--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who demands mercy and shows none ruins…" description: "\"He who demands mercy and shows none ruins the bridge over which he himself is to pass.\" — Thomas Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/thomas-adams-13989_bridge_he-who-demands-mercy-and-shows-none-ruin_2230912.png" --- # He who demands mercy and shows none ruins the bridge over… ![“He who demands mercy and shows none ruins the bridge over which he himself is to pass.” quote by Thomas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/thomas-adams-13989_bridge_he-who-demands-mercy-and-shows-none-ruin_2230912.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/thomas-adams-13989_bridge_he-who-demands-mercy-and-shows-none-ruin_2230912.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/thomas-adams-13989_bridge_he-who-demands-mercy-and-shows-none-ruin_2230912.png) > “He who demands mercy and shows none ruins the bridge over which he himself is to pass.” [Thomas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Demanding mercy while withholding it creates self‑destructive hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** Hypocrisy harms you. Key Takeaway Practice the mercy you seek. Themes ethics hypocrisy reciprocity Mood thoughtful serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - conflict resolution - personal conduct Key Concepts moral philosophy social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you model the mercy you desire? - What steps help you avoid hypocrisy? A Different Perspective Changing behavior is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridge/) [Bridge Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridge-pass-1278604/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Demands Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands-mercy-5019148/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Ruins Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins-bridge-5019149/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) ## Related quotes > [He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-who-cannot-forgive-breaks-the-bridge-over-which-he-himself-must/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/those-who-cannot-forgive-others-break-the-bridge-over-which-they/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [It's never a good idea to burn your bridges, the more you have the further you can go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sotelo/it-s-never-a-good-idea-to-burn-your-bridges-the-more-you-have-the/) [Michael Sotelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sotelo/) > [Bridge is one of the last games in which the computer is not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/bridge-is-one-of-the-last-games-in-which-the-computer-is-not-better/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Never burn bridges - You never know who you will need help from in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-burn-bridges-you-never-know-who-you-will-need-help-from-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Faith becomes a bridge between where I am and where I want to go- it is a substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-becomes-a-bridge-between-where-i-am-and-where-i-want-to-go-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes you have to burn bridges to keep pests from following you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/sometimes-you-have-to-burn-bridges-to-keep-pests-from-following-you/) [Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/) > [Bridge shortens the roads; wisdom does the same!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bridge-shortens-the-roads-wisdom-does-the-same/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Winter makes a bridge between one year and another and, in this case, one century and the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/winter-makes-a-bridge-between-one-year-and-another-and-in-this-case/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [Sometimes burning bridges isn't a bad thing. 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Make wider roads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-adams/plan-the-town-if-you-like-but-in-doing-it-do-not-forget-that-you-have/) [Thomas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-adams/) [Explore all 48 Thomas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-adams/) ## More Bridge quotes > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Art is what gets us beyond what is real. It makes reality more real. 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A bridge wants to not be. If it could choose its shape, a bridge would be no shape,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/houses-built-on-bridges-are-scandals-a-bridge-wants-to-not-be-if-it/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [Bridge the gap with closed minds though careful dissection of ideas and solid presentation of fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/bridge-the-gap-with-closed-minds-though-careful-dissection-of-ideas/) [Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/) > [I remember, many years ago, coming over the Brooklyn Bridge in the night and seeing the skyline of Manhattan, with the Twin Towers. 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