The law is a gun, which if it misses a pigeon always kills a crow; if it does not strike the guilty, it hits someone else. As every crime creates a law, so in turn every law creates a crime.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
It is difficult to say who do you the most mischief, enemies with the worst intentions, or friends with the best.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the potential for harm caused by both enemies and friends, highlighting the complexities of human relationships.
This quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton draws attention to the idea that both enemies and friends can cause harm in different ways. While enemies may act with malicious intent, friends may inadvertently cause greater mischief through misguided actions, emphasizing the importance of being cautious in the trust we place in others and the potential consequences of their actions, regardless of their intentions.
Themes
RelationshipsFriendsEnemiesTrustMischief
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a discussion on the nature of trust in relationships during a psychology seminar.
More from Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron Lytton
All quotes βThe best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
There are two lives to each of us, the life of our actions, and the life of our minds and hearts. History reveals men's deeds and their outward characters, but not themselves. There is a secret self that has its own life, unpenetrated and unguessed.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
A chord, stronger or weaker, is snapped asunder in every parting, and time's busy fingers are not practiced in re-splicing broken ties. Meet again you may; will it be in the same way? With the same sympathies? With the same sentiments? Will the souls, hurrying on in diverse paths, unite once more, as if the interval had been a dream? Rarely, rarely!
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
No author ever drew a character consistent to human nature, but he was forced to ascribe to it many inconsistencies.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
Revenge is a common passion; it is the sin of the uninstructed. The savage deems it noble;but the religion of Christ, which is the sublime civilizer, emphatically condemns it. Why? Because religion ever seeks to ennoble man; and nothing so debases him as revenge.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1St Baron LyttonRead
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