Excerpts from The Noblest Revenge

by Dr Frank Crane. First published in 1924 in his book of essays, Upper Meanings.

Dr Frank Crane ( 1861 - 1928 ) was a Presbyterian minister,a speaker and a columnist.

The don'test of all don'ts is : Don't get even. The greatest of all time wasting is time wasted on revenge...

When you want to hurt him who has hurt you, you want something that irritates you while you want it, disappoints you when you get it, and makes you feel mean after it is all over.

You can't get through life without meeting people who injure you. There are those that snub you, those that betray you, those that cheat you, those that envy you, besides all the swarm of spiteful , malicious, weak and venomous human mosquitoes, worms and wasps.

If you stop and chase each of these to punish them you will have no time for anything else.

If you allow yourself to think of them they will poison you until your mind is as sour as buttermilk, your sleep ruined, and your hours of leisure turned from content to wretchedness,

Forget it !

...

doubtless your enemy needs a thrashing. But what's that to you? The question is what do You need?? You need peace of mind, poise, and contentment. to keep thinking about him is to upset yourself.

When a man wrongs us, let is simply drop him. He is out of our lives., Good - Bye ! There are plenty of others. As far as we are concerned, he is an undesirable citizen, and that's all there is to it. Next !

Why redress injuries. they redress themselves automatically better than we can redress them.


When a man does dirt, he gets dirt, by and by. Let him alone. why bother?

Into what horrors of suffering has the desire for revenge plunged the world. look at hideous Europe now. the mountains of mangled bodies piled on altars of revenge.

When Jesus said that about turning the other cheek, he was not speaking of impossible idealism. but plain sense.

An injury can only grieve us only when remembered,. the noblest revenge therefore, is to forget.