--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A generation that has taken a beating is…" description: "\"A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.\" — Otto von Bismarck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/otto-von-bismarck-3444_deals_a-generation-that-has-taken-a-beating-is_2992758.png" --- # A generation that has taken a beating is always followed… ![“A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.” quote by Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/otto-von-bismarck-3444_deals_a-generation-that-has-taken-a-beating-is_2992758.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/otto-von-bismarck-3444_deals_a-generation-that-has-taken-a-beating-is_2992758.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/otto-von-bismarck-3444_deals_a-generation-that-has-taken-a-beating-is_2992758.png) > “A generation that has taken a beating is always followed by a generation that deals one.” [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A beaten generation is followed by one that retaliates. **In simple terms:** Hardship breeds a vengeful next generation. Key Takeaway Break cycles of violence. Themes history revenge generational trauma Mood somber hopeful Type political reflective When to use this quote - post‑war societies - social movements - policy reforms Key Concepts political theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How to heal after conflict? - What prevents retaliation? A Different Perspective Violence may perpetuate further conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beating Followed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beating-followed-4711437/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Generation Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-deals-4711438/) [Generation Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-taken-2852053/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Taken Beating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-beating-4080899/) ## Related quotes > [Don't be afraid; I've taken my beating, I've shared what I've made. I'm strong on the surface; not all the way through. I've never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linkin-park/don-t-be-afraid-i-ve-taken-my-beating-i-ve-shared-what-i-ve-made-i-m/) [Linkin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linkin-park/) > [I was in just the right generation to have taken feminism seriously by osmosis - also the generation when the breakdown of the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-was-in-just-the-right-generation-to-have-taken-feminism-seriously/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [My generation had to be taken seriously because we were stopping things and burning things. We were able to initiate change, because we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hughes/my-generation-had-to-be-taken-seriously-because-we-were-stopping-2/) [John Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hughes/) > [My generation had to be taken seriously because we were stopping things and burning things. We were able to initiate change, because we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hughes/my-generation-had-to-be-taken-seriously-because-we-were-stopping/) [John Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hughes/) > [O, Youth: Do you know that yours is not the first generation to yearn for a life full of beauty and freedom?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/o-youth-do-you-know-that-yours-is-not-the-first-generation-to-yearn/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I became the voice of a generation in a very surprising way, because many Iranians recognize themselves in it. But that is not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-became-the-voice-of-a-generation-in-a-very-surprising-way-because/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [There's a whole generation coming up behind us that was engaged, inspired, worked for change during the course of my presidency, saw what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-s-a-whole-generation-coming-up-behind-us-that-was-engaged/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The next generation will remake the world in a way that allows us to live in a more sustainable way, both personally and globally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/the-next-generation-will-remake-the-world-in-a-way-that-allows-us-to/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [My generation in the UK, they're very apathetic, a lot of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/my-generation-in-the-uk-they-re-very-apathetic-a-lot-of-them/) [Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/) > [That which is truly human no generation learns from the one before it. No generation learns from another how to love. No generation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/that-which-is-truly-human-no-generation-learns-from-the-one-before-it/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [What really distinguishes this generation in all countries from earlier generations ... is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-really-distinguishes-this-generation-in-all-countries-from/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Every generation tries to put its doctrine on a high shelf where the children can not reach it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-rauschenbusch/every-generation-tries-to-put-its-doctrine-on-a-high-shelf-where-the/) [Walter Rauschenbusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-rauschenbusch/) > [We are the WTF generation: Wikipedia, Twitter and Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-the-wtf-generation-wikipedia-twitter-and-facebook/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Progress is the injustice each generation commits with regard to its predecessors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/progress-is-the-injustice-each-generation-commits-with-regard-to-its/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [If every nation gets the government it deserves, every generation writes the history which corresponds with its view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-janeway/if-every-nation-gets-the-government-it-deserves-every-generation/) [Elizabeth Janeway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-janeway/) ## More by Otto von Bismarck > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/fools-learn-from-experience-i-prefer-to-learn-from-the-experience-of/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Earthly majesty is always akin to the fallen angel, who is proud and unhappy, beautiful but troubled, and whose plans and efforts, though vast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/earthly-majesty-is-always-akin-to-the-fallen-angel-who-is-proud-and/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [“The Balkans aren't worth the life of a single Pomeranian grenadier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/the-balkans-aren-t-worth-the-life-of-a-single-pomeranian-grenadier/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/never-believe-anything-in-politics-until-it-has-been-officially-denied/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [The government should cultivate the view also among the propertyless classes of the population, those who are the most numerous and the least educated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/the-government-should-cultivate-the-view-also-among-the-propertyless/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/be-polite-write-diplomatically-even-in-a-declaration-of-war-one/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/when-a-man-says-he-approves-of-something-in-principle-it-means-he/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/preventive-war-is-like-committing-suicide-out-of-fear-of-death/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Fools you are who say you like to learn from your mistakes. I prefer to learn from the mistakes of others, and avoid the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/fools-you-are-who-say-you-like-to-learn-from-your-mistakes-i-prefer/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [“Verfallen wir nicht in den Fehler, bei jedem Andersmeinenden entweder an seinem Verständnis oder an seinem guten Willen zu zweifeln.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/verfallen-wir-nicht-in-den-fehler-bei-jedem-andersmeinenden-entweder/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [I am accustomed to pay men back in their own coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/i-am-accustomed-to-pay-men-back-in-their-own-coin/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [I have often regretted what I have eaten, but never what I have drunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/i-have-often-regretted-what-i-have-eaten-but-never-what-i-have-drunk/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [The nation that has the schools has the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/the-nation-that-has-the-schools-has-the-future/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Vanity is a mortgage that must be deducted from the value of a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/vanity-is-a-mortgage-that-must-be-deducted-from-the-value-of-a-man/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) [Explore all 130 Otto von Bismarck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) ## More Deals quotes > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [When you reach that competing point, when you reach that time when the gun is about to go off, everyone's level is pretty much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/when-you-reach-that-competing-point-when-you-reach-that-time-when-the/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. 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