The law is a gun, which if it misses a pigeon always kills a crow; if it does not strike the guilty, it hits someone else. As every crime creates a law, so in turn every law creates a crime.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
It is difficult to say who do you the most mischief, enemies with the worst intentions, or friends with the best.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the potential for harm caused by both enemies and friends, highlighting the complexities of human relationships.
This quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton draws attention to the idea that both enemies and friends can cause harm in different ways. While enemies may act with malicious intent, friends may inadvertently cause greater mischief through misguided actions, emphasizing the importance of being cautious in the trust we place in others and the potential consequences of their actions, regardless of their intentions.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a discussion on the nature of trust in relationships during a psychology seminar.
The law is a gun, which if it misses a pigeon always kills a crow; if it does not strike the guilty, it hits someone else. As every crime creates a law, so in turn every law creates a crime.
The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.
There are two lives to each of us, the life of our actions, and the life of our minds and hearts. History reveals men's deeds and their outward characters, but not themselves. There is a secret self that has its own life, unpenetrated and unguessed.
A chord, stronger or weaker, is snapped asunder in every parting, and time's busy fingers are not practiced in re-splicing broken ties. Meet again you may; will it be in the same way? With the same sympathies? With the same sentiments? Will the souls, hurrying on in diverse paths, unite once more, as if the interval had been a dream? Rarely, rarely!
No author ever drew a character consistent to human nature, but he was forced to ascribe to it many inconsistencies.
Revenge is a common passion; it is the sin of the uninstructed. The savage deems it noble;but the religion of Christ, which is the sublime civilizer, emphatically condemns it. Why? Because religion ever seeks to ennoble man; and nothing so debases him as revenge.
This is not love. It is a crime... You can't look the other way just because you have not experienced domestic violence with your own flesh.
I never understood that when I heard people retire - they said they missed being around the guys. I don't have a need to make a play in the ninth inning of a game anymore. But being on the inside and being part of a team is something that you really do value and you really do miss.
One of life's terrible truths is that women like guys who seem to know what they're doing.
Many women cut back what had to be done at home by redefining what the house, the marriage and, sometimes, what the child needs. One woman described a fairly common pattern: I do my half. I do half of his half, and the rest doesn't get done.
How do you live with one person for 13 years and another for eight and find both as alien as strangers?
Even an animal, if you show genuine affection, gradually trust develops... If you always showing bad face and beating, how can you develop friendship?
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