--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's terrible when the weak are also…" description: "\"It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are defenseless against them.\" — Rachel Field" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg" --- # It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are… ![“It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are defenseless against them.” quote by Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg) > “It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are defenseless against them.” [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When the powerless also act with malice, society lacks protection against harm. **In simple terms:** Weakness combined with cruelty leaves us vulnerable. Key Takeaway Guard against cruelty, not just weakness. Themes power cruelty vulnerability justice Mood cautious serious Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - political leadership - community safety - workplace dynamics - family relationships Key Concepts human nature morality social order Questions to Reflect On - How can we protect the vulnerable from malicious weak? - What safeguards prevent cruelty from the powerless? A Different Perspective Even strong institutions can be undermined by petty cruelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) [Cruel Defenseless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-defenseless-5351806/) [Defenseless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defenseless/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-weak-469708/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Weak Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-cruel-4171499/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) ## Related quotes > [Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/only-the-weak-are-cruel-gentleness-can-only-be-expected-from-the/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [The weak are cruel. The strong have no need to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-weak-are-cruel-the-strong-have-no-need-to-be/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Love sounded terrible if it made you so weak, you couldn't survive with out it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/love-sounded-terrible-if-it-made-you-so-weak-you-couldn-t-survive/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [I learned that it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/i-learned-that-it-is-the-weak-who-are-cruel-and-that-gentleness-is-to/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“It is the weak who are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-roskin/it-is-the-weak-who-are-cruel-gentleness-can-only-be-expected-from-the/) [Leo Roskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-roskin/) > [“He was such an enigma, really - fierce and strong and weak and cruel. An incomparable friend and a son of a bitch. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/he-was-such-an-enigma-really-fierce-and-strong-and-weak-and-cruel-an/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I don't view myself as a victim of gun violence. I view myself as a victim of a maniac who happened to use a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanna-hupp/i-don-t-view-myself-as-a-victim-of-gun-violence-i-view-myself-as-a/) [Suzanna Hupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanna-hupp/) > [“Those who don't know their history are defenseless against those determined to repeat it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-a-davis/those-who-don-t-know-their-history-are-defenseless-against-those/) [Ray A. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-a-davis/) > [Erudition, like a bloodhound, is a charming thing when held firmly in leash, but it is not so attractive when turned loose upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/erudition-like-a-bloodhound-is-a-charming-thing-when-held-firmly-in/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [“It is that we are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love, never so helplessly unhappy as when we have lost our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-is-that-we-are-never-so-defenseless-against-suffering-as-when-we/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“defenseless. You come to the aid of the righteous. Am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcfarlane/defenseless-you-come-to-the-aid-of-the-righteous-am-i-right/) [Jamie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcfarlane/) > [“A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-fike/a-person-without-self-control-is-as-defenseless-as-a-city-with-broken/) [Al Fike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-fike/) > [“There's no room for selfishness when you have a defenseless human being depending on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-asher/there-s-no-room-for-selfishness-when-you-have-a-defenseless-human/) [Mia Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-asher/) > [The tango is the man and woman in search of each other. It is the search for an embrace, a way to be together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-carlos-copes/the-tango-is-the-man-and-woman-in-search-of-each-other-it-is-the/) [Juan Carlos Copes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-carlos-copes/) > [What I have against religion is that they start you when you are so defenseless. I mean, I was three when they started pumping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/what-i-have-against-religion-is-that-they-start-you-when-you-are-so/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) ## More by Rachel Field > [The sight of a cage is only frightening to the bird that has once been caught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/the-sight-of-a-cage-is-only-frightening-to-the-bird-that-has-once/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [No hardy perennial has the enduring quality of hope. Cut it to the roots, stamp it underfoot, let frost and fire work their will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/no-hardy-perennial-has-the-enduring-quality-of-hope-cut-it-to-the/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [One of the pleasantest things about book writing is that sometimes it brings one in touch with old friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/one-of-the-pleasantest-things-about-book-writing-is-that-sometimes-it/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [I've seen public opinion shift like the wind and put out the very fire it lighted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/i-ve-seen-public-opinion-shift-like-the-wind-and-put-out-the-very/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [no matter how hard and faithfully we may try we can never compensate another for some lack in his or her life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/no-matter-how-hard-and-faithfully-we-may-try-we-can-never-compensate/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [There was no reality to pain when it left one, though while it held one fast all other realities faded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/there-was-no-reality-to-pain-when-it-left-one-though-while-it-held/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [And scandal has a way of catching up with those who disregard its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/and-scandal-has-a-way-of-catching-up-with-those-who-disregard-its/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [There's plenty of fire in the coldest flint!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/there-s-plenty-of-fire-in-the-coldest-flint/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [A little town is like a lantern. Nothing's hid from sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/a-little-town-is-like-a-lantern-nothing-s-hid-from-sight/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [IsnÂ’t it strange some people make You feel so tired inside, Your thoughts begin to shrivel up Like leaves all brown and dried!But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/isn-t-it-strange-some-people-make-you-feel-so-tired-inside-your/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [Too much good fortune can make you smug and unaware. Happiness should be like an oasis, the greener for the desert that surrounds it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/too-much-good-fortune-can-make-you-smug-and-unaware-happiness-should/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [The difference between ambition and discontent is quite a fine line and sometimes it is hard to tell which is which and which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/the-difference-between-ambition-and-discontent-is-quite-a-fine-line/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [Something told the wild geese It was time to go. Though the fields lay golden Something whispered, "snow." Leaves were green and stirring, Berries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/something-told-the-wild-geese-it-was-time-to-go-though-the-fields-lay/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [When I was young they used to say people only threw stones at the tree that was loaded with fruit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/when-i-was-young-they-used-to-say-people-only-threw-stones-at-the/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [There was no reality to pain when it left one, thought while it held one fast all other realities failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/there-was-no-reality-to-pain-when-it-left-one-thought-while-it-held/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) [Explore all 24 Rachel Field quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) [Keith Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thompson/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) [Katie D. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-d-anderson/) > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are defenseless against them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Field" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cruel-for-then-we-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cruel-for-then-we-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/rachel-field-24688_cruel_it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cru_3097173.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's terrible when the weak are also cruel for then we are defenseless against them.” — Rachel Field", "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": "Rachel Field", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's terrible when the weak are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cruel-for-then-we-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/it-s-terrible-when-the-weak-are-also-cruel-for-then-we-are/#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 } } ] } ```