---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Insults sting but a little when they stem…"
description: "\"Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's ignorance.\" — Susan Wiggs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg"
---

#  Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's…

![“Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's ignorance.” quote by Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg)

> “Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's ignorance.”

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Insults hurt more when they arise from a man's lack of knowledge, highlighting the link between ignorance and harmful words.

**In simple terms:** Ignorant people can cause painful insults.

Key Takeaway

Seek knowledge to reduce harmful speech.

Themes

communication education empathy

Mood

reflective critical

Type

psychological ethical

When to use this quote

- online comments
- workplace feedback
- personal relationships
- public debates

Key Concepts

ignorance psychology of insult

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can we take to educate before criticizing?
- How does awareness change our reaction to insults?

A Different Perspective

Not all insults stem from ignorance; intent matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Insults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insults/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/)

## Related quotes

> [It has been the scheme of the Christian Church, and of all the other invented systems of religion, to hold man in ignorance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-been-the-scheme-of-the-christian-church-and-of-all-the-other/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [Every now and then you meet a man whose ignorance is encyclopedic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/every-now-and-then-you-meet-a-man-whose-ignorance-is-encyclopedic/)

[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/)

> [The men on the trading floor may not have been to school, but they have Ph.D.’s in man’s ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-men-on-the-trading-floor-may-not-have-been-to-school-but-they/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“O The irony of man of ignorance; haughtinesses; and tyranny , he thinks he's past generation did not repeat the same way of harming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-gentlemen/o-the-irony-of-man-of-ignorance-haughtinesses-and-tyranny-he-thinks/)

[A Gentlemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-gentlemen/)

> [It is confidently expected that the period is at hand, when man, through ignorance, shall not much longer inflict unnecessary misery on man; because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-owen/it-is-confidently-expected-that-the-period-is-at-hand-when-man/)

[Robert Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-owen/)

> [The more one thinks, the more one feels the hopeless immensity of man's ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-more-one-thinks-the-more-one-feels-the-hopeless-immensity-of-man/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [Spontaneity is only a term for man's ignorance of the gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/spontaneity-is-only-a-term-for-man-s-ignorance-of-the-gods/)

[Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/)

> [Ignorance the coke man, ignorance is bliss, ignorance is love and I need that shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/ignorance-the-coke-man-ignorance-is-bliss-ignorance-is-love-and-i/)

[Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/)

> [“How merciful a thing is man's ignorance of his immediate future! What a ghastly, paralysing thing it would have been if all those present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/how-merciful-a-thing-is-man-s-ignorance-of-his-immediate-future-what/)

[Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/)

> [“A man’s ignorance sometimes is not only useful, but beautiful, while his knowledge, so called, is oftentimes worse than useless beside being ugly. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-man-s-ignorance-sometimes-is-not-only-useful-but-beautiful-while-2/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Human values are born with man. They are not got from outside. Man in his ignorance is not aware of these values. when man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/human-values-are-born-with-man-they-are-not-got-from-outside-man-in/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

> [A man's ignorance sometimes is not only useful, but beautiful-while his knowledge, so called, is oftentimes worse than useless, besides being ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-man-s-ignorance-sometimes-is-not-only-useful-but-beautiful-while/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The extent of a man's ignorance is not measured in what he does not know, but in what he refuses to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-extent-of-a-man-s-ignorance-is-not-measured-in-what-he-does-not/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Man's ignorance of the Law of Love in personal and world relationships will not serve as an excuse to save him from disaster. Wealth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell/man-s-ignorance-of-the-law-of-love-in-personal-and-world/)

[Walter Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell/)

> [Ignorance to cope, man ignorance is bliss, ignorance is love and I need that shit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/ignorance-to-cope-man-ignorance-is-bliss-ignorance-is-love-and-i-need/)

[Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/)

## More by Susan Wiggs

> [“They basked in the sweet-scented breeze, and felt the sunshine warming their bare heads. Petals drifted from the gnarled apple and cherry trees, creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/they-basked-in-the-sweet-scented-breeze-and-felt-the-sunshine-warming/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“Here, he felt like a stranger in a strange- and extremely seductive- land. In contrast to the places of his past, Bella Vista seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/here-he-felt-like-a-stranger-in-a-strange-and-extremely-seductive/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [Teachers are by nature idealists, and they believe anything can be learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/teachers-are-by-nature-idealists-and-they-believe-anything-can-be/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“Again, he had the urge to touch her. She was just... delicious to him. He couldn't understand it. He'd never felt so drawn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/again-he-had-the-urge-to-touch-her-she-was-just-delicious-to-him-he/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“There can be no fooling ourselves into thinking this is something other than what it is—the willful ejection of Molly from our nest. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/there-can-be-no-fooling-ourselves-into-thinking-this-is-something/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“She caught herself working so hard at mothering that she forgot to enjoy her children. -from ~Homecoming Season~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/she-caught-herself-working-so-hard-at-mothering-that-she-forgot-to/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“Already, Seattle is taking hold of her. She still holds Sedona in the dry tan of her skin and in her hair, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/already-seattle-is-taking-hold-of-her-she-still-holds-sedona-in-the/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“The time for falling in love was when you were emotionally available and free of cares, when it didn’t matter what time you came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/the-time-for-falling-in-love-was-when-you-were-emotionally-available/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“In this life, I had all I ever wanted. Losing Erik was a sadness that knit itself into my soul, but that sadness was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/in-this-life-i-had-all-i-ever-wanted-losing-erik-was-a-sadness-that/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“I’m fat, okay? Getting rid of my braces and glasses is not going to change that.” “Stop it,” Camille said. God, why were teenagers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/i-m-fat-okay-getting-rid-of-my-braces-and-glasses-is-not-going-to/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“There is more real wealth in a pound of honey, or a load of manure for that matter, than all the currency in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/there-is-more-real-wealth-in-a-pound-of-honey-or-a-load-of-manure-for/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“loved coming here. It always felt so…safe. I was allowed to read any book I wanted. No one interrupted me, or if they did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/loved-coming-here-it-always-felt-so-safe-i-was-allowed-to-read-any/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [Scary thought - what if I get to know myself and I'm someone I don't want to be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/scary-thought-what-if-i-get-to-know-myself-and-i-m-someone-i-don-t/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

> [“What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time. —John Berger, English art critic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/what-makes-photography-a-strange-invention-is-that-its-primary-raw/)

[Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

[Explore all 138 Susan Wiggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/)

## More Ignorance quotes

> [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/)

[Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/)

> [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self, then ignorance is better than such knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-sanai/if-knowledge-does-not-liberate-the-self-from-the-self-then-ignorance/)

[Hakim Sanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-sanai/)

> [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/)

Vashti Quiroz-Vega

> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-only-victories-which-leave-no-regret-are-those-which-are-gained/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/)

John P Lintz Sr

> [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/)

[Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/)

[Browse all 5,657 Ignorance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's ignorance.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Susan Wiggs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-stem-from-a-man-s-ignorance/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ignorance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-stem-from-a-man-s-ignorance/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bd/susan-wiggs-3167_ignorance_insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-ste_679215.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's ignorance.” — Susan Wiggs",
                "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": "Susan Wiggs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Insults sting but a little when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-stem-from-a-man-s-ignorance/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/insults-sting-but-a-little-when-they-stem-from-a-man-s-ignorance/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
