--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He is a hard man who is only just, and a…" description: "\"He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png" --- # He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is… ![“He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png) > “He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person may be both harsh and just, or sad and wise, showing that traits often coexist **In simple terms:** Hardness and justice, sadness and wisdom can coexist Key Takeaway Recognize complexity in people Themes human nature paradox wisdom Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership decisions Key Concepts justice hardness wisdom sadness Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile conflicting traits in others? - Can a hard person be just? A Different Perspective Oversimplifying traits ignores nuance ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-man-574368/) [Just Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-sad/) [Man Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-just/) [Sad Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-wise-2431554/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [Whether you are happy or whether you are sad, it is wise to remember you are really in process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/whether-you-are-happy-or-whether-you-are-sad-it-is-wise-to-remember/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Poverty makes you sad as well as wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/poverty-makes-you-sad-as-well-as-wise/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [A sad, wise valor is the brave complexion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-sad-wise-valor-is-the-brave-complexion/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [It's hard to be a man But I'm doing all I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayday-parade/it-s-hard-to-be-a-man-but-i-m-doing-all-i-can/) [Mayday Parade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayday-parade/) > [Don't play hard to get with a man who's hard to get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-play-hard-to-get-with-a-man-who-s-hard-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An unfulfilled life makes a hard man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/an-unfulfilled-life-makes-a-hard-man/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“He’s a hard man to like and a very easy man to love. But he’s nearly impossible to understand,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-a-hard-man-to-like-and-a-very-easy-man-to-love-but-he-s-nearly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“N it's fuckin well beyond violence, it's beyond even sexual; it's a kind ay love, a fuckin bizarre, vain-glorious self-adoration, way past the fuckin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/n-it-s-fuckin-well-beyond-violence-it-s-beyond-even-sexual-it-s-a/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It's hard for any man to take something thrown at his face and not to retaliate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jackson/it-s-hard-for-any-man-to-take-something-thrown-at-his-face-and-not-to/) [Stephen Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jackson/) > [“it's so easy to be a poet and so hard to be a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/it-s-so-easy-to-be-a-poet-and-so-hard-to-be-a-man/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I'm a pretty tough guy, you know. 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I was just a hard man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/but-contrary-to-what-some-people-seem-to-think-i-was-never-a-bully-i/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [Ball so hard man I gotta go pro once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/ball-so-hard-man-i-gotta-go-pro-once/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [Where I come from, being a hard man is being able to take a good beating and then get back up again and carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rourke/where-i-come-from-being-a-hard-man-is-being-able-to-take-a-good/) [Mickey Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rourke/) > [But it's hard for a man to give up all his pleasures, even when they don't pleasure him no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/but-it-s-hard-for-a-man-to-give-up-all-his-pleasures-even-when-they/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Hard quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is hard to admit to someone that you love him..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misherie/it-is-hard-to-admit-to-someone-that-you-love-him/) [Misherie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misherie/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [There Was Many Time I Had Wanted To Give Up In Life On So Many Things…But Naw F\*\*\* That...I'm Not Going To Never Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/out-spoken/there-was-many-time-i-had-wanted-to-give-up-in-life-on-so-many-things/) [Out Spoken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/out-spoken/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [In our society we have hard nerds and soft nerds. The hard nerds are the ones who used to have the slide rules at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/in-our-society-we-have-hard-nerds-and-soft-nerds-the-hard-nerds-are/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) [Browse all 29,826 Hard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltaire" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a-sad-one-who-is-only-wise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a-sad-one-who-is-only-wise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bf/voltaire-173_hard_he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a_242788.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He is a hard man who is only just, and a sad one who is only wise.” — Voltaire", "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": "Voltaire", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He is a hard man who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a-sad-one-who-is-only-wise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/he-is-a-hard-man-who-is-only-just-and-a-sad-one-who-is-only-wise/#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 } } ] } ```