--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine…" description: "\"If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic viol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/walter-benjamin-1723_blood_if-mythic-violence-is-lawmaking-divine-v_3055096.jpg" --- # If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is… ![“If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic violence brings at once guilt and retribution, divine power only expiates; if the former threatens, the latter strikes; if the former is bloody, the…” quote by Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/walter-benjamin-1723_blood_if-mythic-violence-is-lawmaking-divine-v_3055096.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/walter-benjamin-1723_blood_if-mythic-violence-is-lawmaking-divine-v_3055096.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/walter-benjamin-1723_blood_if-mythic-violence-is-lawmaking-divine-v_3055096.jpg) > “If mythic violence is lawmaking, divine violence is law-destroying; if the former sets boundaries, the latter boundlessly destroys them; if mythic violence brings at once guilt and retribution, divine power only expiates; if the former threatens, the latter strikes; if the former is bloody, the latter is lethal without spilling blood” [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mythic violence creates laws; divine violence destroys them, offering purification without bloodshed. **In simple terms:** Mythic law‑making vs. divine law‑destroying. Key Takeaway Recognize different powers of violence. Themes violence law mythic vs. divine Mood analytical critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - revolutionary movements - legal reforms - spiritual rites Key Concepts philosophy political theory ethics Questions to Reflect On - What distinguishes constructive from destructive power? - Can violence ever be truly non‑bloodied? A Different Perspective May abstractly justify destructive acts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-power/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Retribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retribution/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [The law of violence is not a law, but a simple fact which can only be a law when it does not meet with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-law-of-violence-is-not-a-law-but-a-simple-fact-which-can-only-be/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/nonviolence-is-the-law-of-our-species-as-violence-is-the-law-of-the-2/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The State calls its own violence, law; but that of the individual, crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/the-state-calls-its-own-violence-law-but-that-of-the-individual-crime/) [Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/) > [The State practices "violence," the individual must not do so. 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