--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is as bad as bad can be: it is…" description: "\"It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed, ill-kept, and ill-drest.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png" --- # It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed… ![“It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed, ill-kept, and ill-drest.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png) > “It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed, ill-kept, and ill-drest.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive neglect and poor care lead to a state of utter ruin and misery. **In simple terms:** Neglect and mismanagement cause suffering. Key Takeaway Attend to needs promptly and responsibly. Themes neglect poverty mismanagement Mood concerned thoughtful Type advice observational When to use this quote - family budgeting - public policy - healthcare - community support Key Concepts social welfare responsibility care Questions to Reflect On - What areas in your life need better care? - How can society prevent systemic neglect? A Different Perspective Addressing root causes is often more complex than simple fixes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Ill Kept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill-kept-5529771/) [Ill Killed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill-killed-5529770/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Kept Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-ill-5280683/) [Killed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed/) [Killed Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed-ill-5529769/) ## Related quotes > [I was born three weeks early, and I kept being ill. From the age of zero to four, I was always in hospital having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-payne/i-was-born-three-weeks-early-and-i-kept-being-ill-from-the-age-of/) [Liam Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-payne/) > [Hunger is never delicate; they who are seldom gorged to the full with praise may be safely fed with gross compliments, for the appetite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hunger-is-never-delicate-they-who-are-seldom-gorged-to-the-full-with/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [He that pines with hunger, is in little care how others shall be fed. The poor man is seldom studious to make his grandson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/he-that-pines-with-hunger-is-in-little-care-how-others-shall-be-fed/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The wild black scavengers of the skies laid their eggs in season and lovingly fed their young. 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Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [The people are fed up with their elected officials playing the blame game and treating their political counterparts as enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/the-people-are-fed-up-with-their-elected-officials-playing-the-blame/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [The Feds can kiss my ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-strawberry/the-feds-can-kiss-my-ass/) [Darryl Strawberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-strawberry/) > [I'm fed up with the idiots... the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-m-fed-up-with-the-idiots-the-ever-widening-gap-between-people-who/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-always-hungry-for-love-just-once-i-wanted-to-know-what-it-was/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [You never get fed up scoring goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/you-never-get-fed-up-scoring-goals/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [So mightiest powers buy deepest calms are fed, And sleep, how oft, in things that gentlest be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/so-mightiest-powers-buy-deepest-calms-are-fed-and-sleep-how-oft-in/) [Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Feds quotes > [So mightiest powers buy deepest calms are fed, And sleep, how oft, in things that gentlest be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/so-mightiest-powers-buy-deepest-calms-are-fed-and-sleep-how-oft-in/) [Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [You never get fed up scoring goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/you-never-get-fed-up-scoring-goals/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-always-hungry-for-love-just-once-i-wanted-to-know-what-it-was/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I'm fed up with the idiots... the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-m-fed-up-with-the-idiots-the-ever-widening-gap-between-people-who/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [The Feds can kiss my ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-strawberry/the-feds-can-kiss-my-ass/) [Darryl Strawberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-strawberry/) > [The people are fed up with their elected officials playing the blame game and treating their political counterparts as enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/the-people-are-fed-up-with-their-elected-officials-playing-the-blame/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough, and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-erving/i-liked-the-game-i-enjoyed-the-game-and-the-game-fed-me-enough-and/) [Julius Erving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-erving/) > [Wringing your hands about states' rights, forget it. They're gone. Basically, the federal government can do whatever it wants. Who's going to protect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/wringing-your-hands-about-states-rights-forget-it-they-re-gone/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Republican voters are fed up with Democrats and Democrat policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/republican-voters-are-fed-up-with-democrats-and-democrat-policy/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The wild black scavengers of the skies laid their eggs in season and lovingly fed their young. They soared high over prairies and mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-m-miller-jr-2/the-wild-black-scavengers-of-the-skies-laid-their-eggs-in-season-and/) [Walter M. Miller, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-m-miller-jr-2/) > [It must be fundamentally wrong to reduce production of food and fiber while one-third of our population is still ill fed and ill clothed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/it-must-be-fundamentally-wrong-to-reduce-production-of-food-and-fiber/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [What if today.. you were inspired and fed by your thoughts instead of being confined by them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjo-riikka-makela/what-if-today-you-were-inspired-and-fed-by-your-thoughts-instead-of/) [Marjo-Riikka Makela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjo-riikka-makela/) > [We live in a world that is dominated by science. And that's not a bad thing - not at all. But one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-critchley/we-live-in-a-world-that-is-dominated-by-science-and-that-s-not-a-bad/) [Simon Critchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-critchley/) [Browse all 996 Feds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed, ill-kept, and ill-drest.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed-ill-killed-ill-kept-and-ill/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed-ill-killed-ill-kept-and-ill/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/samuel-johnson-50_feds_it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed_3129536.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is as bad as bad can be: it is ill-fed, ill-killed, ill-kept, and ill-drest.” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is as bad as bad...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed-ill-killed-ill-kept-and-ill/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-bad-as-bad-can-be-it-is-ill-fed-ill-killed-ill-kept-and-ill/#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 } } ] } ```