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Retribution Quotes

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Retribution Quotes

“I am convinced that imprisonment is a way of pretending to solve the problem of crime. It does nothing for the victims of crime, but perpetuates the idea of retribution, thus maintaining the endless cycle of violence in our culture. It is a cruel and useless substitute for the elimination of those conditions--poverty, unemployment, homelessness, desperation, racism, greed--which are at the root of most punished crime. The crimes of the rich and powerful go mostly unpunished. It must surely be a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit that even a small number of those men and women in the hell of the prison system survive it and hold on to their humanity.”

JusticePovertyRacismPrisonGreedPunishmentJailUnemploymentDesperationHomelessnessRetributionImprisonmentIncarcerationCriminal Justice SystemCrimesCycle Of Violence
Book:You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times
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“I don’t kill people in large numbers like you did. People that never raised a hand at you,” I said, full of disgust. “You weren’t forced to kill. You loved to kill. Your sadism was contagious, like an infectious disease. It knows no bounds. You break people, you put them together broken, and they become your shadow long after you’re dead. Your wickedness infects one generation after another. You’re the true face of evil.” I stepped forward. He stepped back. His furry hooves clacked on the floor. He appeared uglier now that I could scan the whole of his body. Top half a soldier with the face blown off; the bottom half a goat. What a sight. This was his form in the afterlife.”

EvilHellKarmaAfterlifeRetribution
Book:The Devil from the Deep: Part Six: The Constant Companion Tales
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“He could not believe that any of them might actually hit somebody. If one did, what a nowhere way to go: killed by accident; slain not as an individual but by sheer statistical probability, by the calculated chance of searching fire, even as he himself might be at any moment. Mathematics! Mathematics! Algebra! Geometry! When 1st and 3d Squads came diving and tumbling back over the tiny crest, Bell was content to throw himself prone, press his cheek to the earth, shut his eyes, and lie there. God, oh, God! Why am I here? Why am I here? After a moment's thought, he decided he better change it to: why are we here. That way, no agency of retribution could exact payment from him for being selfish.”

DeathFearMathematicsSelfishnessStatisticsWarfareProbabilityPaymentGeometryRetributionAlgebraMachine GunsBell
Book:The Thin Red Line
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“After reading Burgum, [Patricia Highsmith] wrote in her cahier that, like Kafka, she felt she was a pessimist, unable to formulate a system in which an individual could believe in God, government or self. Again like Kafka, she looked into the great abyss which separated the spiritual and the material and saw the terrifying emptiness, the hollowness, at the heart of every man, a sense of alienation she felt compelled to explore in her fiction. As her next hero, she would take an architect, 'a young man whose authority is art and therefore himself,' who when he murders, 'feels no guilt or even fear when he thinks of legal retribution'. The more she read of Kafka the more she felt afraid as she came to realise, 'I am so similar to him.”

HeartArtSelfGovernmentSpiritualIndividualBeliefFearFictionAuthorityMurderGuiltEmptinessPessimismAutismAbyssAlienationPessimistSystemRetributionExploreKafkaMaterialHollownessTerrifyingGog
Book:Patricia Highsmith, ζωή στο σκοτάδι
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“We are all guilty of sin, error, and moments of sheer stupidity; none of us should be casting stones. The occasional arced pebble might be overlooked.”

SinCriticismBlameGuiltRevengeRichelle GoodrichSpiteGossipRichelle E GoodrichRichelleVengeanceRetributionJudgeJudging OthersPaybackAccusationsReprisal
Book:Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year
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“Remembering the treatment that had been accorded the Knights and soldiers of St. Elmo, the Maltese inhabitants of Senglea took no prisoners. Hence there arose the expression (used in Malta to this day) 'St. Elmo's pay' for any action in which no mercy is given.”

WarMercyRevengeRetributionSt Elmo
Book:The Great Siege, Malta 1565: Clash of Cultures: Christian Knights Defend Western Civilization Against the Moslem Tide
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“[On kneeling down at the Warsaw Ghetto Monument during his 1970 state visit to Poland:] "Es war eine ungewöhnliche Last, die ich auf meinem Weg nach Warschau mitnahm. Nirgends hatte das Volk, hatten die Menschen so gelitten wie in Polen. Die maschinelle Vernichtung der polnischen Judenheit stellte eine Steigerung der Mordlust dar, die niemand für möglich gehalten hatte. [...] Ich hatte nichts geplant, aber Schloß Wilanow, wo ich untergebracht war, in dem Gefühl verlassen, die Besonderheit des Gedenkens am Ghetto-Monument zum Ausdruck bringen zu müssen. Am Abgrund der deutschen Geschichte und unter der Last der Millionen Ermordeten tat ich, was Menschen tun, wenn die Sprache versagt. Ich weiß es auch nach zwanzig Jahren nicht besser als jener Berichterstatter, der festhielt: 'Dann kniet er, der das nicht nötig hat, für alle, die es nötig haben, aber nicht knien – weil sie es nicht wagen oder nicht können oder nicht wagen können.'" ("I took an extraordinary burden to Warsaw. Nowhere else had a people suffered as much as in Poland. The robotic mass annihilation of the Polish Jews had brought human blood lust to a climax which nobody had considered possible. [...] Although I had made no plans, I left my accommodations at Wilanow Castle feeling that I was called upon to mark in some way the special moment of commemoration at the Ghetto Monument. At the abyss of German history and burdened by millions of murdered humans, I acted in the way of those whom language fails. Even twenty years later, I wouldn't know better than the journalist who recorded the moment by saying, 'Then he, who would not need to do this, kneels down in lieu of all those who should, but who do not kneel down – because they do not dare, cannot kneel, or cannot dare to kneel.'") [Note: The quotation used by Brandt is from the article Ein Stück Heimkehr [A Partial Homecoming] (Hermann Schreiber/ Der Spiegel No. 51/1970, Dec. 14, 1970]”

RegretSorrowRacismReconciliationRetributionPolandJewsNazisKneelingMass MurderShoahWarsaw GhettoGenuflection
Book:Erinnerungen
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“Once you are in power, never forget those who put you there. Deal with those who think they can do better than you and those who think you are god's representative on earth. Deal with each other according to his actions”

PoliticalPoliticsPowerAmbitionRewardsSurvivorDictatorshipCompetingPoliticiansPolitical PhilosophyPolitical CorrectnessSurviveRetributionSurvival InstinctRewardThe Great Pearl Of WisdomSurvival Of The FittestAmbitionsAbsolute PowerBangambikiSurvival QuotesSurvival StoryAmbition QuotesSurviving LifeLies PoliticsCompetition QuotesLust For PowerAmbition And AttitudeSurvivalistPower PoliticsSurvivalismMisuse Of PowerAmbition QuotePolitical AmbitionMachiavellianSurvival Is The Name Of The GameReward QuotesAmbition Life AmbitionsLove Of PowerCompetition And AttitudeMacchiavelliPolitical Ambition QuotesPower AddictionCompetition With OthersCompeting With OthersMaintaining PowerCompetition Is Not Real LoveCompetitionsRetribution Quotes
Book:Pearls Of Eternity
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“The essence of justice lies in punishment proportional to the harm, not merely to restore what was taken or lost, but to uphold the moral and social order, affirm the dignity of the wronged, and deter future transgressions, acknowledging that while restoration heals in its many forms, retribution primarily balances the scales of accountability.”

PoliticsLeadershipJusticeDemocracyPunishmentFairnessReconciliationRetributionJustice SystemEquity And Justice
Author:Njau Kihia
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“Franval, who was now absolutely at ease, thought on,y of upsetting others; he behaved in his vindictive, unruly, impetuous way when he was disturbed; he desired his own tranquility again at any price, and in order to obtain it he clumsily adopted the only means most likely to make him lose it once again. If he obtained it he used all his moral and physical facilities only to do harm to others; he was therefore always in a state of agitation, he had either to anticipate the wiles which he forced others to employ against him, or else he had to use them against others.”

KarmaConsequencesWickednessRetributionConsequences Of EvilLaw Of BalanceNo Rest For The Wicked
Book:Gothic Tales of the Marquis de Sade
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“Systems of retributive justice work well as long as they are proportional. However, in complex societies, where the State is the arbiter of justice, proportionality may break down: offences created by the elite few become offences against the entire community.”

JusticeRetributionThe StateProportionalityOffences
Book:Entheogens, Society and Law: The Politics of Consciousness, Autonomy and Responsibility
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“Most reincarnationists also believe that the universe is governed by the Law of Karma. This law maintains that the world is just, and justice is equated with retribution. Everything good that happens to a human being is a reward for some previous good deed, and everything bad is punishment for an evil deed. The following is the formulation of the Law of Karma by Rayner Johnson, a leading academic reincarnationist: "Whatsoever a man sows, whether in the field of action or thought, sometime and somewhere the fruits of it will be reaped by him." It is not of course denied that for many of their good acts human beings are not rewarded and for many of their evil deeds they are not punished in the present life, but in that case the appropriate rewards and punishments will come in a later life, just as the happiness and unhappiness in the present life are frequently rewards and punishments for deeds in earlier lives.”

SpiritualityJusticeKarmaReincarnationRetributionReincarnation Quotes
Author:Paul Edwards
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“I turned to my kitchen to put the final touch on my dish--- a splash of black aged vinegar to the broth. The acidity provided a better balance in the overall flavor. Black pieces of the desert silkie floated like ebony islands against the rich cinnabar shade of the hot pot broth. Amidst the bubbling broth, the vegetables--- deep green leaves with orange, dark pink, and light green blossoms--- created a kaleidoscope of tropical colors. It told a visual story of Lupong surrounded by the turbulent Singing Sea--- how the humble Peninsula was a vibrant place, despite the Continent's view that it was a desolate backwater. It was the defiant testament that we existed. Our sovereignty was important, and the Empress had no right to invade our land and our home. This dish was a reminder that winning the peaches of immortality would mean freedom for the Peninsula. I wanted the Empress to eat my defiance.”

SymbolicDefianceRetributionVinegarChickenHot Pot
Book:Celestial Banquet
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“What happened to the perp?” “Perp?” “The piece of crap who tried to kill my wife. Where is he now?” There was a pause, then, “Well, uh, you see, the guy—he’s in the parking lot right now.” “What’s he doing there? Is he being arrested?” “Actually, he’s resting. As a matter of fact, he’s going to be resting for a really long time.” Nick understood the term. “Tommy, by any chance did he stumble upon an open window?”

AngerRetributionPaybackMobster
Book:A Touch of Deceit
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“You're a liar, and worse-- you broke my heart. You're not a mother. You're a villain." Gothel's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened and hung there as though even she was a little curious as to what she would say, what words would come and bring the situation back under her control. "I would rather take my chances with an honest villain like Bathory!" Rapunzel hissed. "Get out of my sight and never let me see you again!" "Or what?" Gothel asked, a knowing, nasty tone in her voice: her real voice. "What could you do to me, Rapunzel? I am your mother, and besides that I control all of these sword-playing idiots." "Did you forget that I'm a crown princess? And a powerful witch who can control her hair now. Or did you think the castle just fell on its own today? "Either way, your time with me is over, if you know what is good for you." The two women glared at each other. And after a minute, Rapunzel realized that's what they were: two women. Despite being younger and shorter than Gothel, she wasn't a girl anymore. She had power and will and a stubborn disposition. "Go. Now," she ordered. "Never approach me again." Her mother started to growl something-- "What's that? I can't hear you. All that mumbling," Rapunzel said airily, and walked away, turning her back on the woman forever.”

VillainRetributionRapunzelRighteous AngerMic DropMother GothelMumblingNever Turn Back
Book:What Once Was Mine
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“Just because I do not accept the teachings of the devotaries does not mean I've discarded a belief in right and wrong." "But the Almighty determines what is right!" "Must someone, some unseen thing, declare what is right for it to be right? I believe that my own morality -- which answers only to my heart -- is more sure and true than the morality of those who do right only because they fear retribution.”

HeartReligionBeliefMoralityEthicsHumanismPunishmentWrongRightAltruismRetribution
Book:The Way of Kings
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