David Hume
Philosopher, Historian
"Mohammed praises [instances of] tretchery, inhumanity, cruelty, revenge, and bigotry that are utterly incompatible with civilized society."
Cruelty quotes
Cruelty
125 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Alice Walker
Novelist, Poet
"Human compassion is equal to human cruelty, and it is up to each of us to tip the balance."
T. S. Eliot
Poet, Playwright
"Love compels cruelty To those who do not understand love."
Leon Trotsky
Revolutionary, Politician
"In a serious struggle there is no worse cruelty than to be magnanimous at an inopportune time."
Robert Jordan
Author
"In a cruel land, you either learned to laugh at cruelty or spent your life weeping."
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Browse quotes that often appear alongside cruelty — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
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Cruelty quotes (page 1 of 7)
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"Men are cruel, but Man is kind."
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"How much longer is the world willing to endure this spectacle of wanton cruelty?"
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"Cruelty and intolerance to those who do not belong to it are natural to every religion."
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"War is cruelty, and none can make it gentle."
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"I traded cowardice for cruelty; I traded weakness for ferocity."
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"Kindness is the beginning of cruelty."
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"I'm very touched on a deep level by cruelty to animals."
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"The only unforgivable sin is deliberate cruelty."
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"Cruelty is a tyrant that's always attended with fear."
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"Cruelty in the theatre is unrelenting decisiveness, diligence, strictness."
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"Cruelty is easy, cheap and rampant."
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"I think that any time anybody gets rid of oppression, intervention, exploitation, cruelty - that's positive."
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"Cruelties should be committed all at once."
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"Deliberate cruelty is unforgivable. --Blanche Dubois"
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"An infallible characteristic of meanness is cruelty."
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"Sin is cruelty and injustice, all else is peccadillo."
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"Cruelty would be delicious if one could only find some sort of cruelty that didn't really hurt."
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"cruelty and benevolence are but shades of the same colour."
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"I always felt that with luxury came cruelty. I do my best to live a happy, prosperous life, but I don't indulge in a lot of luxury."
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"A good thing can't be cruel."
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