--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cruelty, whether physical or emotional…" description: "\"“Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't normal. It may signal what psychologists call the dark triad of psychopathic, narcissistic and Machiavel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png" --- # Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't normal. It… ![“Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't normal. It may signal what psychologists call the dark triad of psychopathic, narcissistic and Machiavellian personality disorders. One out of about every 25 individuals has an antisocial personality disorder. Their prognosis for recovery is zero…” quote by Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png) > ““Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't normal. It may signal what psychologists call the dark triad of psychopathic, narcissistic and Machiavellian personality disorders. One out of about every 25 individuals has an antisocial personality disorder. Their prognosis for recovery is zero, their potential for hurting you about 100 percent. So don't assume that a vicious person just had a difficult childhood or a terrible day; most people with awful childhoods end up being empathetic, and most people, even on their worst days, don't seek satisfaction by inflicting pain. When you witness evil, if only the tawdry evil of a conversational stiletto twist, use your ninjutsu, wait for a distraction, then disappear.”” [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cruelty often signals deep personality disorders, not just bad experiences, and such individuals rarely change. **In simple terms:** Cruelty can indicate dangerous personality traits. Key Takeaway Recognize and avoid toxic people. Themes psychology danger personality avoidance Mood cautious alert serious Type warning advice When to use this quote - workplace - personal relationships - online interactions - conflict resolution Key Concepts dark triad antisocial disorder psychopathy Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect yourself from manipulative individuals? - What signs indicate a deeper personality disorder? A Different Perspective Not all harmful behavior stems from trauma; some people are inherently harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-childhood/) [Personality disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality-disorder/) [Terrible day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-day/) ## Related quotes > [“I think there should be tribunals for social cruelty as there are for physical assault. Calculated cuts in the first degree. Snobicide or its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/i-think-there-should-be-tribunals-for-social-cruelty-as-there-are-for/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [“Wikipedia says I have Antisocial Personality Disorder, which is dumb, because I'm all kids of social--I love society, society is like the ocean to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-geillor/wikipedia-says-i-have-antisocial-personality-disorder-which-is-dumb/) [Harrison Geillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-geillor/) > [“Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is defined as "a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-dutton/antisocial-personality-disorder-aspd-is-defined-as-a-pervasive/) [Kevin Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-dutton/) > [ “The Antisocial Personality \[This type of personality\] cannot feel any sense of remorse or shame. They approve only of destructive actions. They appear quite… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-antisocial-personality-this-type-of-personality-cannot-feel-any/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [People with antisocial personality disorders aren't automatically bad - they simply approach the world with a more ruthless set of lenses. The lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-robinson/people-with-antisocial-personality-disorders-aren-t-automatically-bad/) [Eden Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-robinson/) > [“Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors… deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases or conning others for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cannon-gibney/failure-to-conform-to-social-norms-with-respect-to-lawful-behaviors/) [Bruce Cannon Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cannon-gibney/) > [Its claimed Macaulay Culkins health problems are linked to a difficult childhood. No sh1t. His parents forgot to take him on holiday 4 times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/its-claimed-macaulay-culkins-health-problems-are-linked-to-a/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [My childhood was very difficult. I had every childhood disease and then some, but my parents didn't mollycoddle me. They left me to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/my-childhood-was-very-difficult-i-had-every-childhood-disease-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Artemis women often have difficult childhoods. She's the kid who seeks comfort in the woods, or animals, or books. If trapped in an authoritarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-musk/artemis-women-often-have-difficult-childhoods-she-s-the-kid-who-seeks/) [Justine Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-musk/) > [My mother had a very difficult childhood, having seen her own mother kill herself. So she didnt always know how to be the nurturing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-mother-had-a-very-difficult-childhood-having-seen-her-own-mother/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I could bring the difficult childhood card but that would be a lie because I had the most decent example of a good childhood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lunga-no-lia-izata/i-could-bring-the-difficult-childhood-card-but-that-would-be-a-lie/) [Lunga Noélia Izata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lunga-no-lia-izata/) > [I had been riding horses before my memory kicked in, so my life with horses had no beginning. It simply appeared from the fog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-roberts/i-had-been-riding-horses-before-my-memory-kicked-in-so-my-life-with/) [Monty Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-roberts/) > [I had difficult mother, difficult childhood like she had. She is Sagittarius like I am. I almost died from broken heart because of love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-had-difficult-mother-difficult-childhood-like-she-had-she-is/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I had a difficult childhood. I had lots of anxiety and questions. I found the world scary and intimidating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabel/i-had-a-difficult-childhood-i-had-lots-of-anxiety-and-questions-i/) [Mabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabel/) > [I had a pretty difficult childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wissam-ben-yedder/i-had-a-pretty-difficult-childhood/) [Wissam Ben Yedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wissam-ben-yedder/) ## More by Martha Beck > [Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagine-what-you-d-do-if-it-absolutely-didn-t-matter-what-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [If I tell a man he needs to quit his soul-sucking job, he has to go home and fight with his wife or fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/if-i-tell-a-man-he-needs-to-quit-his-soul-sucking-job-he-has-to-go/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I was learning to track rhinoceroses in Africa and tracked right up on an animal that really I thought was going to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-was-learning-to-track-rhinoceroses-in-africa-and-tracked-right-up/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [There has never been, and never will be, anyone who sees, thinks, or responds exactly the way you do. Whether you’re revolutionizing physics or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/there-has-never-been-and-never-will-be-anyone-who-sees-thinks-or/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/loneliness-is-proof-that-your-innate-search-for-connection-is-intact/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Most of my clients don't realize that the way they look and the way they think about their looks are two separate issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/most-of-my-clients-don-t-realize-that-the-way-they-look-and-the-way/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The power to bring me out of solitude - or to push me back into it - had never belonged to another person. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-power-to-bring-me-out-of-solitude-or-to-push-me-back-into-it-had/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Learning to quit while you're not ahead, when the dull ooze of depression tells you things are not going to get any better, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/learning-to-quit-while-you-re-not-ahead-when-the-dull-ooze-of/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/the-important-thing-is-to-tell-yourself-a-life-story-in-which-you-the/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [A joyful life isn’t about others; it’s about the brightness that is associated with being alive. Your path to it is through anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/a-joyful-life-isn-t-about-others-it-s-about-the-brightness-that-is/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Fear is the raw material from which courage is manufactured. Without it, we wouldn't even know what it means to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/fear-is-the-raw-material-from-which-courage-is-manufactured-without/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Many people think passion is a fuzzy feeling that makes taking action effortless. In fact, it's the gritty courage and tenacity to forge onward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/many-people-think-passion-is-a-fuzzy-feeling-that-makes-taking-action/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Angels come in many shapes and sizes, and most of them are not invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/angels-come-in-many-shapes-and-sizes-and-most-of-them-are-not/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Truth itself is something you live, not something you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/truth-itself-is-something-you-live-not-something-you-think/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) [Explore all 318 Martha Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) ## More Difficult childhood quotes > [I had a pretty difficult childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wissam-ben-yedder/i-had-a-pretty-difficult-childhood/) [Wissam Ben Yedder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wissam-ben-yedder/) > [I had a difficult childhood. I had lots of anxiety and questions. I found the world scary and intimidating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabel/i-had-a-difficult-childhood-i-had-lots-of-anxiety-and-questions-i/) [Mabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabel/) > [I had difficult mother, difficult childhood like she had. She is Sagittarius like I am. I almost died from broken heart because of love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-had-difficult-mother-difficult-childhood-like-she-had-she-is/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [I had been riding horses before my memory kicked in, so my life with horses had no beginning. It simply appeared from the fog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-roberts/i-had-been-riding-horses-before-my-memory-kicked-in-so-my-life-with/) [Monty Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-roberts/) > [My childhood was very difficult. I had every childhood disease and then some, but my parents didn't mollycoddle me. They left me to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/my-childhood-was-very-difficult-i-had-every-childhood-disease-and/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Its claimed Macaulay Culkins health problems are linked to a difficult childhood. No sh1t. His parents forgot to take him on holiday 4 times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/its-claimed-macaulay-culkins-health-problems-are-linked-to-a/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [Artemis women often have difficult childhoods. She's the kid who seeks comfort in the woods, or animals, or books. If trapped in an authoritarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-musk/artemis-women-often-have-difficult-childhoods-she-s-the-kid-who-seeks/) [Justine Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-musk/) > [My mother had a very difficult childhood, having seen her own mother kill herself. So she didnt always know how to be the nurturing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-mother-had-a-very-difficult-childhood-having-seen-her-own-mother/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I could bring the difficult childhood card but that would be a lie because I had the most decent example of a good childhood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lunga-no-lia-izata/i-could-bring-the-difficult-childhood-card-but-that-would-be-a-lie/) [Lunga Noélia Izata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lunga-no-lia-izata/) > [“Caddy came home on Friday evening. Perfectly Harmless Patrick brought her in his battered old car... "Crikey, Caddy!" said Indigo, and he disappeared upstairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mckay/caddy-came-home-on-friday-evening-perfectly-harmless-patrick-brought/) [Hilary McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mckay/) > [My childhood was very difficult. I had every childhood disease and then some, but my parents didnt mollycoddle me. They left me to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/my-childhood-was-very-difficult-i-had-every-childhood-disease-and-2/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Most of us are conditioned by the idea that we are responsible for some of our actions, but not all of them. For example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/most-of-us-are-conditioned-by-the-idea-that-we-are-responsible-for/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [Being someone who had had a very difficult childhood, a very difficult adolescence - it had to do with not quite poverty, but close.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/being-someone-who-had-had-a-very-difficult-childhood-a-very-difficult/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [I think I became a gay comedian out of necessity, because what else am I gonna do with that name? And it has worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-rainbow/i-think-i-became-a-gay-comedian-out-of-necessity-because-what-else-am/) [Randy Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-rainbow/) > [I always thought I had a difficult childhood 'til I saw the film 'Angela's Ashes'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-orzabal/i-always-thought-i-had-a-difficult-childhood-til-i-saw-the-film/) [Roland Orzabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-orzabal/) [Browse all 20 Difficult childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-childhood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't normal. It may signal what psychologists call the dark triad of psychopathic, narcissistic and Machiavellian personality disorders. One out of about every 25 individuals has an antisocial personality disorder. Their prognosis for recovery is zero, their potential for hurting you about 100 percent. So don't assume that a vicious person just had a difficult childhood or a terrible day; most people with awful childhoods end up being empathetic, and most people, even on their worst days, don't seek satisfaction by inflicting pain. When you witness evil, if only the tawdry evil of a conversational stiletto twist, use your ninjutsu, wait for a distraction, then disappear.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martha Beck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-isn-t-normal-it-may-signal-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difficult childhood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-isn-t-normal-it-may-signal-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/949/martha-beck-961_difficult-childhood_cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-is_421047.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't normal. It may signal what psychologists call the dark triad…” — Martha Beck", "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": "Martha Beck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Cruelty, whether physical or emotional, isn't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-isn-t-normal-it-may-signal-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/cruelty-whether-physical-or-emotional-isn-t-normal-it-may-signal-what/#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 } } ] } ```