I love the old way best, the simple way of poison, where we too are strong as men.
EuripidesRead
Our ancestors... purged their guilt by banishment, not death. And by so doing, they stopped that endless vicious cycle of murder and revenge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that our forebears avoided the cycle of violence through banishment instead of execution, promoting peace over revenge.
Euripides reflects on the choices made by our ancestors in addressing guilt and conflict. By opting for banishment as a means of dealing with transgressions rather than resorting to death, they broke the cycle of retribution that often leads to ongoing violence and suffering. This speaks to the importance of finding constructive resolutions to conflict, emphasizing that mercy can be more effective than punishment in fostering a more peaceful society.
Themes
AncestorsGuiltBanishmentPeaceViolenceRevenge
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on conflict resolution, one could invoke this quote to propose non-violent approaches.
More from Euripides
All quotes βMankind . . . possesses two supreme blessings. First of these is the goddess Demeter, or Earth whichever name you choose to call her by. It was she who gave to man his nourishment of grain. But after her there came the son of Semele, who matched her present by inventing liquid wine as his gift to man. For filled with that good gift, suffering mankind forgets its grief; from it comes sleep; with it oblivion of the troubles of the day. There is no other medicine for misery.
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Money is far more persuasive than logical arguments.
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Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes mad.
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Who then will dare to say I'm weak or timid? No, they'll say I'm loyal as a friend, ruthless as a foe, so much like a hero destined for glory.
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Waste not fresh tears over old griefs.
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