Body Acceptance Project

Body Acceptance Project

Share this post

Body Acceptance Project
Body Acceptance Project
Hurt People hurt people.

Hurt People hurt people.

Cliché, or the key to dealing with yourself?

Kathryn Gates, LMFT's avatar
Kathryn Gates, LMFT
Jul 28, 2022
∙ Paid
Share
orange tabby cat in close up photography
Photo by Safoora Taimoor on Unsplash

Allegedly first quoted in an Amarillo paper in 1959, “hurt people hurt people” has been tossed around for awhile to remind us to take step back before reacting to our own hurt but slinging it on others, and more currently (and more selfishly) to keep us mindful of why someone else may be mean to us.

 Remember that people are the least lovable when they are most in need of love.

This was a lesson that, once I learned it, made dealing with difficult people a little easier. Empathy improves relationships. This idiom acknowledges that happy people, who feel secure and accepted, aren’t mean people. A person acts like an asshole because they are hurting.

What happens when you apply this rationale to yourself?

Could it be that a body that is broken or “disfigured” needs more care, compassion and kudos than whatever you have told yourself is an ideal body?

headless angel statue
Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Body Acceptance Project to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Kathryn Gates
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share