--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You'd never get Burle to behave decently…" description: "\"“You'd never get Burle to behave decently. When a man sank as low as that, the only thing to do was to throw a spadeful of mud over him and get rid of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/mile-zola-1188_beggar_you-d-never-get-burle-to-behave-decently_492644.jpg" --- # You'd never get Burle to behave decently. When a man sank… ![“You'd never get Burle to behave decently. When a man sank as low as that, the only thing to do was to throw a spadeful of mud over him and get rid of him like the rotting carcass of some poisonous beast. And even if you shoved his nose in his own shit, he'd only start again the next day and end up…” quote by Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/mile-zola-1188_beggar_you-d-never-get-burle-to-behave-decently_492644.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/mile-zola-1188_beggar_you-d-never-get-burle-to-behave-decently_492644.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/mile-zola-1188_beggar_you-d-never-get-burle-to-behave-decently_492644.jpg) > ““You'd never get Burle to behave decently. When a man sank as low as that, the only thing to do was to throw a spadeful of mud over him and get rid of him like the rotting carcass of some poisonous beast. And even if you shoved his nose in his own shit, he'd only start again the next day and end up stealing a few sous to buy sticks of barley sugar for lice-ridden little beggar-girls.”” [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A corrupt, desperate man is judged as irredeemable, prompting harsh, dehumanizing treatment that fails to change his behavior. **In simple terms:** A bad person is seen as beyond help, so people treat him cruelly. Key Takeaway Compassion beats cruelty; seek reform over punishment. Themes poverty corruption dehumanization justice Mood somber critical reflective Type literary social commentary cautionary When to use this quote - prison reform - social work - community aid - rehabilitation programs Key Concepts social realism morality human dignity Questions to Reflect On - Can cruelty ever truly reform a person? - What alternatives could break the cycle of desperation? A Different Perspective Harsh punishment often reinforces cycles of crime rather than ending them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depravity/) ## Related quotes > [“And at last, in its curved and imperceptible fall, the sun sank low, and from glowing white changed to a dull red without rays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/and-at-last-in-its-curved-and-imperceptible-fall-the-sun-sank-low-and/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Even when it's not the best of days, you can always tell yourself, hey, at least I'm not the person who sank a $570…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/even-when-it-s-not-the-best-of-days-you-can-always-tell-yourself-hey/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [“Fear swallowed her, deep and dark as the ocean and she sank into it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-slovin/fear-swallowed-her-deep-and-dark-as-the-ocean-and-she-sank-into-it/) [Abby Slovin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-slovin/) > [You left...and I sank. You graduated...and I drank. You said you loved me...was that a prank?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-thompson/you-left-and-i-sank-you-graduated-and-i-drank-you-said-you-loved-me/) Jacob Thompson > [I went down to the river, I set down on the bank. I tried to think but couldn't, So I jumped in and sank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/i-went-down-to-the-river-i-set-down-on-the-bank-i-tried-to-think-but/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [“Chaol sank to his knees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas-2/chaol-sank-to-his-knees/) [Sarah J Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas-2/) > [“My ship came in,then it sank!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-t-shirley/my-ship-came-in-then-it-sank/) Brian T. Shirley > [“I sank back, deeper into the parallel universe I had found.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-sudjic/i-sank-back-deeper-into-the-parallel-universe-i-had-found/) [Olivia Sudjic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-sudjic/) > [“Then his head sank to the floor of its own accord and from his nostrils came the last faint flicker of his breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/then-his-head-sank-to-the-floor-of-its-own-accord-and-from-his/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Japanese-owned cargo ship Tsimtsum, flying Panamanian flag, sank July 2nd, 1977, in Pacific, four days out of Manila. Am in lifeboat. Pi Patel my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/japanese-owned-cargo-ship-tsimtsum-flying-panamanian-flag-sank-july/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Shallan sat down on the plush, white bed, and sank almost down to her neck. What had they made the thing out of? Air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/shallan-sat-down-on-the-plush-white-bed-and-sank-almost-down-to-her/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [It was involuntary. They sank my boat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/it-was-involuntary-they-sank-my-boat/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Too many regrets. Lost chances—and with each one passing the less human we all became, and the deeper into the nightmare of power we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/too-many-regrets-lost-chances-and-with-each-one-passing-the-less/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [“A trouble - nothing as beautiful as a sorrow - rose to the surface of his mind, displayed its ungainliness and sank. Its precise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-morgan-forster/a-trouble-nothing-as-beautiful-as-a-sorrow-rose-to-the-surface-of-his/) Edward Morgan Forster > [No voice; but oh - the silence sank Like music on my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-voice-but-oh-the-silence-sank-like-music-on-my-heart/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) ## More by Émile Zola > [“Hélène, her eyes once more raised and remote, was deep in a dream. She was Lady Rowena, she was in love, with the deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/h-l-ne-her-eyes-once-more-raised-and-remote-was-deep-in-a-dream-she/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [The vague torment of ... ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/the-vague-torment-of-ambition/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [How evil life must be if it were indeed necessary that such imploring cries, such cries of physical and moral wretchedness, should ever and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/how-evil-life-must-be-if-it-were-indeed-necessary-that-such-imploring/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“he was carried aloft, for the moment, on one of those great waves of hope from which he was usually plunged deep into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/he-was-carried-aloft-for-the-moment-on-one-of-those-great-waves-of/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“Death had to take her little by little, bit by bit, dragging her along to the bitter end of the miserable existence she'd made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/death-had-to-take-her-little-by-little-bit-by-bit-dragging-her-along/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [If something's just, I'll let myself be hacked to bits for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/if-something-s-just-i-ll-let-myself-be-hacked-to-bits-for-it/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“Lastly, I accuse the first court-martial of having violated the law by condemning an accused person on one document kept secret, and I accuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/lastly-i-accuse-the-first-court-martial-of-having-violated-the-law-by/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“vexation, yet filled with unconscious regret for the terrible unknown things that might have, but had not, happened (23)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/vexation-yet-filled-with-unconscious-regret-for-the-terrible-unknown/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“Good gracious!" she exclaimed, "she's been more than an hour in there! When the priests set about cleansing her of her sins, the choir-boys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/good-gracious-she-exclaimed-she-s-been-more-than-an-hour-in-there/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [The only basis for living is believing in life, loving it, and applying the whole force of one's intellect to know it better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/the-only-basis-for-living-is-believing-in-life-loving-it-and-applying/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“A new dynasty is never founded without a struggle. Blood makes good manure. It will be a good thing for the Rougon family to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/a-new-dynasty-is-never-founded-without-a-struggle-blood-makes-good/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [I believe that all is illusion and vanity outside the treasure of truths slowly accumulated, and which will never again be lost. I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/i-believe-that-all-is-illusion-and-vanity-outside-the-treasure-of/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“After a time, she believed in the reality of this comedy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/after-a-time-she-believed-in-the-reality-of-this-comedy/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“She wanted to live, and live fully, and to give life, she who loved life! What was the good of existing, if you couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/she-wanted-to-live-and-live-fully-and-to-give-life-she-who-loved-life/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [The fear of life, the fear of burdens and of duties, of annoyances and of catastrophes! The fear of life, which makes us, through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/the-fear-of-life-the-fear-of-burdens-and-of-duties-of-annoyances-and/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) [Explore all 243 Émile Zola quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) ## More Beggar quotes > [If some beggar steals a bridle he'll be hung by a man who's stolen a horse. There's no surer justice in the world than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peire-cardenal/if-some-beggar-steals-a-bridle-he-ll-be-hung-by-a-man-who-s-stolen-a/) Peire Cardenal > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Why remain polite but powerless, in love but a beggar?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/why-remain-polite-but-powerless-in-love-but-a-beggar/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [Don't be doubtful to your goals or else you will end up your life as a beggar, keep faith on yourself and you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athar-azeem/don-t-be-doubtful-to-your-goals-or-else-you-will-end-up-your-life-as/) [Athar Azeem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athar-azeem/) > [Poets and beggars, musicians and prophets, warriors and scoundrels, all creatures of that unbridled reality, we have had to ask but little of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/poets-and-beggars-musicians-and-prophets-warriors-and-scoundrels-all/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Beggars fear no rebellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/beggars-fear-no-rebellion/) Proverb > [Hurrah for revolution and more cannon-shot! A beggar upon horseback lashes a beggar on foot. Hurrah for revolution and cannon come again! The beggars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/hurrah-for-revolution-and-more-cannon-shot-a-beggar-upon-horseback/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You obviously don't know what an Old Man of the Sea great wealth is. It is not a fat purse and time to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-obviously-don-t-know-what-an-old-man-of-the-sea-great-wealth-is/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Make of the Silence your to-do tasks, of the compassion your wealth and of the meditation your beggar's bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/make-of-the-silence-your-to-do-tasks-of-the-compassion-your-wealth/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [Nobody but a beggar chooses to depend chiefly upon the benevolence of his fellow-citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/nobody-but-a-beggar-chooses-to-depend-chiefly-upon-the-benevolence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [All religions have honored the beggar. For he proves that in a matter at the same time as prosaic and holy, banal and regenerative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-religions-have-honored-the-beggar-for-he-proves-that-in-a-matter/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [I'll not meddle with it. It makes a man a coward: a man cannot steal but it accuseth him; a man cannot swear but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-ll-not-meddle-with-it-it-makes-a-man-a-coward-a-man-cannot-steal/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A beggar through the world am I, From place to place I wander by. Fill up my pilgrim's scrip for me, For Christ's sweet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/a-beggar-through-the-world-am-i-from-place-to-place-i-wander-by-fill/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [The bashful beggar has an empty purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cranch-bond/the-bashful-beggar-has-an-empty-purse/) [William Cranch Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cranch-bond/) > [“A coin is examined, and only after careful deliberation, given to a beggar, whereas a child is flung out into the cosmic brutality without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/a-coin-is-examined-and-only-after-careful-deliberation-given-to-a/) [Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/) Browse all 455 Beggar quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You'd never get Burle to behave decently. When a man sank as low as that, the only thing to do was to throw a spadeful of mud over him and get rid of him like the rotting carcass of some poisonous beast. 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