Capital punishment Quote by Oscar Wilde
“As one reads history ... one is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted.”
About This Quote
Source Play: Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892
History's horror lies not just in evil deeds but in the cruel punishments inflicted by the supposedly good.
In simple terms: Bad actions of the good hurt more than the wicked.
Key Takeaway
Question moral authority and justice.
Themes
morality
history
justice
human nature
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- legal systems
- education
- media coverage
- personal relationships
Key Concepts
ethical paradox
social critique
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What defines “good” in society?
- Can punishment ever be just?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overgeneralize; not all good people cause harm.
![“The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold.” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b85/marquis-de-sade-1964_capital-punishment_the-law-which-attempts-a-man-s-life-capi_99486.jpg)
![“[T]here are some human rights that are so deep that we can't negotiate them away. I mean people do heinous, terrible things. But there are basic human rights I believe that every human being has. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations says it for me. And it says there are…” quote by Sister Helen Prejean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5c4/sister-helen-prejean-94083_an-eye-for-an-eye_t-here-are-some-human-rights-that-are-so_222080.jpg)
