--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who is punished is never he who…" description: "\"He who is punished is never he who performed the deed. He is always the scapegoat.\" — Friedrich Nietzsche" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg" --- # He who is punished is never he who performed the deed. He… ![“He who is punished is never he who performed the deed. He is always the scapegoat.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg) > “He who is punished is never he who performed the deed. He is always the scapegoat.” [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punishment often falls on the innocent, while the true perpetrator escapes accountability. **In simple terms:** The guilty avoid blame; the innocent suffer. Key Takeaway Question justice and protect the vulnerable. Themes justice responsibility power guilt victimhood Mood critical reflective serious Type ethical philosophical social When to use this quote - legal systems - workplace conflicts - family disputes - political scandals - media narratives Key Concepts moral philosophy social dynamics psychology Questions to Reflect On - Who are the scapegoats in your community? - How can societies ensure true accountability? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook cases where the guilty are caught or where scapegoating is a collective process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deed Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deed-scapegoat-2743687/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Performed Deed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performed-deed-2743688/) [Punished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished/) [Punished Performed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punished-performed-2743686/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/) ## Related quotes > [One is punished best for one's virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-is-punished-best-for-one-s-virtues/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Oh, my friends, that your self be in your deed as the mother is in her child - let that be your word concerning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/oh-my-friends-that-your-self-be-in-your-deed-as-the-mother-is-in-her/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [How much reverence has a noble man for his enemies!--and such reverence is a bridge to love.--For he desires his enemy for himself, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/how-much-reverence-has-a-noble-man-for-his-enemies-and-such-reverence/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The genius-in work and in deed-is necessarily a squanderer: the fact that he spends himself constitutes his greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-genius-in-work-and-in-deed-is-necessarily-a-squanderer-the-fact/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [A strong and well-constituted man digests his experiences (deeds and misdeeds all included) just as he digests his meats, even when he has some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/a-strong-and-well-constituted-man-digests-his-experiences-deeds-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Perfectionist parents seem to operate under the illusion that if they can just get their children to be perfect, they will be a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-forward-ph-d/perfectionist-parents-seem-to-operate-under-the-illusion-that-if-they/) [Susan Forward Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-forward-ph-d/) > [“In fact, the most paradoxical aspect of neurotic shame is that it is the core motivator of the superachieved and the underachieved, the star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/in-fact-the-most-paradoxical-aspect-of-neurotic-shame-is-that-it-is/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [During my first season at Manchester, the team was not performing, and I was the scapegoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marouane-fellaini/during-my-first-season-at-manchester-the-team-was-not-performing-and/) [Marouane Fellaini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marouane-fellaini/) > [There is a legitimate concern about wealth distribution in the United States, but the answer is not to scapegoat any individual who makes over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/there-is-a-legitimate-concern-about-wealth-distribution-in-the-united/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [“Narcissistic Parents often enlist other family members on their side, causing rifts and building alliances against a “bad” child. In other words, they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-burgo/narcissistic-parents-often-enlist-other-family-members-on-their-side/) [Joseph Burgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-burgo/) > [Like other magicians, Obama has chosen his distractions well. The insurance industry is currently his favorite distraction as scapegoats, after he has tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/like-other-magicians-obama-has-chosen-his-distractions-well-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you scapegoat someone, it's a third party that will be aware of it. It won't be you. Because you will believe you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/if-you-scapegoat-someone-it-s-a-third-party-that-will-be-aware-of-it/) [Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/) > [But while capitalism may be a convenient scapegoat, it did not cause any of these problems. Indeed, whatever one wishes to call the unruly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaron-brook/but-while-capitalism-may-be-a-convenient-scapegoat-it-did-not-cause/) [Yaron Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaron-brook/) > [“I don't have sympathy for people who wrap themselves in injury caused by their inability to deal with personal inadequacies and refusal to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-mills/i-don-t-have-sympathy-for-people-who-wrap-themselves-in-injury-caused/) [Nikki Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-mills/) > [They change scapegoats at the networks more regularly than some people change socks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/they-change-scapegoats-at-the-networks-more-regularly-than-some/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) ## More by Friedrich Nietzsche > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More Deeds quotes > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) [Donald P. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-p-ryan/) > [When deeds speak, words are nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/when-deeds-speak-words-are-nothing/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A nation of character is filled with citizens who gradually build lives based on the living awareness that their deeds are judged by eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/a-nation-of-character-is-filled-with-citizens-who-gradually-build/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-final-estimate-of-men-shows-that-history-cares-not-an-iota-for/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) [Browse all 2,029 Deeds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who is punished is never he who performed the deed. He is always the scapegoat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-performed-the-deed-he-is-always/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deeds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-performed-the-deed-he-is-always/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/friedrich-nietzsche-15_deeds_he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-perfo_1080899.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who is punished is never he who performed the deed. He is always the scapegoat.” — Friedrich Nietzsche", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who is punished is never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-performed-the-deed-he-is-always/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-is-punished-is-never-he-who-performed-the-deed-he-is-always/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```