse Key Concepts emotional intelligence social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When is criticism constructive versus destructive? - How can you express critique without lasting scars? A Different Perspective Sometimes harsh criticism can expose truth despite harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) [Bitter Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-scar-4074677/) [Curative Cauterizes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curative-cauterizes-4074680/) [Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Occasionally Curative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasionally-curative-4074679/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar/) [Sneer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sneer/) [Sneer Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sneer-like-4074678/) [Superiority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superiority/) ## Related quotes > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [The press frequently sneers at the hype devoted to a superstar, but the press itself is responsible for all the hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/the-press-frequently-sneers-at-the-hype-devoted-to-a-superstar-but/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [She is not old, she is not young, The Woman with the Serpent's Tongue. The haggard cheek, the hungering eye, The poisoned words that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-watson/she-is-not-old-she-is-not-young-the-woman-with-the-serpent-s-tongue/) [William Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-watson/) > [I, with other Americans, have perhaps unduly resented the stream of criticism of American life... more particularly have I resented the sneers at Main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/i-with-other-americans-have-perhaps-unduly-resented-the-stream-of/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [My general theory since 1971 has been that the word is literally a virus, and that it has not been recognized as such because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/my-general-theory-since-1971-has-been-that-the-word-is-literally-a/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [It is the custom to sneer at the modern apartment-house, television, big-city Christmas, with its commercial taint . . . office parties, artificial .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/it-is-the-custom-to-sneer-at-the-modern-apartment-house-television/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [I have often thought how strange it is that men can at once and the same moment cheerfully consign our sex to lives either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-power-cobbe/i-have-often-thought-how-strange-it-is-that-men-can-at-once-and-the/) [Frances Power Cobbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-power-cobbe/) > [Pastor Veronica told the story of a sparrow lying in the street with its legs straight up in the air, straining. a warhorse walks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/pastor-veronica-told-the-story-of-a-sparrow-lying-in-the-street-with/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I mean, you're right about the fire and war, all that. But that Rapture stuff--well, if you could see them all in Heaven--serried ranks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-mean-you-re-right-about-the-fire-and-war-all-that-but-that-rapture/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [the pyramids were built for pharaohs on the happy theory that they could take their stuff with them. Versailles was built for kings on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-pyramids-were-built-for-pharaohs-on-the-happy-theory-that-they/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [As anyone who has the slightest knowledge of my work knows, I have little in common with Larkin, who was tall, taciturn and thin-on-top,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-duffy/as-anyone-who-has-the-slightest-knowledge-of-my-work-knows-i-have/) [Carol Ann Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-duffy/) > [My sister stood up, trembling, and I must admit that I expected her familiar sneer to have taken its usual place on her face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-lennon/my-sister-stood-up-trembling-and-i-must-admit-that-i-expected-her/) [J. Robert Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-lennon/) > [To be original is to discover the commonplace of a thousand years--to face at first the sneer that no one would have thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-stanley-lee/to-be-original-is-to-discover-the-commonplace-of-a-thousand-years-to/) [Gerald Stanley Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-stanley-lee/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Whatever your work and whatever its worth, No matter how strong or clever, Some one will sneer if you pause to hear, And scoff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/whatever-your-work-and-whatever-its-worth-no-matter-how-strong-or/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) ## More by Margaret Deland > [What I object to in Mother is that she wants me to think her thoughts. Apart from the question of hypocrisy, I prefer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/what-i-object-to-in-mother-is-that-she-wants-me-to-think-her-thoughts/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Age, per se, may claim tenderness and pity, but not respect; that only comes when the years have brought humanity and wisdom and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/age-per-se-may-claim-tenderness-and-pity-but-not-respect-that-only/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [War is wicked, beause it is murder and hate. And it is foolish, because hate and murder can only destroy people's bodies, not change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/war-is-wicked-beause-it-is-murder-and-hate-and-it-is-foolish-because/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [there are few things that are more endearing than the grace of listening with attention; indeed, it is more than endearing, it is impressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/there-are-few-things-that-are-more-endearing-than-the-grace-of/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [the attempt to break a habit of years is necessarily experimental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/the-attempt-to-break-a-habit-of-years-is-necessarily-experimental/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Self-sacrifice which denies common sense is not a virtue. It's a spiritual dissipation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/self-sacrifice-which-denies-common-sense-is-not-a-virtue-it-s-a/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Age, with shamefaced relief, has learned the solvent quality of Time. It is this quality which makes possible the contemplation of certain embarrassing heavenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/age-with-shamefaced-relief-has-learned-the-solvent-quality-of-time-it/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Hearts don't come when Reason whistles to 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/hearts-don-t-come-when-reason-whistles-to-em/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [I have no faith in a human critter who hasn't one or two bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/i-have-no-faith-in-a-human-critter-who-hasn-t-one-or-two-bad-habits/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Isn't there any statute of limitation in things spiritual? I don't believe any large mind dwells on its sins, any more than on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/isn-t-there-any-statute-of-limitation-in-things-spiritual-i-don-t/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [To talk over a quarrel, with its inevitable accompaniment of self-justification, is too much like handling cobwebs to be very successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/to-talk-over-a-quarrel-with-its-inevitable-accompaniment-of-self/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [... some of the things floating about in the Well of Memory are not worth recording.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/some-of-the-things-floating-about-in-the-well-of-memory-are-not-worth/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [... safety that depends on an apron-string is very unsafe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/safety-that-depends-on-an-apron-string-is-very-unsafe/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [a great moment raises most of the people who experience it, to its own level; and that is why they do not always recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/a-great-moment-raises-most-of-the-people-who-experience-it-to-its-own/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Of all the bitter and heavy things in this sorry old world, the not being necessary is the bitterest and heaviest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/of-all-the-bitter-and-heavy-things-in-this-sorry-old-world-the-not/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) [Explore all 87 Margaret Deland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) ## More Bitter quotes > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [One may have been a fool, but there's no foolishness like being bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/one-may-have-been-a-fool-but-there-s-no-foolishness-like-being-bitter/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“I doubt taking in a sullen, bitter, teenage girl with more issues than National Geographic is at the center of the vision board for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-doubt-taking-in-a-sullen-bitter-teenage-girl-with-more-issues-than/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Life is too bitter already, without territories and wars and noble feuds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-too-bitter-already-without-territories-and-wars-and-noble/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [“Without the bitter, the sweet ain’t as sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-the-bitter-the-sweet-ain-t-as-sweet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I refuse to be one of those artists who, 10 years from now, they're bitter about the rise and the fall of their career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-refuse-to-be-one-of-those-artists-who-10-years-from-now-they-re/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [“In these days in which we live, when existence has become a thing of infinite complexity and fate, if it slips us a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/in-these-days-in-which-we-live-when-existence-has-become-a-thing-of/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) [Browse all 1,923 Bitter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A sneer is like a flame; it may occasionally be curative because it cauterizes, but it leaves a bitter scar.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Deland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasionally-be-curative-because-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bitter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasionally-be-curative-because-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/margaret-deland-7843_bitter_a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasiona_471560.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A sneer is like a flame; it may occasionally be curative because it cauterizes, but it leaves a bitter scar.” — Margaret Deland", "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": "Margaret Deland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A sneer is like a flame;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasionally-be-curative-because-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/a-sneer-is-like-a-flame-it-may-occasionally-be-curative-because-it/#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 } } ] } ```