--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The bitterest creature under heaven is…" description: "\"The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who discovers that her husband's bravery is only bravado, that his strength is only a uniform, that his..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/pearl-s-buck-1024_bitterest_the-bitterest-creature-under-heaven-is-t_1348552.jpg" --- # The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who… ![“The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who discovers that her husband's bravery is only bravado, that his strength is only a uniform, that his power is but a gun in the hands of a fool.” quote by Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/pearl-s-buck-1024_bitterest_the-bitterest-creature-under-heaven-is-t_1348552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/pearl-s-buck-1024_bitterest_the-bitterest-creature-under-heaven-is-t_1348552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/pearl-s-buck-1024_bitterest_the-bitterest-creature-under-heaven-is-t_1348552.jpg) > “The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who discovers that her husband's bravery is only bravado, that his strength is only a uniform, that his power is but a gun in the hands of a fool.” [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques a wife's realization that her husband's outward bravery is mere façade, exposing the emptiness behind social symbols of power. **In simple terms:** Bravery can be a mask; true power may be empty. Key Takeaway Question appearances, seek authentic strength. Themes gender roles illusion power dynamics Mood critical insightful Type psychological social When to use this quote - relationship counseling - leadership training - personal development - social critique Key Concepts masculine identity social performance marital expectations Questions to Reflect On - What defines genuine courage? - How can partners support authentic selves? A Different Perspective The statement may generalize all men’s bravery as hollow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitterest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterest/) [Bravery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice. We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-colvin/our-mission-is-to-report-these-horrors-of-war-with-accuracy-and/) [Marie Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-colvin/) > [We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-colvin/we-always-have-to-ask-ourselves-whether-the-level-of-risk-is-worth/) [Marie Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-colvin/) > [“The bitterest truth was always better than the sweetest lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/the-bitterest-truth-was-always-better-than-the-sweetest-lie/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [No tyrant, however evil, has yet lacked ready hands to execute his most abominable will. To read how eagerly men have rushed to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jefferies/no-tyrant-however-evil-has-yet-lacked-ready-hands-to-execute-his-most/) [Richard Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jefferies/) > [“The bitterest of ironies is that the people who make us feel the most accepted, secure, and whole are the same people who make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gume-laurel-iii/the-bitterest-of-ironies-is-that-the-people-who-make-us-feel-the-most/) [Gume Laurel III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gume-laurel-iii/) > [That President Mohammad Khatami's policies have been blocked is the bitterest incident in the contemporary Iranian history. This means that the wishes of millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdolkarim-soroush/that-president-mohammad-khatami-s-policies-have-been-blocked-is-the/) [Abdolkarim Soroush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdolkarim-soroush/) > [The Bitterest Truth is better than sweetest Lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/the-bitterest-truth-is-better-than-sweetest-lie/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“In any theological struggle, the first thousand years are always the bitterest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/in-any-theological-struggle-the-first-thousand-years-are-always-the/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [That is the bitterest of all,--to wear the yoke of our own wrong-doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/that-is-the-bitterest-of-all-to-wear-the-yoke-of-our-own-wrong-doing/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [An injured friend is the bitterest of foes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/an-injured-friend-is-the-bitterest-of-foes/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bitterest-truth-is-better-than-the-sweetest-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Freedom does not always win. This is one of the bitterest lessons of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-p-taylor/freedom-does-not-always-win-this-is-one-of-the-bitterest-lessons-of/) [A. J. P. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-p-taylor/) > [The sweetest memory is that which involves something which one should not have done; the bitterest, that which involves something which one should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/the-sweetest-memory-is-that-which-involves-something-which-one-should/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [Of all the bitter and heavy things in this sorry old world, the not being necessary is the bitterest and heaviest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/of-all-the-bitter-and-heavy-things-in-this-sorry-old-world-the-not/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [Obligation is the bitterest thraldom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/obligation-is-the-bitterest-thraldom/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) ## More by Pearl S. Buck > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Hunger makes a thief of any man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/hunger-makes-a-thief-of-any-man/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [War is the most devastating endemic and epidemic disease the human race has to endure, and yet too little has been done to discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/war-is-the-most-devastating-endemic-and-epidemic-disease-the-human/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [In our changing world nothing changes more than geography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/in-our-changing-world-nothing-changes-more-than-geography/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [No one really understood music unless he was a scientist, her father had declared, and not just a scientist, either, oh, no, only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/no-one-really-understood-music-unless-he-was-a-scientist-her-father/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Upon the profound discontent of the young in every country do I set my faith. I beg you, the young, to be discontented. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/upon-the-profound-discontent-of-the-young-in-every-country-do-i-set/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Wang Lung sat smoking, thinking of the silver as it had lain upon the table. It had come out of the earth, this silver,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/wang-lung-sat-smoking-thinking-of-the-silver-as-it-had-lain-upon-the/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/the-secret-of-joy-in-work-is-contained-in-one-word-excellence-to-know/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/if-our-american-way-of-life-fails-the-child-it-fails-us-all/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Mind and body were well or ill together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/mind-and-body-were-well-or-ill-together/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“U meni postoji mjesto gdje živim posve sama; tu obnavljam svoja proljeća koja nikad ne presahnu”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/u-meni-postoji-mjesto-gdje-ivim-posve-sama-tu-obnavljam-svoja-prolje/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Brave young American men climbed the rugged slopes of Korean mountains and fought in homesickness and desperate weariness for the sake of a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/brave-young-american-men-climbed-the-rugged-slopes-of-korean/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/truth-is-always-exciting-speak-it-then-life-is-dull-without-it/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“All scientific effort must now be concentrated in the area of defence (sic). We have learned our lesson. We, the most civilized of people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/all-scientific-effort-must-now-be-concentrated-in-the-area-of-defence/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [to know how to read is to light a lamp in the mind, to release the soul from prison, to open a gate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/to-know-how-to-read-is-to-light-a-lamp-in-the-mind-to-release-the/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) [Explore all 304 Pearl S. Buck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) ## More Bitterest quotes > [An injured friend is the bitterest of foes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/an-injured-friend-is-the-bitterest-of-foes/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“The bitterest truth was always better than the sweetest lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/the-bitterest-truth-was-always-better-than-the-sweetest-lie/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Of all the bitter and heavy things in this sorry old world, the not being necessary is the bitterest and heaviest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/of-all-the-bitter-and-heavy-things-in-this-sorry-old-world-the-not/) [Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/) > [The sweetest memory is that which involves something which one should not have done; the bitterest, that which involves something which one should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jean-nathan/the-sweetest-memory-is-that-which-involves-something-which-one-should/) [George Jean Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jean-nathan/) > [Freedom does not always win. This is one of the bitterest lessons of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-p-taylor/freedom-does-not-always-win-this-is-one-of-the-bitterest-lessons-of/) [A. J. P. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-p-taylor/) > [The bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bitterest-truth-is-better-than-the-sweetest-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Obligation is the bitterest thraldom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/obligation-is-the-bitterest-thraldom/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) > [That is the bitterest of all,--to wear the yoke of our own wrong-doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/that-is-the-bitterest-of-all-to-wear-the-yoke-of-our-own-wrong-doing/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“In any theological struggle, the first thousand years are always the bitterest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/in-any-theological-struggle-the-first-thousand-years-are-always-the/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [The Bitterest Truth is better than sweetest Lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/the-bitterest-truth-is-better-than-sweetest-lie/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [That President Mohammad Khatami's policies have been blocked is the bitterest incident in the contemporary Iranian history. This means that the wishes of millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdolkarim-soroush/that-president-mohammad-khatami-s-policies-have-been-blocked-is-the/) [Abdolkarim Soroush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdolkarim-soroush/) > [“The bitterest of ironies is that the people who make us feel the most accepted, secure, and whole are the same people who make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gume-laurel-iii/the-bitterest-of-ironies-is-that-the-people-who-make-us-feel-the-most/) [Gume Laurel III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gume-laurel-iii/) > [No tyrant, however evil, has yet lacked ready hands to execute his most abominable will. To read how eagerly men have rushed to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jefferies/no-tyrant-however-evil-has-yet-lacked-ready-hands-to-execute-his-most/) [Richard Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jefferies/) > [“...he's lonely, and lonely people are the bitterest of them all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/he-s-lonely-and-lonely-people-are-the-bitterest-of-them-all/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [Nobody will ever know I existed. Nothing to leave behind me. Nothing to pass on. Nobody to mourn me. That's the bitterest blow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hancock/nobody-will-ever-know-i-existed-nothing-to-leave-behind-me-nothing-to/) [Tony Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hancock/) [Browse all 25 Bitterest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who discovers that her husband's bravery is only bravado, that his strength is only a uniform, that his power is but a gun in the hands of a fool.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pearl S. 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