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Anime & Manga
Vita: You devil...
Nanoha: I'm fine with being a devil... I'll just use my hellish tools to get you to listen!
Nanoha: I'm fine with being a devil... I'll just use my hellish tools to get you to listen!
Shanks: Would you risk your life?
Bandit 1: Eh?
Shanks: Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?
Bandit 1: What the hell are you talking about?
Shanks: I'm saying that guns aren't threats; they're for actions.
[Lucky Roux shoots the bandit in the head, killing him.]
Bandit 2: You! You're a dead man!
Bandit 3: These guys fight dirty!
Yasopp: Dirty?
Ben Beckman: Who did you think you were dealing with? We never claimed to be saints, or anything!
Shanks: You fellas are staring down a crew of pirates.
Bandit 4: Shut up! We just want the boy, not you!
Shanks: Listen up, bandits... Whether I'm sprayed with alcohol or doused with food... Hell, even if I'm spit off, most of the time I'll just laugh it off and forget about it. But if you hurt a friend of mine, you'll pay for it, regardless of your reasons.
Bandit 1: Eh?
Shanks: Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?
Bandit 1: What the hell are you talking about?
Shanks: I'm saying that guns aren't threats; they're for actions.
[Lucky Roux shoots the bandit in the head, killing him.]
Bandit 2: You! You're a dead man!
Bandit 3: These guys fight dirty!
Yasopp: Dirty?
Ben Beckman: Who did you think you were dealing with? We never claimed to be saints, or anything!
Shanks: You fellas are staring down a crew of pirates.
Bandit 4: Shut up! We just want the boy, not you!
Shanks: Listen up, bandits... Whether I'm sprayed with alcohol or doused with food... Hell, even if I'm spit off, most of the time I'll just laugh it off and forget about it. But if you hurt a friend of mine, you'll pay for it, regardless of your reasons.
Roto: You believe in mercy, don't you?
Kurama: No. [causes a plant to bloom and erupt from Roto's body]
Kurama: No. [causes a plant to bloom and erupt from Roto's body]
"You decide who I am. If you rot away here, then I am the god of death. If you survive... I may gain a different name."
— The Hero's Shade, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2016)
Comic Books
"You're right! Taking lives is something I definitely find offensive! But roughing up criminal terrorists a bit doesn't faze me at all!"
— Superman, Action Comics #551
Cyborg Superman: Doomsday— The day of our destruction— It's finally here!
Superman: Three more of them. Right. There's no time for that Cyborg's nonsense now! (ripping Henshaw's core from his chest) Your central node. I'll put it back— when we've won here. Probably.
Superman: Three more of them. Right. There's no time for that Cyborg's nonsense now! (ripping Henshaw's core from his chest) Your central node. I'll put it back— when we've won here. Probably.
Superman: "He's dead, Zod. You're going to have to pay for that."
Zod: "Forgive my not trembling, Kal-El... But what am I to fear, in light of your moronic code against killing?"
Superman: "You're right, Zod! I can't take your life— much as I'm tempted! But my code does not say a damn thing— about not battering you to within an inch of it!! Murderer!!" (thinking) And there are moments... When I think I should chuck that code altogether...!
Zod: "Forgive my not trembling, Kal-El... But what am I to fear, in light of your moronic code against killing?"
Superman: "You're right, Zod! I can't take your life— much as I'm tempted! But my code does not say a damn thing— about not battering you to within an inch of it!! Murderer!!" (thinking) And there are moments... When I think I should chuck that code altogether...!
Fan Works
"It's a common mistake among the rough and cruel to mistake kindness for weakness, Spike," Celestia said. "I think it escapes some people's attention that in a world full of dragons, hydras, minotaurs and gryphons, one does not oversee a millennium of peace by being weak."
— Princess Celestia, The Rise of Darth Vulcan
"That was exactly what I was afraid she’d say. It took all the willpower I could muster to suppress a shudder. Celestia claimed to care about me, sure, but I knew from experience that she wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me if she really believed it was the right thing to do. If she decided killing me was the best way to free her only family, there was no doubt in my mind that she’d do it."
— Sunset Shimmer's evil half, My Little Planeswalker: Shattered Sunset
"Do not mistake our kind nature for weakness, Emperor."
— Princess Celestia, Just Before the Dawn
The Spectre looked into Trigon's eyes, let him glimpse the skulls that served him for pupils, and thrust a hand into and through his chest. It protruded from Trigon's back, in ghastly fashion. Trigon's left hand went limp, and Raven flew to freedom.
Then the Guardian Ghost sent a surge of white energy through his arm, at full power.
Trigon exploded.
It was hard for the nonmystics to see or perceive. For those who could see it, bits of red psychomatter radiated away from the Spectre's outstretched arm, and Trigon's face, for the second time in a lifetime, held an expression of terror before it disintegrated. There was little audible noise, but a psychic roar for those who were attuned to hear it.
Then the Guardian Ghost sent a surge of white energy through his arm, at full power.
Trigon exploded.
It was hard for the nonmystics to see or perceive. For those who could see it, bits of red psychomatter radiated away from the Spectre's outstretched arm, and Trigon's face, for the second time in a lifetime, held an expression of terror before it disintegrated. There was little audible noise, but a psychic roar for those who were attuned to hear it.
"To top things off, the [Defense Against the Dark Arts] book was mind-crackingly dull, and seemed to have been written with the idea that Dark Wizards are just misunderstood little woobies, and can be dealt with by reasoning with them. While I do admit that reasoning works with some people, there are times where reason fails and even saints reach for their sidearms."
Reverse!Mabel: But you're, damn, a hippie! How then will you explain your insane actions?
Reverse!Pacifica: You know, when I first met you, thanks to you I realized that not everything in this world can be solved by being nice. And desperate times call for desperate measures!
Reverse!Pacifica: You know, when I first met you, thanks to you I realized that not everything in this world can be solved by being nice. And desperate times call for desperate measures!
Two Kobras skidded against the side wall at the end of the hall, their weapons twisted around their necks. They were on the far side of consciousness.
The sounds that came to the defenders now were different. Men yelling incoherently, but having their voices stopped after sharp cries of pain. There was some gunfire, but it didn't seem to matter. And more Kobramen came flying, piling up against the side wall like so much thrown garbage.
[...]
Finally, the tenth or so Kobra Cultist joined his brothers on the heap. Alfred knew who the man was who had put them there, and drew a great, sighing breath as his shoulders sagged.
The man stepped into sight, his hands on his hips, and grinned.
"I thought you might need me here," said Superman.
The sounds that came to the defenders now were different. Men yelling incoherently, but having their voices stopped after sharp cries of pain. There was some gunfire, but it didn't seem to matter. And more Kobramen came flying, piling up against the side wall like so much thrown garbage.
[...]
Finally, the tenth or so Kobra Cultist joined his brothers on the heap. Alfred knew who the man was who had put them there, and drew a great, sighing breath as his shoulders sagged.
The man stepped into sight, his hands on his hips, and grinned.
"I thought you might need me here," said Superman.
More than once, he said, "I'm glad I have guys like you to tangle with, and not the Gotham mobs or some megalomaniac like Luthor." But he also let them know that if they killed anybody, the gloves and good feelings would be off. So they didn't.
Larson coughed. "We hold the..."
"Shut up!" Clark Kent bulled him up against the wall of the garage, not far from the fallen hoods. He held him there, Larson's feet not touching the floor, one hand firmly on Larson's throat, putting a bit of pressure on it.
"Get this straight. I am not the Superboy you read about in your comic books."
"Shut up!" Clark Kent bulled him up against the wall of the garage, not far from the fallen hoods. He held him there, Larson's feet not touching the floor, one hand firmly on Larson's throat, putting a bit of pressure on it.
"Get this straight. I am not the Superboy you read about in your comic books."
Film
Fernand: (After being impaled by Dantes' sword) What happened to your mercy?
Edmond Dantes: I'm a count, not a saint.
Edmond Dantes: I'm a count, not a saint.
"You really only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards you need to hang!"
— John "The Hangman" Ruth, The Hateful Eight
"You picked the wrong planet! Give me your face!"
—Optimus Prime defeats The Fallen, Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen
Umbridge: Potter, do something! Tell them I mean no harm!
Harry: Sorry, Professor. I must not tell lies.
Harry: Sorry, Professor. I must not tell lies.
David Kane: Wait! Help me, he's trapped! You can't leave him like this! Please!
Aquaman: You killed innocent people! You ask the sea for mercy.
Aquaman: You killed innocent people! You ask the sea for mercy.
Literature
"Why is it that people like you always think you're more ruthless than people like me?"
— Sir Commodore Aivars Terekhov, Honor Harrington
Harry Dresden: I gave you a chance.
Quintus Cassius: Wait.
Harry Dresden: Mouse. Kill him.
Mouse does so.
Quintus Cassius: Wait.
Harry Dresden: Mouse. Kill him.
Mouse does so.
"As you wouldn't leave any tracks for the police, of course somebody had to. At every place we went to, I took care to do something that would get us talked about for the rest of the day. I didn't do much harm [...] but I saved the cross, as the cross will always be saved. I rather wonder why you didn't stop it with the Donkey's Whistle."
"With the what?" asked Flambeau.
"I'm glad you've never heard of it," said the priest, making a face. "It's a foul thing. I'm sure you're too good of a man for a Whistler. I couldn't have countered it even with the Spots myself; I'm not strong enough in the legs."
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked the other.
"Well, I did think you'd know about the Spots," said Father Brown, agreeably surprised. "Oh, you can't have gone so very wrong yet!"
"How in blazes do you know all these horrors?" cried Flambeau.
The shadow of a smile crossed the round, simple face of his clerical opponent.
"Oh, by being a celibate simpleton, I suppose," he said. "Has it never struck you that a man who does next to nothing but hear men's real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware of human evil?"
"With the what?" asked Flambeau.
"I'm glad you've never heard of it," said the priest, making a face. "It's a foul thing. I'm sure you're too good of a man for a Whistler. I couldn't have countered it even with the Spots myself; I'm not strong enough in the legs."
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked the other.
"Well, I did think you'd know about the Spots," said Father Brown, agreeably surprised. "Oh, you can't have gone so very wrong yet!"
"How in blazes do you know all these horrors?" cried Flambeau.
The shadow of a smile crossed the round, simple face of his clerical opponent.
"Oh, by being a celibate simpleton, I suppose," he said. "Has it never struck you that a man who does next to nothing but hear men's real sins is not likely to be wholly unaware of human evil?"
— "The Blue Cross", The Innocence Of Father Brown
Live-Action TV
"No second chances. I'm that sort of a man."
— The Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who
"Good men don't need rules. Today's not the day to find out why I have so many."
— The Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who
Dalek: Records indicate you will show mercy. You are an associate of the Doctor's.
River: I'm River Song. Check your records again.
Dalek: ...Mercy.
River: Say it again.
Dalek: Mercy!
River: One more time.
Dalek: MERCY!!!
River: I'm River Song. Check your records again.
Dalek: ...Mercy.
River: Say it again.
Dalek: Mercy!
River: One more time.
Dalek: MERCY!!!
"Never start a fight, but always finish it."
— John Sheridan, Babylon 5
"You've mistaken my kindness for weakness."
— Howard Hamlin, Better Call Saul
"I believe in second chances. I don't believe in third chances."
— Doran Martell, Game of Thrones
"Scary. I'll tell you something though, there are a lot scarier things than you. And I'm one of them."
— Buffy Summers to a abusive baseball coach, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nightmares
"You guys research the Polgara demon. I want to know where it is. When I find it, I'm going to make it pay for taking that kid's life. I'll make him die in ways he can't even imagine."
"If you want her, Mr. Maclay, you can go ahead and take her. You just gotta go through me."
"He took the freedom to choose away from you. But he's going to pay for it. And I promise you...we'll make sure he never gets the chance to hurt anyone else."
— Buffy to a rape victim, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targeryan, of the blood of Old Valyria. I am The Dragon's Daughter. And I swear to you, that those who would harm you will die screaming."
— Daenerys Stormborn, Game of Thrones, showing just why she is The Dreaded
Capt. Picard: Maxwell was right. Those ships weren't carrying scientific equipment, were they? A 'research' station within arm's reach of three Federation sectors? Cargo ships running with high energy subspace fields that jam sensors?
Gul Macet: If you believed the transport ship carried weapons, why didn't you board it as Maxwell requested?
Picard: I was here to protect the peace, a peace I firmly believe is in the interests of both our peoples. But if I had attempted to board that ship, I am quite certain that you and I would not be sitting here now. And that ships on both sides would be arming for war. Take a message to your leaders, Gul Macet: We'll be watching.
Gul Macet: If you believed the transport ship carried weapons, why didn't you board it as Maxwell requested?
Picard: I was here to protect the peace, a peace I firmly believe is in the interests of both our peoples. But if I had attempted to board that ship, I am quite certain that you and I would not be sitting here now. And that ships on both sides would be arming for war. Take a message to your leaders, Gul Macet: We'll be watching.
Quark: Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. They're a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people... will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon. You don't believe me? Look at those faces. Look in their eyes. Well, aren't you gonna say something?
Nog: ...I feel sorry for the Jem'Hadar.
Nog: ...I feel sorry for the Jem'Hadar.
Oh, I may be on the side of the angels, but don't for one second think that I am one of them.
— Sherlock
Marge: The System doesn't work! You HAVE to blow the door down! Looks like you forgot that!
Uncle Phil: ...you talk as though I wasn't there with you in Birmingham facing dogs and fire hoses. This is me. Olufemi. The same Olufemi that was with you the night Harlem went up in flames! But now I have a family, and I choose not to fight in the streets. I have an office to fight from. And I have fought and won cases for fair housing, Affirmative Action, health care—and I am not ashamed to write a big, fat check for something I believe in. And that doesn't make me any less committed than you, so don't you dare look down your damn nose at me, Adebola.
—The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, "Those Were the Days"
Music
Will's so nice I'd let him date my daughter
Like he was a white guy
He's not like the rest, he's a private flight guy
Why if I were gay on Friday night I'd
Larry Elder (uncle Tom)
You lucky I didn't make you the whole damn rhyme
Wendy Williams, you don't know me
I'm not your punching bag
You gonna blow me up girl you better leave me alone
Before I buy your radio station and send you home
Yo this is a warning shot over the bawl
Truth be told this ain't my style
You gotta understand some stuff a man can't allow
You better chill before you climb a tree you can't get down
Like he was a white guy
He's not like the rest, he's a private flight guy
Why if I were gay on Friday night I'd
Larry Elder (uncle Tom)
You lucky I didn't make you the whole damn rhyme
Wendy Williams, you don't know me
I'm not your punching bag
You gonna blow me up girl you better leave me alone
Before I buy your radio station and send you home
Yo this is a warning shot over the bawl
Truth be told this ain't my style
You gotta understand some stuff a man can't allow
You better chill before you climb a tree you can't get down
—Nice Guy by Will Smith
I don't know where I'll end up
But I know where I started
Diving back into chaos
Remember the departed
In a land where good friends
Are getting harder to come by
People call me a hero
But I call that a far cry
But I know where I started
Diving back into chaos
Remember the departed
In a land where good friends
Are getting harder to come by
People call me a hero
But I call that a far cry
—Untamed, from the perspective of Ajay Ghale, JT Music
Religion & Mythology
"I will bless those that bless thee, and I will curse those who curse thee."
— God, Genesis 12:3
"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation."
"For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."
—St. Paul, Romans 13:3-4
"Renan even represented Jesus' righteous anger at Jerusalem as a mere nervous breakdown after the idyllic expectations of Galilee. As if there were any inconsistency between having a love for humanity and having a hatred for inhumanity!"
—G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
"If someone asks you 'What would Jesus do?' remind them that flipping over tables and chasing people with a whip is within the realm of possibilities."
—Anonymous
Video Games
"I fly under the code of knighthood. It's no surprise, since we soldiers are the descendants of the Belkan knights. We protect the meek and give our lives for honor... but that does not mean we are generous."
— Dmitri Heinrich (Indigo Heron), Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
"You offer one hand, and arm the other. Wise, Shepard."
—Grunt, Mass Effect 2
"Speak when spoken to, Uvenk. I'll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not."
—Urdnot Wrex, Mass Effect 2
Paragon Shepard: What if you and I make a deal? You let him set his own prices, and I won't break your legs.
Harrot: With barely contained terror: You drive a hard bargain, human.
Paragon Shepard: [cracking knuckles] I haven't even started yet.
Harrot: Resignation: Very well. I will release the Quarian from his promise.
Harrot: With barely contained terror: You drive a hard bargain, human.
Paragon Shepard: [cracking knuckles] I haven't even started yet.
Harrot: Resignation: Very well. I will release the Quarian from his promise.
"You even think about coming after your brother and this bullet will be waiting for you! Then we'll see who's valuable."
— Paragon Shepard to Gavin Archer in the Paragon ending to Overlord, Mass Effect 2
Gerrard: What's the point of being out here if we can't even keep one little girl safe?
Shepard: To make those who do things pay. It's not the severity of punishment that deters crime. It's the certainty.
Shepard: To make those who do things pay. It's not the severity of punishment that deters crime. It's the certainty.
— Paragon Shepard on slavery, Mass Effect
Shepard: You know who and what I am. If I want Narali Batia I can get her.
Bosker: Even if the body was here would you really risk going in shooting to get it?
Shepard: How do you think I feel about people mistreating the dead?
Bosker: Even if the body was here would you really risk going in shooting to get it?
Shepard: How do you think I feel about people mistreating the dead?
Paragon Shepard: Don't let us meet again.
Maya Brooks: What's this? The great Commander Shepard pleading for his/her life?
Paragon Shepard: [Kubrick glare] I'm pleading for yours.
Maya Brooks: What's this? The great Commander Shepard pleading for his/her life?
Paragon Shepard: [Kubrick glare] I'm pleading for yours.
Smiling Jack: You're a monster, now, make no mistake; one of the damned and all. You need to hold on any last thread of humanity you have.
The Fledgling: So I can't kill anyone? Seems a little, uh, restrictive.
Smiling Jack: Ah-ah! I said innocent humans. If some asshole levels a 12-gauge your way, you drain him, skin him and bash his skull. Self-preservation is a vital part of humanity, after all. My favourite part, in fact.
The Fledgling: So I can't kill anyone? Seems a little, uh, restrictive.
Smiling Jack: Ah-ah! I said innocent humans. If some asshole levels a 12-gauge your way, you drain him, skin him and bash his skull. Self-preservation is a vital part of humanity, after all. My favourite part, in fact.
"You were warned not to mistake grace for mercy."
— The tagline for Aion
"The Milk of Human Kindness: Take the willingness to forgive and the will to be forceful. Mix the blood of innocents and the anger of the wronged."
— Gorrister, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
"A ray of sunshine illuminated this cold and gray place - a ray in the form of a woman. I heard her before I saw her, a voice, more beautiful than I had encountered in some time, came drifting through the trees. While a lament might have been more suited to this sepulchral locale, she sang a song of joy, of hope and family. Her warm smile greeted any that joined her at the campfire and, just for moment, they were able to forget which realm they inhabited. As quick as she was to make friends, I got the feeling that to cross her would be a mistake. To remain so positive and upbeat in such a place would require a will of iron. Perhaps less a ray of sunshine then, but a bolt of lightning? Brilliant light and great power that could split the world in two.."
"You know what happens to nice people who aren't rich? They get killed. They get kidnapped. They get taken advantage of and shoved in a dark hole that they can't climb out of, just because it saves a few pennies for somebody who already has wealth beyond measure...So I figure the moral thing to do is to put an iron spike right in every one of those bastards' foreheads - the corporate bigwigs, the corrupt cops, the slave traders."
— Spider Shen on the topic of being a "good" monk in Shadowrun: Hong Kong
"[Emmeryn] represents the best part of the halidom—the part most worth protecting. She IS peace. But some men would take advantage of that. Men like King Gangrel. The day he understands peace will be the day death gives it to him. ...So perhaps I must be death's agent. Emmeryn would never order him killed, nor would I wish her to."
— Chrom, Fire Emblem: Awakening
"For the meek shall inherit the earth, my friend. But only the well-armed have a chance to survive in Kyrat. You must strive to be a lion, not a lamb. And a lion needs teeth."
"You taught me that justice is a contract. Once broken, it can never be mended. You sacrificed so much to preserve the innocent, but to the guilty, you offered no mercy. I loved my mother, and I never wanted to hurt her. But with what she did to us, she gave up the right to exist."
—Eleanor Lamb, Bioshock 2
"I've learned from experience that the place to save lives is in the field, not an office. And sometimes the only way to save a life, is to take one."
—Doc, Rainbow Six Siege
Spawn: Your Angel of Death awaits.
The Joker: You can't kill me! Heroes have moral codes!
Spawn: Who said I was a hero?
The Joker: You can't kill me! Heroes have moral codes!
Spawn: Who said I was a hero?
"There's more to good character than kindness. Being good means dealing with the bad in front of you."
—Haru Okumura, Persona 5 Strikers
"We have always tried to do the right thing... but we have not always been kind, nor merciful. I should not be surprised if some few harbored resentment for us as they passed on..."
—Alphinaud Leveilleur, Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker
Webcomics
"My version of hope has calluses and dirt under the fingernails and isn't above bringing brass knuckles to a fight."
— Max Post, Freefall
Nigeriaball: Boko Haram, less us to be civil now. Less bombing, no talking.
Boko Haramball: Oh sure, Nigeria pigdog. We stop bombing you.
Boko Haramball 2: We promise we will become of negotiations and peaceful from now on.
Nigeriaball: That is...surprisingly reasona-
Boko Haramball 3: SURPRISE JIHAD!
(BOOM!)
Boko Haramball: Such good prank! Nigeria pigdog never saw it coming!
Boko Haramball 2: Agreed! Now, let us go back to talkings with infidel.
Nigeriaball: NO. NO MORE TALK-WE WAR NOW!
Boko Haramball: Oh sure, Nigeria pigdog. We stop bombing you.
Boko Haramball 2: We promise we will become of negotiations and peaceful from now on.
Nigeriaball: That is...surprisingly reasona-
Boko Haramball 3: SURPRISE JIHAD!
(BOOM!)
Boko Haramball: Such good prank! Nigeria pigdog never saw it coming!
Boko Haramball 2: Agreed! Now, let us go back to talkings with infidel.
Nigeriaball: NO. NO MORE TALK-WE WAR NOW!
"I've never wanted good men to fear my rule, but let the villains tremble."
— Queen Sonorie, Unsounded
Web Original
""You seem to be under the misconception about what I am, what I do. I am a paladin, that is true; but as a paladin I don't fear falling... I look forward to it."
— Sir Peter Fairgrave, Powder Keg of Justice
Web Video
"He's the champion of the downtrodden and the meek, but that doesn't mean he has to be a pussy about it. Sometimes, the permanent solution is the best solution."
— Bennett the Sage, on Kenshiro
"YOU'VE TAKEN MY KINDNESS FOR WEAKNESS, ANTFROST!"
"One thing I love about Twilight is that she understands the value of a good bitchslap. She's very courteus, she always tries to talk sense into people first, but Purple here clearly recognises that sometimes people don't listen to reason and you just gotta smack them around a little bit."
— The Narrator, My Little Pony: Totally Legit Recap, "Equestria Girls (Part 2)"
Real Life
"Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough."
"The unforgivable crime is hitting softly. Do not hit at all if you can avoid it; but never hit softly."
"I define manhood simply: Men should be tough, fair and courageous, never petty. Never looking for a fight but never backing from one either."
"We are a purely idealistic nation, but let no one confuse our idealism with weakness."
— Jimmy Carter, 1977 Inaugural Address
"Strength and wisdom are not opposing values."
— Bill Clinton, at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be "cured" against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals."
"I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all."
