“Only he who has the power to punish can pardon.”

— Ali , book Nahj al-Balagha

Nahj al-Balagha

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Ali 124

cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad 601–661

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“The law cannot forgive, for the law has not been wronged, only broken; only persons can be wronged. The law can pardon, but it can only pardon what it has the power to punish.”

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“Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished; the others can only be hurt.”

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“… You can only subject people to anguish who have a conscience. You can only punish people who have hopes to frustrate or attachments to sever; who worry what you think of them. You can really only punish people who are already a little bit good.”

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“He who pardons easily invites offense.”

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“In monarchy the crime of treason may admit of being pardoned or lightly punished, but the man who dares rebel against the laws of a republic ought to suffer death.”

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