proverb · Words worth keeping
Revenge is a confession of pain.
Revenge is a confession of pain.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Revenge as a confession of pain suggests that a retaliatory act may reveal a grievance or hurt. It interprets conduct as expressing something underneath it.
What the words are saying
Confession makes the act appear to disclose an inner state. A qualified interpretation does not diagnose a person’s feelings solely from their conduct or excuse harm because distress may be present. The supplied agreed-statement gloss is not proof of a literal admission or a universal motive for retaliation.
Everyday example
Someone acknowledges that a grievance may be painful while still holding a harmful response accountable.
When to use it
Use it to consider possible hurt without presuming motives or excusing conduct.
What it does not mean
No individual psychological diagnosis, literal confession or universal cause of revenge is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 914; PDF page 128
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.