--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When someone abuses me I can defend…" description: "\"When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against praise I am defenceless.\" — Sigmund Freud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg" --- # When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against… ![“When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against praise I am defenceless.” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg) > “When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against praise I am defenceless.” [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He suggests that while we can protect ourselves from harm, we are vulnerable to praise, exposing a psychological weakness. **In simple terms:** We can defend against attacks but not compliments. Key Takeaway Learn to accept praise healthily. Themes psychology self-esteem vulnerability defense Mood introspective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - performance reviews - relationship building - personal growth Key Concepts ego self-awareness social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you react to compliments? - Can you turn praise into motivation? A Different Perspective Praise can create dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“He who is mindless is defenceless” RjS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/he-who-is-mindless-is-defenceless-rjs/) [rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/) > [“Even a lamb can defend itself, but a tree cannot even do that. If you are a just person, you never harm any tree,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/even-a-lamb-can-defend-itself-but-a-tree-cannot-even-do-that-if-you/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [What women would do if they could not cry, nobody knows. What poor, defenceless creatures they would be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-william-jerrold/what-women-would-do-if-they-could-not-cry-nobody-knows-what-poor/) [Douglas William Jerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-william-jerrold/) > [A man who has no excuse for a crime, is indeed defenceless!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-man-who-has-no-excuse-for-a-crime-is-indeed-defenceless/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [The human race's prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today when we have become defenceless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-human-race-s-prospects-of-survival-were-considerably-better-when/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [“We humans are so defenceless compared to the rest of the natural world, he thought to himself. We have no shell to protect us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-suzuma/we-humans-are-so-defenceless-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-natural/) [Tabitha Suzuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-suzuma/) > [If you use a proprietary program or somebody else's web server, you're defenceless. You're putty in the hands of whoever developed that software.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/if-you-use-a-proprietary-program-or-somebody-else-s-web-server-you-re/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“When people criticise me, I know how to defend myself. But I’m powerless in the face of praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-people-criticise-me-i-know-how-to-defend-myself-but-i-m/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Well, She's (She-Hulk) quippy. I'm quippy. When we get together, we quip. And, quipwise, I think that makes me a better quipper. -Spiderman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-slott/well-she-s-she-hulk-quippy-i-m-quippy-when-we-get-together-we-quip/) [Dan Slott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-slott/) > [Because I am about to be devoured by poodles," I quip. "Remember me always, my love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/because-i-am-about-to-be-devoured-by-poodles-i-quip-remember-me/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [Can you nominate in order now the degrees of the lie? I will name you the degrees. The first, the Retort Courteous; the second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/can-you-nominate-in-order-now-the-degrees-of-the-lie-i-will-name-you/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Nothing you can't spell will ever work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/nothing-you-can-t-spell-will-ever-work/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“But you've never drunk fresh blood. Have you?" Simon raised his eyebrows in response. "Well, aside from mine, of course," Jace said. "And I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/but-you-ve-never-drunk-fresh-blood-have-you-simon-raised-his-eyebrows/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [COLD. Healthier than heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/cold-healthier-than-heat/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [I like quips. I like whiffs of cynicism and I think they can be witty. But I don't really know where wittiness is constructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/i-like-quips-i-like-whiffs-of-cynicism-and-i-think-they-can-be-witty/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) ## More by Sigmund Freud > [Anatomy is destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/anatomy-is-destiny/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/woe-to-you-my-princess-when-i-come-i-will-kiss-you-quite-red-and-feed/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Ko postavlja pitanje o smislu zivota,s njegovim libidom nije nesto u redu.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/ko-postavlja-pitanje-o-smislu-zivota-s-njegovim-libidom-nije-nesto-u/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“When it comes to the small matters in life one should think long and hard, but when it comes to the big ones -whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-it-comes-to-the-small-matters-in-life-one-should-think-long-and/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [We like to forget that in fact everything in our life is chance, from our genesis out of the encounter of spermatozoon and egg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-like-to-forget-that-in-fact-everything-in-our-life-is-chance-from/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [We should picture the instrument that carries our mental functioning as resembling a compound microscope or photographic apparatus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-should-picture-the-instrument-that-carries-our-mental-functioning/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The religions of mankind must be classed among the mass-delusions of this kind. No one, needless to say, who shares a delusion ever recognizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-religions-of-mankind-must-be-classed-among-the-mass-delusions-of/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [It seems to be my fate to discover only the obvious: that children have sexual feelings, which every nurse maid knows; and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/it-seems-to-be-my-fate-to-discover-only-the-obvious-that-children/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The first requisite of civilization is that of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-first-requisite-of-civilization-is-that-of-justice/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“Actually, the substitution of the reality-principle for the pleasure-principle denotes no dethronement of the pleasure-principle, but only a safeguarding of it. A momentary pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/actually-the-substitution-of-the-reality-principle-for-the-pleasure/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/dreams-are-often-most-profound-when-they-seem-the-most-crazy/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [There is to my mind no doubt that the concept of beautiful had its roots in sexual excitation and that its original meaning was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-to-my-mind-no-doubt-that-the-concept-of-beautiful-had-its/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The voice of the intellect is soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing. Ultimately, after endless rebuffs, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-voice-of-the-intellect-is-soft-one-but-it-does-not-rest-until-it/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) [Explore all 608 Sigmund Freud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against praise I am defenceless.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sigmund Freud" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myself-but-against-praise-i-am/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myself-but-against-praise-i-am/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/sigmund-freud-360_abuse_when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myse_543348.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against praise I am defenceless.” — Sigmund Freud", "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": "Sigmund Freud", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When someone abuses me I can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myself-but-against-praise-i-am/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myself-but-against-praise-i-am/#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 } } ] } ```