5 Quotes by Judith N. Shklar

Treachery, disloyalty, cruelty, tyranny ... are our ordinary vices. - Montaigne, "Of Cannibals

Cruelty, like lying, repels instantly and easily because it is 'ugly.' It is a vice that disfigures human characters, not a transgression of a divine or human rule.

It is, however, not only undignified to idealize political victims; it is also very dangerous. One of our political actualities is that the victims of political torture and injustice are often no better than their tormentors. They are only waiting to change places with the latter. Of course, if one puts cruelty first this makes no difference. It does not matter whether the victim of torture is a decent man or a villain. No one deserves to be subjected to the appalling instruments of cruelty.

Cruelty, like lying, repels instantly and easily because it is ‘ugly.’ It is a vice that disfigures human characters, not a transgression of a divine or human rule.

Treachery, disloyalty, cruelty, tyranny... are our ordinary vices. – Montaigne, “Of Cannibals.