--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are times when the kindness of…" description: "\"There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes things worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and that the only sour..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg" --- # There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes… ![“There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes things worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and that the only source is a stranger.” quote by Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg) > “There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes things worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and that the only source is a stranger.” [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kindness from strangers can highlight personal need, making the help feel both comforting and painful. **In simple terms:** Stranger kindness can sting. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance reliance on others. Themes kindness vulnerability dependency Mood empathetic thoughtful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - hospital visits - random acts of kindness - support groups - crisis moments Key Concepts emotional intelligence human connection Questions to Reflect On - How do you accept help without losing independence? - What boundaries protect emotional well‑being? A Different Perspective Over-reliance may erode self‑reliance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Kindness Of Strangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness-of-strangers/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Strangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangers/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes matter worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-matter/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Most travel, and certainly the rewarding kind, involves depending on the kindness of strangers, putting yourself into the hands of people you don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/most-travel-and-certainly-the-rewarding-kind-involves-depending-on/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-have-always-depended-on-the-kindness-of-strangers/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [The kindness of strangers and the support of the international community are truly the rays of hope we North Korean people need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/the-kindness-of-strangers-and-the-support-of-the-international/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [A key ingredient to success, I learned, is relying on not only the kindness of strangers, but the kindness of colleagues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-anne-hurd/a-key-ingredient-to-success-i-learned-is-relying-on-not-only-the/) [Gale Anne Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-anne-hurd/) > [The unexpected kindness of strangers when you're having a stressful day just makes everything a little easier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-chabert/the-unexpected-kindness-of-strangers-when-you-re-having-a-stressful/) [Lacey Chabert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-chabert/) > [“Maybe one of my problems is I never depend upon the kindness of strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/maybe-one-of-my-problems-is-i-never-depend-upon-the-kindness-of/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I believe in the kindness of strangers. And when I'm at war with myself I ride, I just ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-believe-in-the-kindness-of-strangers-and-when-i-m-at-war-with/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [I count on the kindness of strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-count-on-the-kindness-of-strangers/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [“He wants to believe in the kindness of strangers, the fierce possibilities of hope, the beauty of color.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-hobson/he-wants-to-believe-in-the-kindness-of-strangers-the-fierce/) Brandon Hobson > [Never rely on the kindness of strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-rely-on-the-kindness-of-strangers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I found incredible kindness, dignity and hospitality in both Iraq and Afghanistan - am only alive because of it - the most worthwhile lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-stewart/i-found-incredible-kindness-dignity-and-hospitality-in-both-iraq-and/) [Rory Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-stewart/) > [“Like thousands of others, we survived the storm and the many dark days that followed because of the kindness of strangers who brought food,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/like-thousands-of-others-we-survived-the-storm-and-the-many-dark-days/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [“I am still surprised on a regular basis at the love I feel for the spirit of God, the deep respect and emotion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-am-still-surprised-on-a-regular-basis-at-the-love-i-feel-for-the/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“But sometimes a person just needs to accept the kindness of strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reeni-austin/but-sometimes-a-person-just-needs-to-accept-the-kindness-of-strangers/) Reeni Austin ## More by Nicole Krauss > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [When we went into the ocean, I watched his body as he dove into the waves, and it gave me a feeling in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-we-went-into-the-ocean-i-watched-his-body-as-he-dove-into-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes matter worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-matter/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [She was gone, and all that was left was the space where you'd grown around her, like a tree that grows around a fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-was-gone-and-all-that-was-left-was-the-space-where-you-d-grown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“The air felt different in my lungs. The world no longer looked the same. You change and then you change again. You become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-air-felt-different-in-my-lungs-the-world-no-longer-looked-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“The first language humans had was gestures. There was nothing primitive about this language that flowed from people’s hands, nothing we say now that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-first-language-humans-had-was-gestures-there-was-nothing/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I feel really strongly about not wanting to overly guide the reader about what he or she should think. I really trust the reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-feel-really-strongly-about-not-wanting-to-overly-guide-the-reader/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Mom?" I said. She turned. "Can I talk to you about something?" "Of course, darling. Come here." I took a few steps into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/mom-i-said-she-turned-can-i-talk-to-you-about-something-of-course/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [In one's youth, one has tremendous access to one's feelings. And as one gets older, some of those feelings kind of drift away. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/in-one-s-youth-one-has-tremendous-access-to-one-s-feelings-and-as-one/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Obviously I've been reading Kafka for a long long time, since I was really young, and even before I ever read him I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/obviously-i-ve-been-reading-kafka-for-a-long-long-time-since-i-was/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“She's kept her love for him as alive as the summer they first met. In order to do this, she's turned life away. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-s-kept-her-love-for-him-as-alive-as-the-summer-they-first-met-in/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Sometimes no length of string is long enough to say the thing that needs to be said. In such cases all the string can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/sometimes-no-length-of-string-is-long-enough-to-say-the-thing-that/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Doesn’t part of the awe that fills us when we confront the unknown come from understanding that, should it at last flood into us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/doesn-t-part-of-the-awe-that-fills-us-when-we-confront-the-unknown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“I knew how to raise my own child, what did he think it was, a game of Scrabble or Monopoly, there are no rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-knew-how-to-raise-my-own-child-what-did-he-think-it-was-a-game-of/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) [Explore all 323 Nicole Krauss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## 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 > [“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 > [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 > [“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": "There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes things worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and that the only source is a stranger.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicole Krauss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kindness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c8/nicole-krauss-920_kindness_there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-str_1480251.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes things worse because one realizes how badly one is…” — Nicole Krauss", "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": "Nicole Krauss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are times when the kindness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-things/#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 } } ] } ```