There's a lot of problems with the phrase, but there's also a very human germ of truth to "hurt people hurt people." It's not, and never can be, an excuse for abuse and malfeasance, but it does identify a pattern --- when we're hurting, it's easier to accidentally hurt others.

I think about that as I watch the immense amount of barely checked harm that the Trump administration and fascists movements more generally are inflicting. We're all stressed as fuck, and it's easy to hurt each other.