“One should forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged.”

— Heinrich Heine

Statement of 1848, as quoted in The Cynic's Lexicon : A Dictionary of Amoral Advice (1984) by Jonathon Green, p. 91
One must forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged.
As quoted in A Mania for Sentences (1985) by Dennis Joseph Enright, p. 10
Variant: We should forgive our enemies, but not before they are hanged

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Heinrich Heine 61

German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic 1797–1856

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Attributed

“One should forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged.”

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Heinrich Heine 61

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