William Penn. (1644–1718). Fruits of Solitude.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.
Reparation
121. If thou hast done an Injury to another, rather own it than defend it. One way thou gainest Forgiveness, the other, thou doubl’st the Wrong and Reckoning.
122. Some oppose Honor to Submission: But it can be no Honor to maintain, what it is dishonorable to do.
123. To confess a Fault, that is none, out of Fear, is indeed mean: But not to be afraid of standing in one, is Brutish.
124. We should make more Haste to Right our Neighbor, than we do to wrong him, and instead of being Vindicative, we should leave him to be Judge of his own Satisfaction.
125. True Honor will pay treble Damages, rather than justifie one wrong with another.
126. In such Controversies, it is but too common for some to say, Both are to blame, to excuse their own Unconcernedness, which is a base Neutrality. Others will cry, They are both alike; thereby involving the Injured with the Guilty, to mince the Matter for the Faulty, or cover their own Injustice to the wronged Party.
127. Fear and Gain are great Perverters of Mankind, and where either prevail, the Judgment is violated.