--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do we allow people to abuse their…" description: "\"“Why do we allow people to abuse their children? Why don't we defend the sick and the weak? Why do we let soldiers round up our neighbors and make them..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/sylvain-reynard-765_abuse_why-do-we-allow-people-to-abuse-their-ch_2468229.jpg" --- # Why do we allow people to abuse their children? Why don't… ![“Why do we allow people to abuse their children? Why don't we defend the sick and the weak? Why do we let soldiers round up our neighbors and make them wear a star on their clothing and cram them into boxcars? It isn't God who's evil-it's us.” quote by Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/sylvain-reynard-765_abuse_why-do-we-allow-people-to-abuse-their-ch_2468229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/sylvain-reynard-765_abuse_why-do-we-allow-people-to-abuse-their-ch_2468229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e1/sylvain-reynard-765_abuse_why-do-we-allow-people-to-abuse-their-ch_2468229.jpg) > ““Why do we allow people to abuse their children? Why don't we defend the sick and the weak? Why do we let soldiers round up our neighbors and make them wear a star on their clothing and cram them into boxcars? It isn't God who's evil-it's us.”” [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage condemns humanity’s collective cruelty, blaming people for atrocities rather than a deity. **In simple terms:** People are responsible for evil acts. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront human capacity for harm. Themes morality human rights social justice Mood somber critical Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - war crimes - child abuse - political oppression - social activism Key Concepts evil collective responsibility historical oppression Questions to Reflect On - How can we prevent such abuses? - What role does accountability play? A Different Perspective Complex causes of evil may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dante/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Inferno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inferno/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) ## Related quotes > [“Like they’d never seen a hot professor before. You made quite an impression in your turtleneck.” “Ah, yes, the turtleneck. Turtles have that effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/like-they-d-never-seen-a-hot-professor-before-you-made-quite-an/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Having seen you naked, I should demand that the only thing you wear in my presence from now on are these earrings. Anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/having-seen-you-naked-i-should-demand-that-the-only-thing-you-wear-in/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Rachel looked annoyed. “Do you think he’s embarrassed by us?” “More likely he’s embarrassed by her,” said Gabriel. “She’s probably a stripper.” “Professors in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/rachel-looked-annoyed-do-you-think-he-s-embarrassed-by-us-more-likely/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“I breathe you,” he whispered. “You’re everything. 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I would have done whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/if-it-were-your-soul-i-was-after-all-the-dark-cherubim-in-hell-couldn/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“For you, my love, I would endeavor to pluck the stars from the sky, only to shower them at your feet.” “How do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/for-you-my-love-i-would-endeavor-to-pluck-the-stars-from-the-sky-only/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Growing up, she felt so unworthy of having her deepest desires satisfied, of being loved absolutely. She didn't feel that way anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/growing-up-she-felt-so-unworthy-of-having-her-deepest-desires/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Gabriel caught her hand in his and pressed his open mouth to her palm. “Julianne, you were never just my student. You’re my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/gabriel-caught-her-hand-in-his-and-pressed-his-open-mouth-to-her-palm/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“You toyed with her heart. I know what that’s like. I can have compassion for her because of that.” “I met you first,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/you-toyed-with-her-heart-i-know-what-that-s-like-i-can-have/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Life is risk. I could get cancer. Or get hit by a car. You could wrap me in bubble wrap and keep me indoors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/life-is-risk-i-could-get-cancer-or-get-hit-by-a-car-you-could-wrap-me/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) ## More by Sylvain Reynard > [“She knew that upon closer inspection Gabriel would make a lousy poker player. He had too many tells, too many ways he revealed his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/she-knew-that-upon-closer-inspection-gabriel-would-make-a-lousy-poker/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Then you’re going to take off your suit and show me just how much you missed your phone cord.” “And the attachment.” “And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/then-you-re-going-to-take-off-your-suit-and-show-me-just-how-much-you/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Don't wait too long. 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Turtles have that effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/like-they-d-never-seen-a-hot-professor-before-you-made-quite-an/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“I don’t know how to love you any other way, either,” she whispered back. “Then God have mercy on us both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/i-don-t-know-how-to-love-you-any-other-way-either-she-whispered-back/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“You toyed with her heart. I know what that’s like. I can have compassion for her because of that.” “I met you first,” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/you-toyed-with-her-heart-i-know-what-that-s-like-i-can-have/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra' That is, "Now your blessedness appears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/apparuit-iam-beatitudo-vestra-that-is-now-your-blessedness-appears/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“You tell him that — tell him he fucks with the angel at his peril.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/you-tell-him-that-tell-him-he-fucks-with-the-angel-at-his-peril/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Ever had a beer before?" Gabriel grinned. She shook her head. "Then I'm glad I'm your first." "Have you ever held a boy's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/ever-had-a-beer-before-gabriel-grinned-she-shook-her-head-then-i-m/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Chivalry in academia is dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/chivalry-in-academia-is-dead/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) [Explore all 332 Sylvain Reynard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) ## 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": "“Why do we allow people to abuse their children? Why don't we defend the sick and the weak? Why do we let soldiers round up our neighbors and make them wear a star on their clothing and cram them into boxcars? 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