--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people act MEAN to protect…" description: "\"Some people act MEAN to protect themselves from getting hurt, but once they trust you they'll show you their NICE side.\" — Sonya Parker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg" --- # Some people act MEAN to protect themselves from getting… ![“Some people act MEAN to protect themselves from getting hurt, but once they trust you they'll show you their NICE side.” quote by Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg) > “Some people act MEAN to protect themselves from getting hurt, but once they trust you they'll show you their NICE side.” [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People may initially act harshly as a defensive shield, but genuine trust can reveal their kinder, more authentic selves. **In simple terms:** Harshness hides a need for protection; trust uncovers kindness. Key Takeaway Trust transforms defensive behavior into openness. Themes psychology relationships trust defense mechanisms Mood cautiously hopeful empathetic Type observational insight When to use this quote - building new friendships - navigating workplace dynamics - supporting trauma survivors - parenting adolescents Key Concepts self‑protection authenticity Practical Applications - Practice patient listening to allow trust to develop - Create safe spaces that reduce defensive postures Questions to Reflect On - What signals indicate someone is shifting from defensive to trusting behavior? - How can we respond without reinforcing the initial harshness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [A hurt person does everything they can to protect themselves from getting hurt again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/a-hurt-person-does-everything-they-can-to-protect-themselves-from/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Mean people use their attitude to protect themselves from getting hurt, but if they really really trust you they'll show you their nice side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/mean-people-use-their-attitude-to-protect-themselves-from-getting/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I guess everyone has their reasons for keeping people away, an instinct to protect yourself from getting hurt. It's part of human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-guess-everyone-has-their-reasons-for-keeping-people-away-an/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [“I can't stop wanting to help, and by 'help,' I really mean guide, and by 'guide,' I really mean protect. That has nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-can-t-stop-wanting-to-help-and-by-help-i-really-mean-guide-and-by/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [You can't always go by actions because some people will ACT like they love you just to get what they want from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-can-t-always-go-by-actions-because-some-people-will-act-like-they/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Love means the courage to expose yourself to the potential pains of being hurt, deeply hurt by someone you trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renita-j-weems/love-means-the-courage-to-expose-yourself-to-the-potential-pains-of/) [Renita J. Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renita-j-weems/) > [It hurt when you trust him with all your heart and he just broke it easily with his words and action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babygirl/it-hurt-when-you-trust-him-with-all-your-heart-and-he-just-broke-it/) [BabyGirl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babygirl/) > [It's not your enemies who are likeliest to hurt you. It is, always, those you trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/it-s-not-your-enemies-who-are-likeliest-to-hurt-you-it-is-always/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [“You’ve made that clear. But why do you assume I’ve done something wrong? Have I ever lied to you, or kept anything from you?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/you-ve-made-that-clear-but-why-do-you-assume-i-ve-done-something/) [Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/) > [Sometimes . . . you've got to be hurt before you can move on. And that makes you stronger. But at other times .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/sometimes-you-ve-got-to-be-hurt-before-you-can-move-on-and-that-makes/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“The foundation of adult trust is not "You will never hurt me." It is "I trust myself with whatever you do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-richo/the-foundation-of-adult-trust-is-not-you-will-never-hurt-me-it-is-i/) [David Richo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-richo/) > [“I know you’re tough, Lola. I can still hurt you, trust me.  I don’t want to, but that’s exactly what will happen if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-herrera/i-know-you-re-tough-lola-i-can-still-hurt-you-trust-me-i-don-t-want/) [Devon Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-herrera/) > [Sometimes I push too far, and say the worst possible things... But why would I want to be hurt again? trust is almost impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-p/sometimes-i-push-too-far-and-say-the-worst-possible-things-but-why/) I :P > [Once you have been hurt by someone you trust you're so scared to get attached again. You have will always this fear that everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/once-you-have-been-hurt-by-someone-you-trust-you-re-so-scared-to-get/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [If you were able to hurt me then trust me I must have loved you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blossom/if-you-were-able-to-hurt-me-then-trust-me-i-must-have-loved-you/) [Blossom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blossom/) ## More by Sonya Parker > [If someone leaves you because of a flaw or small problem they're immature, and they are definitely wrong for you. So, good riddance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-someone-leaves-you-because-of-a-flaw-or-small-problem-they-re/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [If holding onto them requires you to lower your self-worth and self-respect let go of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-holding-onto-them-requires-you-to-lower-your-self-worth-and-self/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I still care about you, but youve lost my trust, youve lost my respect and youve lost me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/i-still-care-about-you-but-youve-lost-my-trust-youve-lost-my-respect/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Everyone has dreams, but everyone isn't willing to fight for their dreams to come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/everyone-has-dreams-but-everyone-isn-t-willing-to-fight-for-their/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [A jerk will keep hurting you then apologize to keep you from leaving them, and then do it all over again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/a-jerk-will-keep-hurting-you-then-apologize-to-keep-you-from-leaving/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Just because you failed yesterday it doesn't mean that you can't succeed today or tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/just-because-you-failed-yesterday-it-doesn-t-mean-that-you-can-t/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Today isn't just another day off, it's a day to remember those who have sacrificed their life for your FREEDOM. Happy Memorial Day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/today-isn-t-just-another-day-off-it-s-a-day-to-remember-those-who/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Stop holding onto people that treat you like crap. They might be nice sometimes, but the rest of the time they disrespect you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/stop-holding-onto-people-that-treat-you-like-crap-they-might-be-nice/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Nice people hate saying 'no' to their friends and family, that's why they get used and taken advantage of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/nice-people-hate-saying-no-to-their-friends-and-family-that-s-why/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Most people don't reach their goals because reaching their goals requires them to do things that they don't want to do. You might not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/most-people-don-t-reach-their-goals-because-reaching-their-goals/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Once a person turns cold it's hard to change back into who they used to be. They have to let go of the past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/once-a-person-turns-cold-it-s-hard-to-change-back-into-who-they-used/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [You're unhappy with your life because you give up when things don't happen fast enough for you. The bigger the goal the longer it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/you-re-unhappy-with-your-life-because-you-give-up-when-things-don-t/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Some people give up on everything just because they can't fix one thing. You might not be able to fix that, but you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-give-up-on-everything-just-because-they-can-t-fix-one/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I dont care how brokenhearted someone is if they wanted to be with you they would because the love they feel for you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/i-dont-care-how-brokenhearted-someone-is-if-they-wanted-to-be-with/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Love is when someone has the power to break your heart into a thousand pieces, but they make sure it stays in 1 piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/love-is-when-someone-has-the-power-to-break-your-heart-into-a/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) [Explore all 1,539 Sonya Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) ## More Getting hurt quotes > [“She felt something for me too, deep down I knew it, but she was just scared of getting hurt again. I could wait thought;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-moseley/she-felt-something-for-me-too-deep-down-i-knew-it-but-she-was-just/) [Kirsty Moseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-moseley/) > [After she got hurt by someone that she cared about, she's so scared to get attached again. Do you know what kind of effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callhershorty/after-she-got-hurt-by-someone-that-she-cared-about-she-s-so-scared-to/) CallHerShorty > [You're going to keep getting hurt if you don't let go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-going-to-keep-getting-hurt-if-you-don-t-let-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Telling me lies is easier for you than to tell me the truth? Well me not trusting you is easier than getting hurt by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/telling-me-lies-is-easier-for-you-than-to-tell-me-the-truth-well-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There’re no guarantees in this life, and when we risk our hearts, there’s always a chance of getting hurt. Speaking only for myself now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-force/there-re-no-guarantees-in-this-life-and-when-we-risk-our-hearts-there/) [Marie Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-force/) > [What the American people want to do is fight a war without getting hurt. You can't do that any more than you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chesty-puller/what-the-american-people-want-to-do-is-fight-a-war-without-getting/) [Chesty Puller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chesty-puller/) > [Everyone says love is easy, but falling out of love with someone who doesn't love is what makes it hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-ann/everyone-says-love-is-easy-but-falling-out-of-love-with-someone-who/) [Kathryn Ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-ann/) > [It won't ruin our movement if someone gets killed in an animal rights action. It's going to happen sooner or later. The Animal Liberation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-vlasak/it-won-t-ruin-our-movement-if-someone-gets-killed-in-an-animal-rights/) [Jerry Vlasak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-vlasak/) > [Sometimes being too nice is dangerous, you have to show your mean side once in awhile to avoid getting hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airgil/sometimes-being-too-nice-is-dangerous-you-have-to-show-your-mean-side/) [Airgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airgil/) > [It would have been funny if I had been an observer and not a participant, an idea that gave me a disconcerting insight into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-smith/it-would-have-been-funny-if-i-had-been-an-observer-and-not-a/) [Sherwood Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-smith/) > [They say that only very good friends quarrel. But at the end of the day a quarrel is a fight between two people’s egos.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-yazawa/they-say-that-only-very-good-friends-quarrel-but-at-the-end-of-the/) [Ai Yazawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-yazawa/) > [Tired of getting hurt. Tired of life. Tired of pretending. Tired of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/tired-of-getting-hurt-tired-of-life-tired-of-pretending-tired-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When somebody thinks of wrestling, the first thing they think of is getting body slammed and getting hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-cargill/when-somebody-thinks-of-wrestling-the-first-thing-they-think-of-is/) [Jade Cargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-cargill/) > [After you were bitten, i knew what would happen. I waited for you to change, every night, so i could bring you back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/after-you-were-bitten-i-knew-what-would-happen-i-waited-for-you-to/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [During the PRIDE era, I have no recollection of anyone getting hurt badly from stomps or soccer kicks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauricio-rua/during-the-pride-era-i-have-no-recollection-of-anyone-getting-hurt/) [Mauricio Rua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauricio-rua/) Browse all 458 Getting hurt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Some people act MEAN to protect themselves from getting hurt, but once they trust you they'll show you their NICE side.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sonya Parker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselves-from-getting-hurt-but-once/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Getting hurt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselves-from-getting-hurt-but-once/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fa/sonya-parker-80_getting-hurt_some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselv_109762.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some people act MEAN to protect themselves from getting hurt, but once they trust you they'll show you their…” — Sonya Parker", "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": "Sonya Parker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Some people act MEAN to protect...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselves-from-getting-hurt-but-once/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/some-people-act-mean-to-protect-themselves-from-getting-hurt-but-once/#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 } } ] } ```