#wrongdoing

The primitive idea of justice is partly legalized revenge and partly expiation by sacrifice. It works out from both sides in the notion that two blacks make a white, and that when a wrong has been done, it should be paid for by an equivalent suffering. It seems to the Philistine majority a matter of course that this compensating suffering should be inflicted on the wrongdoer for the sake of its deterrent effect on other would-be wrongdoers; but a moment's reflection will shew that this utilitarian application corrupts the whole transaction. For example, the shedding of blood cannot be balanced by the shedding of guilty blood. Sacrificing a criminal to propitiate God for the murder of one of his righteous servants is like sacrificing a mangy sheep or an ox with the rinderpest: it calls down divine wrath instead of appeasing it. In doing it we offer God as a sacrifice the gratification of our own revenge and the protection of our own lives without cost to ourselves; and cost to ourselves is the essence of sacrifice and expiation. ↗

— George Bernard Shaw

#death-penalty #justice #punishment #wrongdoing #death

Things only looked wrong when there was someone to see you. ↗

— Anna Godbersen

#wrongdoing #conscience

Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean. ↗

— Aldous Huxley

#brooding #guilt #morality #remorse #repentance

Diana knew it wouldn't be right, but then she told herself that things only looked wrong when there was someone to see you. ↗

— Anna Godbersen

#wrongdoing #guilt

Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or silly action for no other reason than because he knows he should not? Have we not a perpetual inclination, in the teeth of our best judgement, to violate that which is Law, merely because we understand it to be such? ↗

— Edgar Allan Poe

#wrongdoing #judgement

Government lawyers have a duty to disclose evidence of wrongdoing in the government. ↗

— Ken Starr

#duty #evidence #government #lawyers #wrongdoing

For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed? ↗

— Bell Hooks

#always #believe #capacity #compassion #enough

People should be allowed to document evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Where is the expectation of privacy if someone is conspiring to commit crime? ↗

— Linda Tripp

#commit #conspiring #crime #criminal #document

I would rather be a conscious wrongdoer than a mindless saint. ↗

— Habeeb Akande

#forgiveness #god #god-consciousness #mindful-of-god #piety

We beat the drum slowly and played the fife lowly, and bitterly wept as we bore him along. For we all loved our comrade so brave, young and handsome, we all loved our comrade although he'd done wrong." The Cowboy's Lament ↗

— Leif Enger

#forgiveness #wrongdoing #forgiveness