--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ah! I thought the wolves used to devour…" description: "\"“ah! I thought the wolves used to devour the heretics, but now I see the heretics eat the wolves.”\" — John Foxe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/john-foxe-22663_lion_ah-i-thought-the-wolves-used-to-devour-t_629218.jpg" --- # ah! I thought the wolves used to devour the heretics, but… ![“ah! I thought the wolves used to devour the heretics, but now I see the heretics eat the wolves.” quote by John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/john-foxe-22663_lion_ah-i-thought-the-wolves-used-to-devour-t_629218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/john-foxe-22663_lion_ah-i-thought-the-wolves-used-to-devour-t_629218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b9/john-foxe-22663_lion_ah-i-thought-the-wolves-used-to-devour-t_629218.jpg) > ““ah! I thought the wolves used to devour the heretics, but now I see the heretics eat the wolves.”” [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights a reversal of power where former victims become oppressors, showing how moral authority can shift over time. **In simple terms:** Oppressed can become oppressors. Key Takeaway Watch for role reversals. Themes power morality history justice Mood cautious reflective Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - political movements - religious conflicts - social upheaval - cultural shifts Key Concepts reversal of dominance moral irony Questions to Reflect On - What causes victims to become oppressors? - How can societies prevent cycles of vengeance? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex causes behind such reversals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) ## Related quotes > [“I really hate you." It was loud and clear in his brain. "Your first words. How sweet." "Get out of my head. You’re not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/i-really-hate-you-it-was-loud-and-clear-in-his-brain-your-first-words/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [When a person is born, he can embark on only one of three roads of life: if you go right, the wolves will eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-a-person-is-born-he-can-embark-on-only-one-of-three-roads-of/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“What the fuck is legal in this universe? Stars eat each other, wolves eat the pigs, and Grandma fucks over Little Red Riding Hood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/what-the-fuck-is-legal-in-this-universe-stars-eat-each-other-wolves/) [Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/) > [“After a day of watching the two-legs interact from within their midst, she was certain that they could talk as well as any wolf.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lindskold/after-a-day-of-watching-the-two-legs-interact-from-within-their-midst/) [Jane Lindskold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lindskold/) > [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/don-t-ask-who-s-influenced-me-a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) > [“Just like a kitten pretending to be a lion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-hamilton/just-like-a-kitten-pretending-to-be-a-lion/) [Kiki Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-hamilton/) > [Throw me to the wolfs and I will return leading the pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/any/throw-me-to-the-wolfs-and-i-will-return-leading-the-pack/) Any > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) Aselin Debison > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) ## More by John Foxe > [A prisoner in the Inquisition is never allowed to see the face of his accuser, or of the witnesses against him, but every method…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/a-prisoner-in-the-inquisition-is-never-allowed-to-see-the-face-of-his/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [“The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/the-account-given-us-by-an-eminent-primitive-writer-clemens/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [“About the same time one Purderve was put to death, for saying privately to a priest, after he had drunk the wine, "He blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/about-the-same-time-one-purderve-was-put-to-death-for-saying/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [ With his continual doctrine \[Bishop Hooper\] adjoined due and discreet correction, not so much severe to any as to them which for abundance of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/with-his-continual-doctrine-bishop-hooper-adjoined-due-and-discreet/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [“Here he employed himself in reading St. Augustine and the school men; but, in turning over the leaves of the library, he accidentally found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/here-he-employed-himself-in-reading-st-augustine-and-the-school-men/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [“I fear neither death nor fire, being prepared for both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/i-fear-neither-death-nor-fire-being-prepared-for-both/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [A Protestant has seldom any mercy shown him, and a Jew, who turns Christian, is far from being secure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/a-protestant-has-seldom-any-mercy-shown-him-and-a-jew-who-turns/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [“Moreover, the papal system has opposed the march of civilization and liberty throughout the world, by denouncing the circulation of the Bible, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/moreover-the-papal-system-has-opposed-the-march-of-civilization-and/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [The pope being informed of the great increase of Protestantism, in the year 1542 sent inquisitors to Venice to make an inquiry into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/the-pope-being-informed-of-the-great-increase-of-protestantism-in-the/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [“Marcellus, bishop of Rome, being banished on account of his faith, fell a martyr to the miseries he suffered in exile, 16th Jan. A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/marcellus-bishop-of-rome-being-banished-on-account-of-his-faith-fell/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [But, though persecuting malice raged, yet the Gospel shone with resplendent brightness; and, firm as an impregnable rock, withstood the attacks of its boisterous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/but-though-persecuting-malice-raged-yet-the-gospel-shone-with/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [The Gospel having spread itself into Persia, the pagan priests, who worshipped the sun, were greatly alarmed, and dreaded the loss of that influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/the-gospel-having-spread-itself-into-persia-the-pagan-priests-who/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [When the Christians, upon these occasions, received martyrdom, they were ornamented, and crowned with garlands of flowers; for which they, in heaven, received eternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/when-the-christians-upon-these-occasions-received-martyrdom-they-were/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [Each of the seventeen tribunals during a long period burned annually, on an average, ten miserable beings!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/each-of-the-seventeen-tribunals-during-a-long-period-burned-annually/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [A defence in the Inquisition is of little use to the prisoner, for a suspicion only is deemed sufficient cause of condemnation, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/a-defence-in-the-inquisition-is-of-little-use-to-the-prisoner-for-a/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) [Explore all 27 John Foxe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) ## More Lion quotes > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [My first name was inspired by the character of Aslan, the lion in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aselin-debison/my-first-name-was-inspired-by-the-character-of-aslan-the-lion-in-c-s/) Aselin Debison > [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/) [Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/) > [Throw me to the wolfs and I will return leading the pack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/any/throw-me-to-the-wolfs-and-i-will-return-leading-the-pack/) Any > [“Just like a kitten pretending to be a lion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-hamilton/just-like-a-kitten-pretending-to-be-a-lion/) [Kiki Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-hamilton/) > [Don't ask who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/don-t-ask-who-s-influenced-me-a-lion-is-made-up-of-the-lambs-he-s/) [Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/) > [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [When a captive lion steps out of his cage, he comes into a wider world than the lion who has known only the wilds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/when-a-captive-lion-steps-out-of-his-cage-he-comes-into-a-wider-world/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“How much does an elephant weigh? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-patton/how-much-does-an-elephant-weigh/) Rhonda Patton > [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/) Bert Lahr > [Until the lion learns to speak, the tales of hunting will be weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-naan/until-the-lion-learns-to-speak-the-tales-of-hunting-will-be-weak/) [K'naan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-naan/) > [“An injured lion wants to know if he can still roar. It's about dignity and self-esteem, which isn't quite the same as vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-zaslow/an-injured-lion-wants-to-know-if-he-can-still-roar-it-s-about-dignity/) [Jeffrey Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-zaslow/) [Browse all 1,875 Lion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ah! 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