--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is only after one is in trouble that…" description: "\"It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how little sympathy and kindness there are in the world.\" — Nellie Bly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg" --- # It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how… ![“It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how little sympathy and kindness there are in the world.” quote by Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg) > “It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how little sympathy and kindness there are in the world.” [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In crisis, people notice the scarcity of genuine compassion and empathy around them. **In simple terms:** Trouble reveals lack of kindness. Key Takeaway Recognize and cultivate kindness in yourself. Themes empathy compassion human nature Mood reflective somber Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - personal hardship - community support - volunteering - mental health awareness Key Concepts psychology social behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can you offer kindness when you feel vulnerable? - What small acts can counteract widespread indifference? A Different Perspective Even in trouble, some people still act kindly; not all lack sympathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Little Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-sympathy-2065742/) [Realizes Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizes-little-2046646/) [Sympathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathy/) [Sympathy Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sympathy-kindness-3652587/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [My feelings about men are the result of my experience. I have little sympathy for them. Like a Jew just released from Dachau, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/my-feelings-about-men-are-the-result-of-my-experience-i-have-little/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/no-one-has-yet-realized-the-wealth-of-sympathy-the-kindness-and/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [“sometimes I wish I would just disappear into thin air, leave the pain and the misery of this cold hearted world,I wonder who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashmir-foley/sometimes-i-wish-i-would-just-disappear-into-thin-air-leave-the-pain/) [Kashmir Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kashmir-foley/) > [The more one gardens, the more one learns; And the more one learns, the more one realizes how little one knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/the-more-one-gardens-the-more-one-learns-and-the-more-one-learns-the/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [One never realizes how much and how little he knows until he starts talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/one-never-realizes-how-much-and-how-little-he-knows-until-he-starts/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [as one grows older, one realizes how little one knows about any relationship, or even about oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/as-one-grows-older-one-realizes-how-little-one-knows-about-any/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [“Sympathy is imagining the pain. Empathy is having suffered through it first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/sympathy-is-imagining-the-pain-empathy-is-having-suffered-through-it/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“I remember talking once on this subject to one of the most beautiful personalities I have ever known: a woman, whose sympathy and noble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-remember-talking-once-on-this-subject-to-one-of-the-most-beautiful/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [In all disappointments sympathy is a great balm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-all-disappointments-sympathy-is-a-great-balm/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“George's hand lifted and fell away again. It seemed an insult to imply that anything so small as a touch could stop the raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mette-ivie-harrison/george-s-hand-lifted-and-fell-away-again-it-seemed-an-insult-to-imply/) [Mette Ivie Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mette-ivie-harrison/) > [Extremist perspectives win sympathy and recruits because they offer narratives that claim to identify deep injustices and enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-gahr-store/extremist-perspectives-win-sympathy-and-recruits-because-they-offer/) [Jonas Gahr Store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-gahr-store/) > [When you lose a person you love so much, surviving the loss is difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristiano-ronaldo/when-you-lose-a-person-you-love-so-much-surviving-the-loss-is/) [Cristiano Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristiano-ronaldo/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [“If it makes you feel any better, he’s been all sad doll lately too.” “What are you talking about, Chels?” Chelsea stopped walking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/if-it-makes-you-feel-any-better-he-s-been-all-sad-doll-lately-too/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) ## More by Nellie Bly > [“Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/energy-rightly-applied-and-directed-will-accomplish-anything/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > ['IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO DO IT,' WAS THE TERRIBLE VERDICT. 'IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU ARE A WOMAN AND WOULD NEED A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/it-is-impossible-for-you-to-do-it-was-the-terrible-verdict-in-the/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > ['VERY WELL,' I SAID ANGRILY, 'START THE MAN, AND I'LL START THE SAME DAY FOR SOME OTHER NEWSPAPER AND BEAT HIM.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/very-well-i-said-angrily-start-the-man-and-i-ll-start-the-same-day/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [I have watched patients stand and gaze longingly toward the city they in all likelihood will never enter again. It means liberty and life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-have-watched-patients-stand-and-gaze-longingly-toward-the-city-they/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [I had, toward the last, been shut off from all visitors, and so when the lawyer, Peter A. Hendricks, came and told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-toward-the-last-been-shut-off-from-all-visitors-and-so-when-the/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [COULD I PASS A WEEK IN THE INSANE WARD AT BLACKWELL'S ISLAND? I SAID I COULD AND I WOULD. AND I DID.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/could-i-pass-a-week-in-the-insane-ward-at-blackwell-s-island-i-said-i/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [In our short walks we passed the kitchen where food was prepared for the nurses and doctors. There we got glimpses of melons and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/in-our-short-walks-we-passed-the-kitchen-where-food-was-prepared-for/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [“Compare this with a criminal, who is given every chance to prove his innocence. Who would not rather be a murderer and take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/compare-this-with-a-criminal-who-is-given-every-chance-to-prove-his/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [I hardly expected the grand jury to sustain me, after they saw everything different from what it had been while I was there. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-hardly-expected-the-grand-jury-to-sustain-me-after-they-saw/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [“I said I could and I would. And I did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-said-i-could-and-i-would-and-i-did/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [Even that was all consumed after two days, and the patients had to try to choke down fresh fish, just boiled in water, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/even-that-was-all-consumed-after-two-days-and-the-patients-had-to-try/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [I had never been near insane persons before in my life, and had not the faintest idea of what their actions were like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-never-been-near-insane-persons-before-in-my-life-and-had-not/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [How can a doctor judge a woman's sanity by merely bidding her good morning and refusing to hear her pleas for release? Even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/how-can-a-doctor-judge-a-woman-s-sanity-by-merely-bidding-her-good/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [I had looked forward so eagerly to leaving the horrible place, yet when my release came and I knew that God's sunlight was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-looked-forward-so-eagerly-to-leaving-the-horrible-place-yet/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [All the asylum clothing is made by the patients, but sewing does not employ one's mind. After several months' confinement the thoughts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/all-the-asylum-clothing-is-made-by-the-patients-but-sewing-does-not/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) [Explore all 35 Nellie Bly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) ## More Kindness quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Each of our acts makes a statement as to our purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/each-of-our-acts-makes-a-statement-as-to-our-purpose/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Kindness unlocks doors that were thought to be closed forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/kindness-unlocks-doors-that-were-thought-to-be-closed-forever/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-finn/praise-will-come-to-those-whose-kindness-leaves-you-without-debt/) [Neil Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-finn/) > [“A little bit of kindness goes a long way with women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/a-little-bit-of-kindness-goes-a-long-way-with-women/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [The smartest people are the ones who can bring a little bit of heaven to earth by using there kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isiahnunn/the-smartest-people-are-the-ones-who-can-bring-a-little-bit-of-heaven/) [IsiahNunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isiahnunn/) > [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [(I)f we are going to be kind, let it be out of simple generosity, not because we fear guilt or retribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-f-we-are-going-to-be-kind-let-it-be-out-of-simple-generosity-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 6,600 Kindness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how little sympathy and kindness there are in the world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nellie Bly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that-one-realizes-how-little/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kindness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that-one-realizes-how-little/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/nellie-bly-18221_kindness_it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that_3199157.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is only after one is in trouble that one realizes how little sympathy and kindness there are in the world.” — Nellie Bly", "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": "Nellie Bly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is only after one is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that-one-realizes-how-little/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/it-is-only-after-one-is-in-trouble-that-one-realizes-how-little/#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 } } ] } ```