Punishing Quotes

“My belief is that, morally, God and Satan are vaguely on the same page. According to the common understanding of Satan's origins, holiness must be in his blood: but a corrupted formula. The vital difference is that God is willing to offer grace for our sins; he delights in grace. God is the one and only holy and just punisher of sin, yes, but that is partly so because punishment for the sake of punishment is not something he loves. Whereas Satan, as the accuser, and as it is written, actually seeks God's permission to punish; he, being a seasoned legalist, delights in finding wrongs and will defy his own morality just to expose immorality. This is why both the anti-religious soul and the violently religious soul are, whether consciously or unconsciously, and sadly enough, glorifying their biggest hater: Satan is not only a lawless lover of punishing lawlessness, but also the greatest theologian of us all. He loves wickedness, but only because he loves punishing wickedness.”

“Just like you can’t punish anyone without punishing yourself, you can’t love anyone without loving yourself.”

“It’s common to reject or punish yourself when you’ve been rejected by others. When you experience disappointment from the way your family or others treat you, that’s the time to take special care of yourself. What are you doing to nurture yourself? What are you doing to protect yourself? Find a healthy way to express your pain.”

“Anger should be especially kept down in punishing, because he who comes to punishment in wrath will never hold that middle course which lies between the too much and the too little. It is also true that it would be desirable that they who hold the office of Judges should be like the laws, which approach punishment not in a spirit of anger but in one of equity.”

“Worrying about outcomes over which I have no control is punishing myself before the universe has decided whether I ought to be punished.”

“It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing.”

“The reaction of whatever you do will continue punishing you (hold you accountable). I do not have to come to punish you,” says God.”

“When you release yourself from the need for approval and control you can stop punishing yourself and others.”

“Punishing a person for the wrongs of another makes about as much sense as throwing up to enjoy the meal a second time.”