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I have no special regard for Satan; but, I can at least claim that I have no prejudice against him. It may even be that I lean a little his way, on account of his not having a fair show. All religions issue bibles against him, and say the most injurious things about him, but we never hear his side. We have none but the evidence for the prosecution, and yet we have rendered the verdict. To my mind, this is irregular. It is un-English, it is un-American; it is French.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens#98

CultureReligionJudgmentJustice

About this quote

What does it mean?
I have no special regard for Satan, nor prejudice against him; his side is never heard, making the judgment against him irregular and un‑American.
In plain terms
We judge Satan without hearing his perspective, which is unfair.
What can you take from it?
One should consider all sides before forming judgments.

Where it applies

  • debates on religion
  • legal ethics

Putting it to work

  • seek opposing viewpoints
  • avoid one‑sided condemnation

Questions to consider

  • What does it mean to be 'un‑American' in judging?
  • How can we ensure fairness in moral judgments?

Another view

The analogy to Satan may not translate to real‑world judgments.

More from Samuel Langhorne Clemens

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  2. The Jew is not a disturber of the peace of any country. Even his enemies will concede that. He is not a loafer, he is not a sot, he is not noisy, he is not a b…

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  3. To string incongruities and absurdities together in a wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and seem innocently unaware that they are absurdities, is the ba…

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