If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust; the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should - so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker argues that yielding to cruelty only encourages it, and that self-defense is necessary to teach wrongdoers a lesson.
- In plain terms
- If you always let bad people win, they will keep hurting you; you must fight back.
- What can you take from it?
- Standing up to cruelty prevents it from growing worse.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is it right to fight back?
- How do you handle cruelty?
Another view
Retaliation can escalate conflict rather than resolve it.
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