QuoteProject
Censure acquits the raven, but pursues the dove.
Juvenal
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that criticism tends to target the innocent while overlooking the guilty.

Juvenal's quote highlights the paradox of societal censure, where those who are virtuous or innocent (the dove) often face scrutiny and rejection, while those who are malevolent or guilty (the raven) escape condemnation. This reflects a broader commentary on human nature and societal justice, indicating that the moral compass of society sometimes misdirects its focus, leading to unjust treatment of those who are deserving of protection instead of blame.

Themes

CensureInnocenceJusticeSocietyCriticism

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about ethics in society, one might use this quote to emphasize how often innocent people are unfairly judged.

More from Juvenal

Revenge is sweeter than life itself. So think fools.
JuvenalRead
Peace visits not the guilty mind.
JuvenalRead
An incurable itch for scribbling takes possession of many, and grows inveterate in their insane breasts.
JuvenalRead
Poverty is bitter, but it has no harder pang than that it makes men ridiculous.
JuvenalRead
All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price.
JuvenalRead
This is his first punishment, that by the verdict of his own heart no guilty man is acquitted.
JuvenalRead

Similar quotes

To understand the true quality of people, you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions.
Marcus AureliusRead
When all the arguments have been forgotten, this central fact will remain. The two nations fought a single war, and their quarrels were the quarrels of brothers.
Henry L. StimsonRead
What's quote-unquote a 'good' lawyer, doctor, or whatever the profession is. And if you're a male who grew up professionally in a male-dominated profession then your image of what a good lawyer is is a male image.
Sonia SotomayorRead
The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers must do service and all talents swear allegiance.
Friedrich SchillerRead
We musn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something that young people don't want to think about. We musn't forget that our bodies decline, friends die, everyone forgets about us, and the end is solitude. Nor must we forget that these old people were young once, that a lifespan is pathetically short, that one day you're twenty and the next day you're eighty.
Muriel BarberyRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.