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Anime & Manga
Cherry Rook: All I want... is to become stronger. That's all. I can tell you feel the same way. You also want the power, don't you?
Silver Crow: You think 'cause you want to be stronger, you're forgiven? You chose to wear that armor! You attacked countless avatars! You even tried to devour Niko, your own protege! There is no excuse for that! We all want to be stronger! We all want the strength and courage we need to face all the hardships we had to go through! IT'S NOT JUST YOU!
Silver Crow: You think 'cause you want to be stronger, you're forgiven? You chose to wear that armor! You attacked countless avatars! You even tried to devour Niko, your own protege! There is no excuse for that! We all want to be stronger! We all want the strength and courage we need to face all the hardships we had to go through! IT'S NOT JUST YOU!
"You took everyone hostage and killed the Wizard King. Your reincarnations hurt innocent people all over the kingdom. Just like you can't forgive humans... I'm never gonna forgive you!"
— Asta to Patolli, Black Clover
"I can't believe you! Are you going to excuse yourself because of your upbringing?"
— Sarada Uchiha to Kawaki, Boruto
"I don't care what the reason... I'll never understand a murderer. I don't care to, either."
— Kogoro Mouri, Case Closed
Light Yagami: Since Kira has appeared six years ago, wars have stopped and global crime rates have been reduced by over 70%. But, it's not enough. This world is still rotten with too many rotten people! Somebody has to do this! When I first got that notebook all those years ago, I knew I had to do it. No, I was the only one who could. I understood that killing people was a crime. There was no other way! The world had to be fixed! A purpose given to me! Only I could do it... Who else could have done it and come this far?! Would they have kept going?! The only one, who can create a new world, is me.
Near: ...No. You're just a murderer, Light Yagami. And this notebook is the deadliest weapon in the history of mankind. If you had been a normal person and had used this notebook once out of curiosity, you would have been surprised and scared of what had happened, regretted what you had done, and never used this notebook again. To speak of extremes, I can actually understand those who would use this notebook for their personal interests and kill a couple of people, and even think that they're normal. But you yielded to the power of the notebook and the Shinigami and have confused yourself with a god. In the end, you're nothing more than a crazy Serial Killer. That's all you are. Nothing more... and nothing less.
Near: ...No. You're just a murderer, Light Yagami. And this notebook is the deadliest weapon in the history of mankind. If you had been a normal person and had used this notebook once out of curiosity, you would have been surprised and scared of what had happened, regretted what you had done, and never used this notebook again. To speak of extremes, I can actually understand those who would use this notebook for their personal interests and kill a couple of people, and even think that they're normal. But you yielded to the power of the notebook and the Shinigami and have confused yourself with a god. In the end, you're nothing more than a crazy Serial Killer. That's all you are. Nothing more... and nothing less.
[Majin Buu is continuing his killing spree even without Babidi around to control him]
Piccolo: He's even worse without Babidi.
Goku: Hmm... I guess it's just in his nature to cause destruction. It's probably the only thing he's ever known to do.
Piccolo: No. Don't go making excuses for him. There's no reason to demolish planets regardless of personality defects.
Piccolo: He's even worse without Babidi.
Goku: Hmm... I guess it's just in his nature to cause destruction. It's probably the only thing he's ever known to do.
Piccolo: No. Don't go making excuses for him. There's no reason to demolish planets regardless of personality defects.
— Dragon Ball Z, "The Fusion Dance"
Fake Sister: At first... I only wanted to heal my injured comrades... Then... people started flocking to me... and I was the head of the band of mercenaries... I always meant... to give these powers back someday... Please... You have to believe me... I have worshiped you as a god... I believed you had the power to make miracles... And I still...
Real Sister: (starts a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown) YOU THINK I GIVE A RAT'S ASS?!!! You stole someone's identity for a whole decade and you think you'll get off scot-free?! Hunh?! I'm gonna to break you, and fix you, and break you again for the rest of your life! You're gonna be in a living nightmare until I get tired of you!!!!
Real Sister: (starts a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown) YOU THINK I GIVE A RAT'S ASS?!!! You stole someone's identity for a whole decade and you think you'll get off scot-free?! Hunh?! I'm gonna to break you, and fix you, and break you again for the rest of your life! You're gonna be in a living nightmare until I get tired of you!!!!
"Kurei... It's not like I'm making fun of you, you're really an incredible guy. Having such a hard life, coming from such a sad background... it's amazing that you can still stand to fight having such a huge cross to bear. (...) Because you've lost loved ones, because you're sad, because life's been so hard... Does that give you the right to take people's hearts, lives and everything away!? I'll say it again: Don't try feed me that bullshit, asshole! To me, that sounds more like a kid that bullies others because he was bullied on his own! That's not what I call 'great', Kurei!!"
— Recca, Flame of Recca
Mustang: The Ishbalans are a people from the east, who believe in one god, Ishvara. Due to religious differences, they'd always been in conflict with the central government... But thirteen years ago, when an army officer accidentally shot an Ishbalan child, the incident exploded into civil war. Riot led to riot, and soon the fires of civil war spread throughout the entire east area. After seven frustrating years, the military commanders took a new tactic... They used State Alchemists in an all-out genocide campaign. They were recruited as human weapons. It was an opportunity to test their suitability for war. I was one of those alchemists. That's why there's a certain justice that one of the last surviving Ishbalans would seek revenge.
Ed: It's still not justice. Whatever happened, he's still involving innocent people for the sake of his revenge. He's just candy-coating it by acting self-righteous and calling himself "an instrument of God".
Ed: It's still not justice. Whatever happened, he's still involving innocent people for the sake of his revenge. He's just candy-coating it by acting self-righteous and calling himself "an instrument of God".
— On Scar, Fullmetal Alchemist, Chapter 7 "After the Rain"
"This fellow reeks of brimstone and blood worse than anyone I've ever laid eyes on! He is pure evil, right down to his very bones! Is he a victim of circumstance, you're wondering? Not on your life! He's been evil since he drew his first breath!"
— Robert E. O. Speedwagon on Dio Brando, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood
"Sure, I feel sorry for her because she lost her entire family, but I could do without that kind of peace."
— Hermes on an old woman who achieved peace with her nation's enemy by having them compete to commit genocide against nearby tribes, Kino's Journey (2003 anime)
"There's no way I can know what you've gone through or why you're even here. Your life has been so much different than mine, but right now... stop screwing around! If you wanna reject your father, fine, but you don't have the right to be number one if you aren't going to use your full power!"
— Izuku Midoriya to Shoto Todoroki, My Hero Academia
"You people might have your reasons, but once you start taking it out on society, we heroes can't allow you to have your way!"
— Eel Boy to Himiko Toga and Mr. Compress, My Hero Academia
"Sure, the past never dies! And that's why I'm watching Endeavor real hard as he tries to be better! And guess what?! You aren't Endeavor!!"
— Izuku Midoriya to Dabi/Toya Todoroki, My Hero Academia
"I may be your half-baked little brother... But let me say this! Dad was a madman! Our family was screwed up! But when you burned all those people to death... That was your choice."
(Sasuke is) very self-centered, only concerned with himself. Some people might think what he's doing is good, like avenging his parents or trying to realize his brother's ideals. But he is troubling others in this pursuit, so that aspect is bad.
"Two brothers, whose abilities are identical. How could what your eyes perceive be so different? The truth about Itachi isn't important to you at all. Instead you simply want to destroy everything with your hatred. All you're doing is making the sacrifice of the Uchiha clan meaningless."
— Danzo Shimura to Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto
Brandon: All right, what's wrong? And here I thought you wanted to beat the man who defeated your brother!
Paul: The truth is, it's only because you defeated Reggie that my victory over you will have meaning; the challenge you always present to trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do! But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it first hand!
Brandon: No! All wrapped up in the past... but why then do you walk the Pokémon path in the first place? Tell me why do you battle?
Paul: The truth is, it's only because you defeated Reggie that my victory over you will have meaning; the challenge you always present to trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do! But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it first hand!
Brandon: No! All wrapped up in the past... but why then do you walk the Pokémon path in the first place? Tell me why do you battle?
— Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, "A Pyramiding Rage!"
Ai: He had bad parents that made him crazy. Don't you feel sorry for him?
Tokiko: Am I supposed to...? (to Aoya) You killed them all on your own! Don't pin your choices on anyone else!
Tokiko: Am I supposed to...? (to Aoya) You killed them all on your own! Don't pin your choices on anyone else!
Rosa: I don't plan to deny my foolishness in the past but, it's still better than an idiot who cannot get cured even in death seee. The reason why you are trying to torment every people in this world, everything is just you venting your anger riight?
Hayes: You bastard—
Rosa: I heard from that girl Soffice. The imperial family the Lord — all of you met treason several hundred years ago, and then you all got knocked off from being the ruler of the world. Your pride that is the foundation of your self was stolen, and so you can't help but hating the people of the world right now, right?
Hayes: You bastard—
Rosa: I heard from that girl Soffice. The imperial family the Lord — all of you met treason several hundred years ago, and then you all got knocked off from being the ruler of the world. Your pride that is the foundation of your self was stolen, and so you can't help but hating the people of the world right now, right?
Bossun: You. You were friends with Himeko before, right? You've really gone to shit, man.
Tsune: Uha ha. I can't deny that. Feels like the world's against me all the time. That's how I became rotten. People change, right?
Bossun: Don't blame the world. You became garbage because you were weak.
Tsune: Uha ha. I can't deny that. Feels like the world's against me all the time. That's how I became rotten. People change, right?
Bossun: Don't blame the world. You became garbage because you were weak.
Audio Plays
Molly O'Sullivan: Why are they the way they are? The Daleks?
Eighth Doctor: Well...I could explain, but it might sound too much like I was making excuses for them.
Molly: You mean the Daleks are just plain bad through and through?
Doctor: (chuckles) That's...just about the most apt description of them I've ever heard, Molly.
Eighth Doctor: Well...I could explain, but it might sound too much like I was making excuses for them.
Molly: You mean the Daleks are just plain bad through and through?
Doctor: (chuckles) That's...just about the most apt description of them I've ever heard, Molly.
Comic Books
The Scarecrow: But I'm offering you the chance to see the fear in their eyes! I have spent enough time in Arkham Asylum to know the symptoms, Becky. You have the classic psychological profile to be one of us!
Becky Albright: You're crazy. That's not the way to deal with it. That's not the way I'm going to deal with it!
The Scarecrow: I am not crazy! This is a perfectly sane and rational response to my traumatic experiences. And if you don't believe me... I'll Kill You!.
Becky Albright: Then... You'll have to kill me.
All for the wrong reasons. I was pissed at my mom. Pissed at myself. I turned myself into a weapon. A bullet aimed at my mom, which would eventually come around and get me, too. But I watched my mom die again. Finally met my dad, and watched him die. too. There's nothing else for me to do this for. No one but me. I don't even know who I am. All that's left is the weapon.
— Cassandra "Cassie" Hack, Hack/Slash
Hellboy: William Grenier. You wiped out this whole town. Killed a priest. You've settled your old score and I'm going to settle with you. But first, you're holding spirits prisoner here. You're done with them. Let them go.
William Grenier: I am much sinned against.
Hellboy: I don't give a shit what you are. This is your own family. Let 'em go. DO IT!
William Grenier: I am much sinned against.
Hellboy: I don't give a shit what you are. This is your own family. Let 'em go. DO IT!
—Hellboy: The Wolves of Saint August
Regime Superman: I knew they'd bring you here eventually. You don't belong here. I'm this world's savior. Not you.
Superman: [incredulous] Savior? We're not gods. We don't decide who lives and who dies.
Regime Superman: Yet, after I've killed you, I'll go find Lois and bring her here. Save her. When she sees how I've perfected this world-
Superman: She'll be afraid and disgusted at what you did in her name. Her death doesn't justify your actions.
Regime Superman: He stole her from me!
Superman: You stole this planet's freedom! Now it's time to give it back.
Regime Superman: You want this world? You'll have to take it from me.
Superman: Not taking. I'm returning it to its rightful owners.
Regime Superman: After I destroy you, I'll deal with my ungrateful subjects.
Superman: Subjects? We're not here to rule them. We're here to learn from them.
Superman: [incredulous] Savior? We're not gods. We don't decide who lives and who dies.
Regime Superman: Yet, after I've killed you, I'll go find Lois and bring her here. Save her. When she sees how I've perfected this world-
Superman: She'll be afraid and disgusted at what you did in her name. Her death doesn't justify your actions.
Regime Superman: He stole her from me!
Superman: You stole this planet's freedom! Now it's time to give it back.
Regime Superman: You want this world? You'll have to take it from me.
Superman: Not taking. I'm returning it to its rightful owners.
Regime Superman: After I destroy you, I'll deal with my ungrateful subjects.
Superman: Subjects? We're not here to rule them. We're here to learn from them.
Gwen Siegel: I forgive you for what you're about to do. But please, just be better than your father. Someday you'll realize that everything I did, I did to—
Dylan Michael Siegel: To protect me? That's Bullshit. All of this happened because you didn't trust me, Mom!
Gwen Siegel: When you're older, you'll understand—
Dylan Michael Siegel: Oh, I understand just fine. You thought if you gave me a choice, I'd choose life with him over you.
Dylan Michael Siegel: You wanted to hurt him, so you used me as an excuse.
We're all damaged. We've all been hurt. It's an explanation. But it's not an excuse. Abused people make the right choice every day. People who suffer unimaginable things are still good guys, all the time. Ripley looked in the face of that...the path towards being a hero. To being something better...and turned her back on it.
— Carol Danvers, Star
I don't care who you are! I don't care what your +%@&'n sob story is! DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON ME!
— Bulleteer/Alix Harrower to Sally Sonic/Sara Smart, Seven Soldiers
You are a bully plain and simple. A product from your past... Being kicked around your whole life and alcoholic father and uncaring mother at home, only to find the same waiting for you from you peers in the schoolyard, day in and day out. You were born into a life you did not deserve... A life no child deserves. Someone needs to fill the role of the victim and you played that part for so many years until your grandmother came to your rescue. She called you her "sweet child." She did everything she could to undo the damage everyone else has done. But sadly she came too late, all that hope and good you held onto was beaten out long ago. After your grandmother's heart attack, you found your way to the Facility to the men that could give what you wanted badly... Revenge. A hollow prize, but one you begged for. And once you'd gotten the best of those who wronged you, you became the very person you hated and feared growing up. And X-23 played the role of your victim. Like you, Laura didn't deserve that horrible life, no child does remember? But you didn't care. Even though you knew all too well the pain she suffered, you enjoyed inflicting it. You still enjoy it. That's why you're a bully.
— Emma Frost to Kimura
"Incidentally, I spoke to Commissioner Gordon before I came in here. He's fine. Despite all your sick, vicious little games, he's as sane as he ever was. So maybe ordinary people don't always crack. Maybe there isn't any need to crawl under a rock with all the other slimy things when trouble hits... Maybe it was just you, all the time."
"I've heard that song a million times on this job. Every creep blames other people for bad things they do. I'm not buying it. I never had anyone step in to save me... but I decided, if I ever got the chance, I'd be there for other victims, make sure they got the help I didn't. And, we all have that choice. That power. That responsibility... for me, it meant becoming a cop...and some thing tells me you made your choice... a good one. But the Brace made his choice, too."
— Police Officer Allen, Amazing Spider-Man on Bullying Prevention
Batman: You're a fool. The Joker doesn't love anything except maybe himself. Face reality, Harleen — Joker had you pegged for hired help the minute you walked into Arkham.
Harley Quinn: That's not... No. NO! H-He told me things, secret things he never told anyone...
Batman: What did he tell you, Harley? Was it the line about the abusive father, or the one about the alcoholic mom? Of course, the runaway orphan story is particularly moving, too. He's gained a lot of sympathy with that one.
Harley: Stop it! You're making me confused!
Batman: What was it he told that one parole officer? Oh, yes... "There was only one time I ever saw dad really happy. He took me to the ice show when I was seven..."
Harley: Circus. He said it was the circus.
Batman: He's got a million of them, Harley. Like any other comedian, he uses whatever material will work.
Harley Quinn: That's not... No. NO! H-He told me things, secret things he never told anyone...
Batman: What did he tell you, Harley? Was it the line about the abusive father, or the one about the alcoholic mom? Of course, the runaway orphan story is particularly moving, too. He's gained a lot of sympathy with that one.
Harley: Stop it! You're making me confused!
Batman: What was it he told that one parole officer? Oh, yes... "There was only one time I ever saw dad really happy. He took me to the ice show when I was seven..."
Harley: Circus. He said it was the circus.
Batman: He's got a million of them, Harley. Like any other comedian, he uses whatever material will work.
— The Batman Adventures: Mad Love
No matter how he justifies his stupid, brutal behavior, or how anyone else tries to justify it, in the end he's just an old bastard with daft, old ideas based on violence and coercion...
Wife: Never did cotton to that Augusta Gein. Acting like she was better than everyone else. Poor Eddie. Shut up in that house with that woman all those years.
Husband: Poor Eddie?! He butchered two women and dug up dead folks!
Wife: I know, but who made him that way?
Husband: I don't care if his mother was Hitler in a skirt! He ain't gettin' any sympathy outta me!
Husband: Poor Eddie?! He butchered two women and dug up dead folks!
Wife: I know, but who made him that way?
Husband: I don't care if his mother was Hitler in a skirt! He ain't gettin' any sympathy outta me!
—Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?
Kron Stone: Do you know what it's like to be fitted with a collar, live in a kennel, and be fed on dog meat?!
Jake Gallows: No. But I know what it's like to have your family butchered by a crazy with a sob story.
Jake Gallows: No. But I know what it's like to have your family butchered by a crazy with a sob story.
Batman: What confuses me is this, Ms. Kane: every time I questioned a serial killer, child abuse was in his background. Doesn't that mean—
Debra Kane: No! There is always a choice! If you excuse a serial killer because he was tortured as a child, you disrespect the thousands of children who were treated far worse and never, never imitated their oppressor!
Debra Kane: No! There is always a choice! If you excuse a serial killer because he was tortured as a child, you disrespect the thousands of children who were treated far worse and never, never imitated their oppressor!
—Batman: The Ultimate Evil
"You weren't bullied any more than I was, Angelo. You weren't punched or kicked or spat upon any more than me. You were given great powers and you used them to kill people, you little freak. So like I said, no more chances."
— Spider-Man to Angelo Fortuna/Venom II
Hermann: Hermann's shit-boy was his. He could do anything he wanted to it. And he did, he did, he loved every moment, until you came along and ruined everything...
Charlie: But— Why would you want to do those things? I mean... to a feeder?
Hermann: Because that's what the feeders did to Hermann! [...] See, Hermann liked having his shit-boy. Because he could do the things that others did to him. And—
Charlie: Hermann... Hermann, you don't have to be what they made you. The feeders did it to all of us. One way or another. We were... we were like sticks to throw or balls to fetch. They made us into toys. And when we wore out they had us killed, and who were they to decide when a dog's life was done? There was a dog we met. His name was Hobby. The feeders made him sick and killed him. He was a good dog, he said, and look what they'd done to him. He told us it was good that the feeders were gone. Because they were the worst thing ever, because of what they'd done to the world. Me and Red and Rover, we've come all the way here from the Big Splash. We've seen so much. And it's made me realise we're finally... Free.
Hermann: You killed shit-boy...!
Charlie: We didn't mean to. We're so, so sorry. I just want you to know that the feeders did these things to you. And you don't have to be what they wanted.
Charlie: But— Why would you want to do those things? I mean... to a feeder?
Hermann: Because that's what the feeders did to Hermann! [...] See, Hermann liked having his shit-boy. Because he could do the things that others did to him. And—
Charlie: Hermann... Hermann, you don't have to be what they made you. The feeders did it to all of us. One way or another. We were... we were like sticks to throw or balls to fetch. They made us into toys. And when we wore out they had us killed, and who were they to decide when a dog's life was done? There was a dog we met. His name was Hobby. The feeders made him sick and killed him. He was a good dog, he said, and look what they'd done to him. He told us it was good that the feeders were gone. Because they were the worst thing ever, because of what they'd done to the world. Me and Red and Rover, we've come all the way here from the Big Splash. We've seen so much. And it's made me realise we're finally... Free.
Hermann: You killed shit-boy...!
Charlie: We didn't mean to. We're so, so sorry. I just want you to know that the feeders did these things to you. And you don't have to be what they wanted.
— Rover Red Charlie
Comic Strips
"Your denial of my victimhood is lowering my self-esteem!"
— Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
Fan Works
"I had hoped..." he trails off. "Thought. I'd thought... you would see the way I do. Loss brings a sort of clarity. Have you lost anyone before Serizawa? I suppose you wouldn't know what losing a child is like. I had a daughter once. Lindy." Something in Jonah's face changes, like Vivienne is seeing a ghost of the man he used to be. A different Jonah, from a brighter time in his life. "During my army days, she was walking home from school. It was a safer time. Or so I thought. By the time I returned, she was found stuffed into a storm drain. No one found out who did it. What kind of person does that, do you think? What kind of society allows something like that to happen? Emma understood."
Vivienne vaguely recalls reading about that in Jonah's dossier. A terrible thing. There's a pang of sympathy in her chest, but she squashes it down. Losing a child does not excuse or justify orchestrating the end of the world. How many others have lost their children since Antarctica? Their homes? Their entire lives?
Sirius Black: Why did you do it? Were you really that big of a coward that you sold them out as soon as you could?
Peter Pettigrew: That's rich, coming from you! Maybe your memory is faulty. Didn't James and you decide to select me because you saw me as a useless waste of space that no one would suspect?!
Sirius: But, weren't you...?
Peter: You are not even denying it... I never was an equal in the group, I was only included so that the three of you had someone you could look down on and compare yourself favorably to! Rich James Potter, the jock that everyone likes! Gifted Remus Lupin, the smart guy with perfect grades! Sirius Black, the rebellious cool rogue! Tell me if I'm wrong...
Sirius: While there is no excuse for us having done that, it also is no excuse for what you have done. Prongs, Moony and me, we were many things I'm not proud of nowadays, but we were never accomplices to murder.
Peter Pettigrew: That's rich, coming from you! Maybe your memory is faulty. Didn't James and you decide to select me because you saw me as a useless waste of space that no one would suspect?!
Sirius: But, weren't you...?
Peter: You are not even denying it... I never was an equal in the group, I was only included so that the three of you had someone you could look down on and compare yourself favorably to! Rich James Potter, the jock that everyone likes! Gifted Remus Lupin, the smart guy with perfect grades! Sirius Black, the rebellious cool rogue! Tell me if I'm wrong...
Sirius: While there is no excuse for us having done that, it also is no excuse for what you have done. Prongs, Moony and me, we were many things I'm not proud of nowadays, but we were never accomplices to murder.
I can tell you're alone, and in another now, I might feel sorry for you. But I can also tell you're a monster, you're driven by single goals and you don't care what gets destroyed between here and there, relationships, people, lives. Kind of like me.
(Giorno) could perhaps respect the "goals" of the White Fang. To end racism against Faunus. He was well aware peace would not always work, so even some acts of violence he could accept if they really did help achieve their goals. But, that did not mean they had the right to delude themselves into thinking they were the "heroes" of this world. That people who killed both the innocent and the guilty could call themselves anything other than criminals.
If they couldn't see that, if they couldn't see just how atrocious their acts were, then they had no right to claim their dreams "just."
"I know you've been through hell and back kid, but that ain't no reason to give up fighting. Keep moving forward, and never look back to the past. It only brings you pain. Learn from what has happened and make sure that history doesn't repeat itself,"
Haku: My apologies, Naruto. I understand if you would rather claim my-
Naruto: Okay, stop that. What, do you think I stopped the nine-tails from killing you for no reason?"
Haku: I...
Naruto: Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop acting like you don't have a soul. Start taking some fucking responsibility for your actions! Your master is dead. That's sad. I get that. But you have to move on. Decide for yourself what to do, who to care about, and decide for yourself what to do once you've screwed it up!
"Given that you're an Uchiha, you're aware of our history with the Senju Clan," Madara continued. "Nobody knew when our feud began, it simply existed, and we didn't question it. Uchiha fought Senju to avenge our fallen brethren. And then the Senju struck back to avenge their own. Eventually, after the battle where my brother died, Hashirama offered us a chance to end the hostilities, and form together a ninja village where we could live in peace."
"And you said yes," Obito assumed.
"No. Not at first, at least," Madara said, much to the young Uchiha's surprise. "I couldn't agree with such suggestion, even if it was what I desired. Or what I think I desired. Letting go of the past like that would mean spitting on the sacrifice of all the Uchiha who died fighting Senju. My brother among them. They died so we could have a chance at crushing them for good."
"But... that's stupid!" Obito blurted. Upon seeing Madara's unamused stare, Obito covered his mouth with his hand, and tried to hastily apologize. "Well, not stupid, it's just-"
"No, go on. Please, explain me why it's stupid," Madara asked. He sounded like he genuinely wanted to know the boy's opinion.
"Well..." Obito began, as he tried to find the best way to word his ideas, as he nervously rubbed his arm. "While it's true that all the Uchiha dead at the hand of the Senju was a tragedy, continuing the hostilities wouldn't have been of any help, and it would only resulted in more pointless deaths for both sides. You said that the Uchiha and the Senju had been fighting for generations, and neither clan was even close to destroy the other. By ceasing the hostilities, at least you ensure the next generation of Uchiha wouldn't have to go through the same horrors you did."
Sasuke: I'm going to finish what Madara started; I'm going to show Konoha exactly what they were asking for when they ordered the death of my family. You will know what pain I went through soon enough when I take it all away from you!
Naruto: Oh woe is me; my entire family was killed off... Sasuke, will you do us all a favor and GET THE FUCK OVER YOURSELF? This is a ninja world, you idiot, everyone has a tragic past! Everyone! Everyone loses their family, or freedom, or life or whatever else they're trying to hold onto. Fuck! You are the most selfish bastard I have ever met! It's all about you, isn't it? I swear—if I have to hear you bitch about your "tragic past" one more time—!
Sasuke: Fuck you, Naruto!
Naruto: No, Sasuke, fuck you! I've been hearing the same thing from you for the last ten years! Yes, what happened to you was not fair, but Konoha did what it had to in order to protect itself. Just like Itachi did what he had to in order to protect you—!
Sasuke: Shut! Up!
Naruto: Just like I'm doing what I have to in order to protect Konoha! To protect Hitomi. Why do you think we keep beating you?
Sasuke: Naruto-!
Naruto: We have something to protect. You are selfish, Sasuke. You will never beat us because you're using hate as a motivation. Your brother was a genius, but he was an idiot too. There were a hundred different—kinder, better—ways to get you strong enough to protect yourself than shoving mistaken ideals on you for motivation.
Sasuke: I-
Naruto: He fucked up. And now you're fucked up. Woe.
Naruto: Oh woe is me; my entire family was killed off... Sasuke, will you do us all a favor and GET THE FUCK OVER YOURSELF? This is a ninja world, you idiot, everyone has a tragic past! Everyone! Everyone loses their family, or freedom, or life or whatever else they're trying to hold onto. Fuck! You are the most selfish bastard I have ever met! It's all about you, isn't it? I swear—if I have to hear you bitch about your "tragic past" one more time—!
Sasuke: Fuck you, Naruto!
Naruto: No, Sasuke, fuck you! I've been hearing the same thing from you for the last ten years! Yes, what happened to you was not fair, but Konoha did what it had to in order to protect itself. Just like Itachi did what he had to in order to protect you—!
Sasuke: Shut! Up!
Naruto: Just like I'm doing what I have to in order to protect Konoha! To protect Hitomi. Why do you think we keep beating you?
Sasuke: Naruto-!
Naruto: We have something to protect. You are selfish, Sasuke. You will never beat us because you're using hate as a motivation. Your brother was a genius, but he was an idiot too. There were a hundred different—kinder, better—ways to get you strong enough to protect yourself than shoving mistaken ideals on you for motivation.
Sasuke: I-
Naruto: He fucked up. And now you're fucked up. Woe.
Mother, Father, Tamaran - it's their own fault they never loved me; it's my own fault nobody does.
— Blackfire, New Tamaran
Nyarlathotep: You seem to have forgotten your place, mortal! I am the son of that Blind Idiot. I am the Messenger of the Outer Gods!
Patrick: No, you're an all-powerful child mad at the world because your father didn't bother to give you a name. Well, what do you expect? He's the Ultimate Chaos after all. Do you really even think he would put any thought into naming you waste of existence?
Patrick: No, you're an all-powerful child mad at the world because your father didn't bother to give you a name. Well, what do you expect? He's the Ultimate Chaos after all. Do you really even think he would put any thought into naming you waste of existence?
— Revival
Son Bra: You...!! You think everything is so simple! You have no idea what I've lived through!
Bra Briefs: Yeah, I don't know... So what? So you have someone traumas, do you want a hug? Madam The Great Saiyan, she can't cope, she just can't? Do you think that you, you have the right to use the 'Oh no this trauma, it's too much for me!' excuse? You want to be number one in the universe? Then you have to pass all the trials, even those in your head, even unfair, even the hardest. Nothing can be too much for you, because otherwise you can't be, not even closely be, the real, ultimate number one! You're just someone strong who let herself gets carried along! You're passive!!
Bra Briefs: Yeah, I don't know... So what? So you have someone traumas, do you want a hug? Madam The Great Saiyan, she can't cope, she just can't? Do you think that you, you have the right to use the 'Oh no this trauma, it's too much for me!' excuse? You want to be number one in the universe? Then you have to pass all the trials, even those in your head, even unfair, even the hardest. Nothing can be too much for you, because otherwise you can't be, not even closely be, the real, ultimate number one! You're just someone strong who let herself gets carried along! You're passive!!
I never said it was easy. Listen, I've been aware of the lives you have been living after you left Konoha, and frankly you had me worried. From what I could see, all what you did is try to run away from your personal demons, indulging in superficial pleasures for shallow comfort. But I can tell that neither of you have been happy, regardless of how much you might try to deny it.
We all have lost somebody dear to us. I myself lost my beloved wife and many old friends to the Kyubi a few days ago, yet here I am, taking the mantle of the Hokage once again. I'm not saying that we're all the same or that you shouldn't deal with grief, but...how long has it been since both of you left? Six years? Maybe more? I think it's about time you two start to move on.
— Hiruzen to Tsunade and Jiraya, Naruto fanfic Son of the Sannin
Shinji: You know, I thought I might be able to understand you better by now. But actually I understand you even less than before. How... How can anyone really want to send his own child away?
Gendo: I have no reason to explain myself if you are already aware that you cannot understand.
Shinji: No, maybe not. You'd just blame everything on the pain of losing her anyway. Do you really think you're the only one who ever felt like that? You're not the only one who lost a loved one! [...] But unlike most, you didn't hold dear what was left of her. Instead of using it to remember the love she gave, you just saw it as reminder of her loss. So you just threw it all away, because the very existence hurt you.
Gendo: I have no reason to explain myself if you are already aware that you cannot understand.
Shinji: No, maybe not. You'd just blame everything on the pain of losing her anyway. Do you really think you're the only one who ever felt like that? You're not the only one who lost a loved one! [...] But unlike most, you didn't hold dear what was left of her. Instead of using it to remember the love she gave, you just saw it as reminder of her loss. So you just threw it all away, because the very existence hurt you.
Nah, fuck that guy. I don't give a shit what his motivations were. A bunch of us had bad parents, and Joker was basically all alone and miserable when we met him, but none of us turned into fucking homicidal assholes.
No. I'm not interested in your sob story. You did drugs, killed a man, and you now need to pay the price.
— Kenji Shima to Takeshi Tashiro, Danganronpa: Paradise Lost
Moriarty: I'm intrigued. Now that you've seen everything, do you hate me more, or less? Are you even more determined to destroy me, or are you convinced that I am merely a victim of circumstance, a miserable creature to be pitied?
Odd: I am just as determined to destroy you as ever. If I was any more determined, it would become an obsession that would destroy me. And as for your memories…you definitely went through a lot of stuff that you didn't deserve. I can't deny that. But what has happened to you does not excuse your decisions. No one forced you to become what you are.
Moriarty: You fool. Were you even listening to my dream? Power was the only thing I had left. I was boxed into a corner with only one door left to go into. I had no other choice.
Odd: You always had a choice. You could have reconciled with Schaeffer. You could have put your Carthage days behind you. You could have lived a normal life.
Moriarty: When you can take power, you take it. That is the law of nature. Might is right. That's how the world operates, and neither you nor I can change it. Those who choose to ignore it become the losers in this merciless world. And losing was definitely not an option for me.
Odd: Stop acting like the mere access to power forced you to do this. You had a choice. So what if the guys in black abused their power. That doesn't mean you had to play their game. Every day, you wake up, choosing to go about creating your hellish world. Even now, you still have a choice. You can still stop this. You…can still stop this…
Odd: I am just as determined to destroy you as ever. If I was any more determined, it would become an obsession that would destroy me. And as for your memories…you definitely went through a lot of stuff that you didn't deserve. I can't deny that. But what has happened to you does not excuse your decisions. No one forced you to become what you are.
Moriarty: You fool. Were you even listening to my dream? Power was the only thing I had left. I was boxed into a corner with only one door left to go into. I had no other choice.
Odd: You always had a choice. You could have reconciled with Schaeffer. You could have put your Carthage days behind you. You could have lived a normal life.
Moriarty: When you can take power, you take it. That is the law of nature. Might is right. That's how the world operates, and neither you nor I can change it. Those who choose to ignore it become the losers in this merciless world. And losing was definitely not an option for me.
Odd: Stop acting like the mere access to power forced you to do this. You had a choice. So what if the guys in black abused their power. That doesn't mean you had to play their game. Every day, you wake up, choosing to go about creating your hellish world. Even now, you still have a choice. You can still stop this. You…can still stop this…
— Code Lyoko fanfiction The Games of Moriarty
Herb: I said what else is new?! I've been punished all my life, becoming the butt of every joke, receiving the knuckles of every punch. I've been nothing but a mat for other students to step on at this school. And when I try to do some punishing of my own…you come in to enforce the injustice! Is is any wonder, is it any wonder that I resorted to this?!
Jim: Do you think I was never your age? Do you think I was never bullied? I have news for you, I wasn't always as impressive as I am today, and life wasn't easy for me. The kids in my school were brutal. It didn't matter to them that my mother was struggling to provide for the two of us, or that I had recently lost my father in a peacekeeping mission in the Congo. None of that mattered. But when I hit puberty and became bigger and stronger than them, did I pay them back for every injury they gave me? NO! Having the ability to inflict equal damage on those that have hurt you does not make you a man. Taking the high road and retaining your dignity in spite of your pain does.
Jim: Do you think I was never your age? Do you think I was never bullied? I have news for you, I wasn't always as impressive as I am today, and life wasn't easy for me. The kids in my school were brutal. It didn't matter to them that my mother was struggling to provide for the two of us, or that I had recently lost my father in a peacekeeping mission in the Congo. None of that mattered. But when I hit puberty and became bigger and stronger than them, did I pay them back for every injury they gave me? NO! Having the ability to inflict equal damage on those that have hurt you does not make you a man. Taking the high road and retaining your dignity in spite of your pain does.
— Code Lyoko fanfiction The Games of Moriarty
[Adam Taurus reveals his Dark and Troubled Past]
Weiss: You didn't deserve any of that. I'm so sorry.
Adam: It's too late for apologies Schnee, your family allowed mine to be destroyed and Razor has proof your father still partakes in the subjugation of our race. I will have justice.
Velvet: It's not justice you want.
Adam: What did you just say?
Velvet: You want vengeance for what happened to you and while I for one am so, so sorry for what happened to you I don't think it justifies what you have done. I know you lived through so many terrible things, you lost everyone you cared for and I truly do feel sorry for you, but I know what you've done. WE know what you've done. You may have fooled the Elite Guard and your troops, but we were in that prison, we saw what you did to those people, we know you held a sword to Haulan's throat, you cut off Sun's tail and Yang's arm, you were going to murder my friends had Ruby not gotten away, and who knows what else you've done. I feel bad for you, no one should have to live through what you did, but it doesn't excuse the terrible things you have done, the lives you destroy in the Fall, the people who were killed, the pain you've cause, and the amputees we saw. As long as we live we will do our best to make sure your crimes become known, Adam. Your lust for revenge has twisted you into a monster, you're no different than the humans who killed your family, they would be ashamed of you.
Weiss: You didn't deserve any of that. I'm so sorry.
Adam: It's too late for apologies Schnee, your family allowed mine to be destroyed and Razor has proof your father still partakes in the subjugation of our race. I will have justice.
Velvet: It's not justice you want.
Adam: What did you just say?
Velvet: You want vengeance for what happened to you and while I for one am so, so sorry for what happened to you I don't think it justifies what you have done. I know you lived through so many terrible things, you lost everyone you cared for and I truly do feel sorry for you, but I know what you've done. WE know what you've done. You may have fooled the Elite Guard and your troops, but we were in that prison, we saw what you did to those people, we know you held a sword to Haulan's throat, you cut off Sun's tail and Yang's arm, you were going to murder my friends had Ruby not gotten away, and who knows what else you've done. I feel bad for you, no one should have to live through what you did, but it doesn't excuse the terrible things you have done, the lives you destroy in the Fall, the people who were killed, the pain you've cause, and the amputees we saw. As long as we live we will do our best to make sure your crimes become known, Adam. Your lust for revenge has twisted you into a monster, you're no different than the humans who killed your family, they would be ashamed of you.
— RWBY: Destiny of Remnant, Chapter 43: Schism
"Alex, as you get older, you'll learn everyone suffers, and everyone thinks that they suffer alone. Even if they share their troubles with others, they think their own brand of sorrow is special and incomprehensible by anyone else. They feel like... like little dots. Like little, isolated dots of suffering, completely separate.(...)And what so few people understand is that they don't HAVE to be that way. They don't understand how to USE that suffering, to use it to understand others and to help others. The dots don't like to reach out to other dots, they don't try to connect. As minister, that's part of my job. To reach out to the heartaches in the pew and bring them into contact with each other. And, while I'm at it, to try and guess at the order to the dots. To… connect the dots, as it were, and see the overarching pattern to it all."
— Reverend McCay to Sasuke, Connecting the Dots
Starlight Glimmer: But...but...but you're the princess of friendship. Don't you see how terrible a thing it is that happened to me?
Twilight Sparkle: Yes...you lost touch with your friend. And I'm sorry that happened to you. But don't you think you took your problem a bit out-of-proportion? I know it was sad that you lost your friend, but...what you did to everypony else, those at the village and beyond...they didn't deserve what you did just because of...of this! Starlight...you took something you thought of as a problem with your life...and tried to make it everypony else's problem! Rather than think things through...you let yourself become enraged because of just one bad experience.
Twilight Sparkle: Yes...you lost touch with your friend. And I'm sorry that happened to you. But don't you think you took your problem a bit out-of-proportion? I know it was sad that you lost your friend, but...what you did to everypony else, those at the village and beyond...they didn't deserve what you did just because of...of this! Starlight...you took something you thought of as a problem with your life...and tried to make it everypony else's problem! Rather than think things through...you let yourself become enraged because of just one bad experience.
Charlotte: "You disgusting filth! Do you know who I am?! Do you know what I went through to get this far?!"
Zdrada: "Oh cry me a fucking river!"
Charlotte: "This was my chance to become important again! And you ruined it!"
Zdrada: "You don't get to say shit like that after what you did! (...) You think you're the only one who suffered? The only one who has pain?! (...) I don't know your life story, but I know top hat over says you were friends, that you were given another chance at life! And how did you thank them? You turn your back on them! (...) Know what my name means? It mean "betrayal", imagine that? But I'm not the traitor here, you are! So do us all a favor and SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
— Infernal Tales A Helltaker Story
"She (Beelzebub) betrayed me!" Lucifer argued.
"And you betray me first! Both of you (Lucifer and Satan)!" Beelzebub retorted. "The Throne was meant to be mine, but you chose Lucifer instead!"
"You know damn well why that happened!" Satan yelled at Beelzebub.
"I screwed up, okay?!" Beelzebub yelled. "I was mourning my losses, I was upset and confused, why else do you think I made the deal?!"
"Oh get over yourself!" Satan yelled angrily. "Do you think you were the only one who was suffering?! I was heartbroken too, and so was your sister! She was there for me when you weren't! And that is why I made her Queen! She didn't turn her back on me when I was at my lowest point, but you did!"
— Infernal Tales A Helltaker Story
Agiel was a little confused by this, though sighed when she realized what that meant.
"You did the Gatekeeper too, didn't you?"
"Nooooo..." Future Chariot denied as he gave a nervous look, but Arsen raised an eyebrow.
"You know, I thought you'd be happy with just Zdrada by your side, but ever since that day you've become more lustful and perverted." Agiel said. "The General of the Hell Knights that my brother was never gave into his carnal desire and just fucked every good looking woman they came across."
"To be fair, the Gatekeeper wanted to do it with me too. And I am happy with Zdrada, I really am. It's just that-...I just...y-you know it's just that..." Future Chariot stuttered while trying to find the words, lying to both himself and his sister.
Future Chariot had no possible excuse for the way he turned out, he should've recovered from that incident by now.
"Chariot, you have to let that day go..." Arsen said trying to comfort his general by putting a hand on his shoulder, "I know it hurt you quite a lot, but remember that you have us now. People that are actually willing to be by your side, your sister included."
— Infernal Tales A Helltaker Story
Madara (Susanoo - The Destroyer): Do you know how much I lost and sacrificed on the altar of this scam (fate)? I lost my brother, my clan, my freedom, my life! It left me nothing but memories, so I could revel in fear of its almighty decisions, and a destiny to fulfill! What does a immature child like you (Naruko) know of fate?"
Sasori: …I'm sick of hearing you talk. You're just whining. [...] Fate is the excuse men use to better accept their current condition, or to find answers to questions they don't bother to find the true answer to. Yes, you suffered and lost people, probably for nothing. Deal with it."
Kenta - Pure Evil: So society blames us honest and superior individuals for their misdeeds. Like black sheep. But it's the world who made us what we are. Society is built on lies and strife. Is it no wonder they made people like me? I am the victim there. Konoha and its teachings morphed me into what I am. The Shinobi system and wars made me what I am. I had no choice but be who I was.
Kakashi Hatake/Kamui - The Copy-Nin: That's complete and utter bullshit! Society is not responsible for what you are, Kenta. I faced worse ordeals than you, and I didn't turn out like you. Kazama, Obito, and countless heroes had a shitty life, and they became good and nice. Your behavior has no excuse. You're just a vicious scumbag, Kenta. Nothing more. If you had some shred of conscience, you would have been horrified by what you had done, and, I don't know, tried to make up for your actions, vowing never to try again. Yet, you crossed the line and never looked back.
Sir Naruto - The Clown: You both had one bad day. Someone, anyone, hurt you really bad, and you went crazy. Why else would you dress up as a crazy assassin, or stay carefree when the world is crashing down around you? I was like you, ya know? I disguised myself as that asshole Sasuke to get close to my crush… and she told me I was lucky not to have a family, and that was why I was so annoying. So I smashed her head in… just like THIS! [...] Meh, what's the point of being born with power if you can't lord it over those who don't have it? Look at your pal, why else do you think he became an ANBU for Danzo? He just wants the power!
ROOT-Naruto: No. I became an ANBU to kill people like you. I became an ANBU not for Danzo, or the Leaf. I became an ANBU to kill Sasuke. [...] Shinobi like you and Sasuke disgust me. You use your suffering as an excuse to inflict more suffering!
Karasu Uchiha - The Uchiha Naruto: Normal people don't react to misfortune by blowing up buildings! You're just a bully with an oversized ego! I suffered too, yeah, but it only hardened my resolve not to become like my tormentors! Deep down, you're just a coward who didn't have the strength to persevere!
ROOT-Naruto: No. I became an ANBU to kill people like you. I became an ANBU not for Danzo, or the Leaf. I became an ANBU to kill Sasuke. [...] Shinobi like you and Sasuke disgust me. You use your suffering as an excuse to inflict more suffering!
Karasu Uchiha - The Uchiha Naruto: Normal people don't react to misfortune by blowing up buildings! You're just a bully with an oversized ego! I suffered too, yeah, but it only hardened my resolve not to become like my tormentors! Deep down, you're just a coward who didn't have the strength to persevere!
"Not that I blame you, per se. It would suggest from your stories of your childhood that you were conditioned to be this way, a victim of circumstance."
"Sound like you're letting me off the hook a little, there," Hans grinned, his tone lightening up.
"Oh, no, no, no. You see, you may be a victim of poor parenting, but that does not excuse your actions. Therein lies the problem. You alone must take responsibility for your actions."
"Sound like you're letting me off the hook a little, there," Hans grinned, his tone lightening up.
"Oh, no, no, no. You see, you may be a victim of poor parenting, but that does not excuse your actions. Therein lies the problem. You alone must take responsibility for your actions."
Ginny: I think that you did not have a home. And then I remembered that your father did not die until 1946. Which means he was alive while you were in an orphanage. So he must have left you. Why did he leave you?
What happened to your mother?
Was it a terrible place, Tom?
Tom: Oh, are we are back to Tom?
And now comes a surge of pity… yes, I feel it. God, how insipid you are. How predictable. How full of drama and tepid romantic conclusions. It was just a place like your sorry little Burrow, overrun with children. No different.
Ginny: You say that you can feel my lies. Well, you are in me so much now that I can feel yours too.
And I do not feel sorry for you at all. I have been thinking. Harry is an orphan, and he is not horrible. And Prissy has everything she wants, and she is still nasty. So I do not know how much it counts. I cannot work out what is wrong with you.
Tom: Get. Out.
What happened to your mother?
Was it a terrible place, Tom?
Tom: Oh, are we are back to Tom?
And now comes a surge of pity… yes, I feel it. God, how insipid you are. How predictable. How full of drama and tepid romantic conclusions. It was just a place like your sorry little Burrow, overrun with children. No different.
Ginny: You say that you can feel my lies. Well, you are in me so much now that I can feel yours too.
And I do not feel sorry for you at all. I have been thinking. Harry is an orphan, and he is not horrible. And Prissy has everything she wants, and she is still nasty. So I do not know how much it counts. I cannot work out what is wrong with you.
Tom: Get. Out.
"Gabriel's (stated) motives make him a sympathetic villain, but just about everything else in his MO undercuts that sympathy.
After all, Gabriel will do ANYTHING* to get his wife back.
*Disclaimer: 'Anything' does not include admitting fault, admitting error, admitting he isn't the most qualified person to deal with the situation, asking for help, apologizing, seeking actual experts on the problem he faces, being polite, or in general doing anything a good and decent person would consider a reasonable course of action."
After all, Gabriel will do ANYTHING* to get his wife back.
*Disclaimer: 'Anything' does not include admitting fault, admitting error, admitting he isn't the most qualified person to deal with the situation, asking for help, apologizing, seeking actual experts on the problem he faces, being polite, or in general doing anything a good and decent person would consider a reasonable course of action."
— Comment on Voyance
Batman: Would you just stop and think for a second.
Green Lantern: I don't think, I do.
Batman: I can tell.
Green Lantern: You know what. I'm the one who's sick of your self-righteous crap buddy!
Batman: I don't care that you like being the lone, hot-shot maverick who puts his life on the line because daddy died in front of your eyes when you were ten. Guess what, We've all been there. It doesn't elevate you. It doesn't make you an exception. If you want to kill yourself flying planes, that's your business, but if you rush in again without a plan, it's everyone else that pays.
Green Lantern: I don't think, I do.
Batman: I can tell.
Green Lantern: You know what. I'm the one who's sick of your self-righteous crap buddy!
Batman: I don't care that you like being the lone, hot-shot maverick who puts his life on the line because daddy died in front of your eyes when you were ten. Guess what, We've all been there. It doesn't elevate you. It doesn't make you an exception. If you want to kill yourself flying planes, that's your business, but if you rush in again without a plan, it's everyone else that pays.
— Batman calling out Green Lantern in Justice League War Abridged
Aquaman: You think just because you were bullied that gives the right to do the same? (Throws Orm against a building)
Orm: Stop that!
Aquaman: (Slams Orm against a tank) 'You don't understand.' 'No one gets me.' 'I've suffered.' 'My parents are mean.' Am I ringing bells?
Orm: Don't act like you know me.
Aquaman: No, please. Go on about how your crappy life and mommy issues gives you the right to genocide!
Orm: Stop that!
Aquaman: (Slams Orm against a tank) 'You don't understand.' 'No one gets me.' 'I've suffered.' 'My parents are mean.' Am I ringing bells?
Orm: Don't act like you know me.
Aquaman: No, please. Go on about how your crappy life and mommy issues gives you the right to genocide!
—Young Justice Abridged, "Throne of Atlantis Abridged"
"It was only you who was thinking you weren't enough. You were the problem, not your brother or your parents! Did it ever occur to you that they have not given much guidance because they have enough trust in you to leave you alone with your decisions? Did it ever occur to you that they might be worried about your brother getting into trouble which causes them to be around him all the time? No! Because you were too busy feeling like a poor orphan when in fact your parents trust you so much that you have so much freedom!
You are lucky to have such loving parents. Not everyone still has both of their parents. Not everyone is born into a loving family. Not everyone is trusted by their parents. If your parents found out you killed an innocent little girl, do you think they will be proud of you?"
You are lucky to have such loving parents. Not everyone still has both of their parents. Not everyone is born into a loving family. Not everyone is trusted by their parents. If your parents found out you killed an innocent little girl, do you think they will be proud of you?"
— Nao Hisoka, to the second killer, Danganronpa: Last Hurrah
Oliver: Why are you going after the Flash?
Lex Luthor: Not the Flash specifically, it's Metahumans, all Metahumans.
Oliver: Why, what did they ever do to you?
Lex Luthor: Do you remmeber the Metahuman attack on Central City six months ago?
Oliver: Yeah, I heard about it after I left.
Lex Luthor: When the first wave hit, I was in town with my fiancee, Lana Lang. We were caught up by this one metahuman, she could scream and it would cause building to collapse. We were leaving on a train when she screamed at it, the train was shoved off the tracks and slipped over a few times, in all the chaos, Lana hit her head of a food tray. The autopsy said that she died almost instantly. And she was one of the lucky ones, there were others who didn't die instantly, who died in pain and suffering.
Oliver: I'm sorry for what happened, but that is no reason to go after all Metahumans for the actions of a few.
Lex Luthor: I lost the woman I loved more more than anything because of a Metahuman. You cannot even imagine what that's like!
Oliver: I don't have to imagine it, I'm living it. The woman I love more than anything is dead."
Lex Luthor: Then why aren't you seeking your revenge?
Oliver: Because I already got it. I killed the man who killed her and the man who helped him. Because they were the ones responsible, not an entire population. Lex, I will help you find the woman who killed Lana, but you can't blame all Metahumans for her actions.
Lex Luthor: Not the Flash specifically, it's Metahumans, all Metahumans.
Oliver: Why, what did they ever do to you?
Lex Luthor: Do you remmeber the Metahuman attack on Central City six months ago?
Oliver: Yeah, I heard about it after I left.
Lex Luthor: When the first wave hit, I was in town with my fiancee, Lana Lang. We were caught up by this one metahuman, she could scream and it would cause building to collapse. We were leaving on a train when she screamed at it, the train was shoved off the tracks and slipped over a few times, in all the chaos, Lana hit her head of a food tray. The autopsy said that she died almost instantly. And she was one of the lucky ones, there were others who didn't die instantly, who died in pain and suffering.
Oliver: I'm sorry for what happened, but that is no reason to go after all Metahumans for the actions of a few.
Lex Luthor: I lost the woman I loved more more than anything because of a Metahuman. You cannot even imagine what that's like!
Oliver: I don't have to imagine it, I'm living it. The woman I love more than anything is dead."
Lex Luthor: Then why aren't you seeking your revenge?
Oliver: Because I already got it. I killed the man who killed her and the man who helped him. Because they were the ones responsible, not an entire population. Lex, I will help you find the woman who killed Lana, but you can't blame all Metahumans for her actions.
And you... Are an arrogant back-stabbing coward, who is incapable of acknowledging his own failures. You were sniveling to that Goku idiot back on Namek, saying that everything evil you ever did was MY fault. Well tell me Vegeta, do you know how many worlds and civilizations you've destroyed without my order? Did I tell you to destroy Arlia? Did I order you to commit genocide on the colonies of Ethrom? Was I the one who ordered you to decapitate the king of Verbu because he insulted your height? No, you proved yourself quite capable of cruelty without my input.
—Frieza to Vegeta, Reign
"You know, it just amuses me that you talk about how terrible your mom was, but you seem to be a lot more like her than you think. But I guess we’re alike in that way since the apples don’t fall far from their trees."
— Mercury Black to Cinder Fall, CRME
"Please. You are not some sort of goddess of death. You are nothing more than an egotistical brat with delusions of grandeur because you're still angry that your mommy hurt you in the past. And I'm sure that she'd be genuinely proud to see the callous, self-absorbed, egomaniac that you've become."
— Arthur Watts to Cinder Fall, CRME
Hisashi: You haven’t noticed, Bakugou? You’re the most disliked person in your class. One of the best achieving, yet they have nothing but contempt for you. For your attitude, for your mannerisms, for your complete lack of social skills....For your lack of control and temper. You’re a liability, which is why you failed and they succeeded.
Bakugou: Fuck off. You don’t know anything.
Hisashi: What an excellent view. We must be on, what, the tenth story? I know plenty Bakugou. I know that your father was so worthless that your mother had to chase him. That he’s a spineless, pathetic wimp that’s at the beck and call of his emotionally abusive wife. That not once in all your years has he ever defended you from her stupidity about strength and weakness, as though she were a chimpanzee frolicking about in the jungle as opposed to a functional human being raising a vulnerable child.
Bakugou: I turned out fine.
Hisashi: Oh? Is that why my son beat you in your first combat simulation? Is that why he had his provisional licence before you? My disadvantaged boy, so new to the world of violence, still surpassed you. It’s almost like there’s more to life than having a Quirk and money. For all that my son once lacked, he still had more than enough substance to his personality to utterly destroy you in all the ways that matter.
Bakugou: Deku is as fucking useless as he always will be. Nothing can fucking change that.
Hisashi: Ah, Bakugou, remember what I said about calling my son that name?
Hisashi: [Grabs Bakugou by the neck]
Hisashi: This Bakugou, is why Tomura saw such likeness to himself in you. Another spoilt, emotionally driven brat who’d step on others to achieve their goals. A menace to society.
Bakugou: Fuck off. You don’t know anything.
Hisashi: What an excellent view. We must be on, what, the tenth story? I know plenty Bakugou. I know that your father was so worthless that your mother had to chase him. That he’s a spineless, pathetic wimp that’s at the beck and call of his emotionally abusive wife. That not once in all your years has he ever defended you from her stupidity about strength and weakness, as though she were a chimpanzee frolicking about in the jungle as opposed to a functional human being raising a vulnerable child.
Bakugou: I turned out fine.
Hisashi: Oh? Is that why my son beat you in your first combat simulation? Is that why he had his provisional licence before you? My disadvantaged boy, so new to the world of violence, still surpassed you. It’s almost like there’s more to life than having a Quirk and money. For all that my son once lacked, he still had more than enough substance to his personality to utterly destroy you in all the ways that matter.
Bakugou: Deku is as fucking useless as he always will be. Nothing can fucking change that.
Hisashi: Ah, Bakugou, remember what I said about calling my son that name?
Hisashi: [Grabs Bakugou by the neck]
Hisashi: This Bakugou, is why Tomura saw such likeness to himself in you. Another spoilt, emotionally driven brat who’d step on others to achieve their goals. A menace to society.
Edelgard: Lysithea... I thought you'd understand.
Lysithea: I understand enough. I understand your reasons, I understand your pain. But I will never understand your actions.
Lysithea: I understand enough. I understand your reasons, I understand your pain. But I will never understand your actions.
You haven't changed my mind. Yes, some people have no choice but to stand and fight, but they don't have a right to take their misery out on people who aren't involved. This is a tragedy, but it is not an excuse.
Replakor: So, what do you think of my true face, Tenoh? You did this to me. You forced me to crash, allowing the Dark Kingdom to turn me into this creature. And that drove me to do what I intend to do now.
Haruka: Oh, don’t go blaming us for your problems. You crashed because you were so desperate to beat me you put your own safety second. And I didn’t tell you to kill all humanity, and neither did the Dark Kingdom. You did that all by yourself. If you’re so willing to blame others for your problems, then it’s no wonder you don’t have any friends. You killed one of your own minions because you just want glory. Well let me tell you, if you’re going to destroy the world just because you couldn’t get the glory you crave, then I won’t hesitate to put you down for good.
Haruka: Oh, don’t go blaming us for your problems. You crashed because you were so desperate to beat me you put your own safety second. And I didn’t tell you to kill all humanity, and neither did the Dark Kingdom. You did that all by yourself. If you’re so willing to blame others for your problems, then it’s no wonder you don’t have any friends. You killed one of your own minions because you just want glory. Well let me tell you, if you’re going to destroy the world just because you couldn’t get the glory you crave, then I won’t hesitate to put you down for good.
We've heard your complaints about how the entrance exam practical is unfair. That it favors those with flashy, destructive Quirks. Some of us even agree. But it just sounds like sour grapes from you. Those two you cheated today? Neither one of them has a flashy or destructive Quirk. [Ojiro's] tail is like a third arm, only without a hand. It's no stronger than the rest of him. And [Hagakure] is just invisible, which is good for sneak attacks, but also puts her in danger. Despite that, both of them made it through the practical. Their strength and stamina and flexibility pulled them through. They are a lot tougher than most kids your age. And better trained. And that's because they want to be Heroes, and put in the work.
Your grades are fine. But in physical education? You are barely passing. It seems like you are barely trying. And you honestly expect to survive what we put the Hero course students through?
Your grades are fine. But in physical education? You are barely passing. It seems like you are barely trying. And you honestly expect to survive what we put the Hero course students through?
— Shota Aizawa to Hitoshi Shinso, My Hero Playthrough
Nakayima: "Be any worse? I couldn't really imagine how anyone—"
Misato: "Be any worse? Trust me, she's mellowed out lately. I guess being with Shinji really helps her deal with all that pain."
Nakajima: "Her pain? Miko still thinks she's responsible for Keiko getting hurt, even if she doesn't outright blame her anymore. It's not easy feeling sympathy for her."
Misato: "She wouldn't want it anyway —- she'd think it makes her weak. However, wanting and needing can be quite different things sometimes. She definitely could have used some earlier in her life."
Nakayima: "We all have things in our past we'd like to forget. That isn't really an excuse."
Misato: "No. But it can be an explanation. Asuka certainly made some bad choices all on her own, and I know how hard it made her to deal with, and almost impossible to actually help her. All the more reason I admire Shinji for getting through to her somehow."
Misato: "Be any worse? Trust me, she's mellowed out lately. I guess being with Shinji really helps her deal with all that pain."
Nakajima: "Her pain? Miko still thinks she's responsible for Keiko getting hurt, even if she doesn't outright blame her anymore. It's not easy feeling sympathy for her."
Misato: "She wouldn't want it anyway —- she'd think it makes her weak. However, wanting and needing can be quite different things sometimes. She definitely could have used some earlier in her life."
Nakayima: "We all have things in our past we'd like to forget. That isn't really an excuse."
Misato: "No. But it can be an explanation. Asuka certainly made some bad choices all on her own, and I know how hard it made her to deal with, and almost impossible to actually help her. All the more reason I admire Shinji for getting through to her somehow."
"Bullshit! "The best you can," you say? Whatever. Today you were fine. I felt like you were an actual parent for a change, and that was nice. But last night? Fuck that noise. Back in the day, I guess you could get away with it since things were really rough for you back then. But now, not so much. We deserve better, father and I, and so do you!"
— Ryuko, Ghosts of Evangelion
Izuku: "Looks like I missed the mark. I figured you were better than that, Monoma. But it seems you're just as blinded by your worship of heroes as everyone else."
Monoma: "Worship. Is that what you think it is?"
Izuku: "Blinded to the truth. If you just knew all the incidents that the heroes got into then-"
Monoma: "Then what? I'd suddenly jump ship? No-one's perfect, you know. No system either. It's obvious things slip through the cracks. To try and what? Bring it all to it's knees just cause you got slighted? That's not the warped sense of "the ends justify the means" heroism you think it is. You're all just petulant children throwing a tantrum and blaming the world for your own pathetic problems. You're no savior. You're a joke."
— Neito Monoma to the League of Villains, Venality
Mina Ashido: "Just what the hell is his problem anyway? I get that he was picked on and bullied for being quirkless, but that's no excuse to be a monster to those that had nothing to do with it."
— Mina, in regards to Izuku Midoriya, Apotheosis
Robin: Do you understand what you're doing here?
Aresia: Of course. I'm destroying Man's World, and all the greed, deception, and cruelty that makes it all up. I'm giving control of it all to the women.
Robin: You are a child. Striking out at the world as an expression of your pain. It's pitiful really. I assume all the soldiers who killed your family were men? The pirates too? And then you spent the rest of your life growing up with women who hate men. It's understandable. Just not excusable.
Aresia: Of course. I'm destroying Man's World, and all the greed, deception, and cruelty that makes it all up. I'm giving control of it all to the women.
Robin: You are a child. Striking out at the world as an expression of your pain. It's pitiful really. I assume all the soldiers who killed your family were men? The pirates too? And then you spent the rest of your life growing up with women who hate men. It's understandable. Just not excusable.
Zolph: No wonder it sounded like your stomach was growling when you spoke. You actually do speak with it. So what's your story, ugly? Did you mutate yourself too?
Gestroma: Actually, those Imperial mongrels that once operated here made me this way. Separated me from my family in the prisons of Despayre and made me a lab rat for a mutant super-soldier program: Project GESTROMA. Once they transformed me, they stuck that symbiote inside me. Their project was a success, but they succeeded too well considering what I did next.
Zolph: So, that explains your hatred for humans. The Galactic Empire was infamously humanocentric. What species were you before they mutated you?
Gestroma: I seem to have forgotten what species I was, but for all I know, your species must pay for destroying my home and family and then turning me into this. [fires some concussion rifle blasts at Zolph]
Hiriss: What the Empire did to you, your family and home was truly awful. However, it isn't a valid excuse for what you've done... and what you're planning to do. If the Empire was still in power, if you were only trying to get back at them, and just them as an institution, and you weren't experimenting on the people you captured, you might have stronger ground to stand on. But that time is over. Right now, you're just a self-righteous, hypocritical bigot who's clinging to a decades-old grudge to justify genocide on an entire species... just because you weren't able to get personal satisfaction from destroying the Empire by yourself. There were many more humans and other species that hated the Empire, but even most of those victimized by it didn't try to commit genocide on humans just because of one rotten group of them. Besides, my mother is a human from Alderaan, and she fought against the Empire you resent so much.
Gestroma: That just gives me more reason to cleanse you, you mutt! Even if you weren’t half-human, you Mirialans wouldn’t be safe from my wrath, either. You biologically have too much in common.
Hiriss: So you’ve got a grudge with near-human species by extension. [She and Zolph activate their lightsabers] On that note, you’ve become a threat to not just humans, but to living beings in general.
Gestroma: Actually, those Imperial mongrels that once operated here made me this way. Separated me from my family in the prisons of Despayre and made me a lab rat for a mutant super-soldier program: Project GESTROMA. Once they transformed me, they stuck that symbiote inside me. Their project was a success, but they succeeded too well considering what I did next.
Zolph: So, that explains your hatred for humans. The Galactic Empire was infamously humanocentric. What species were you before they mutated you?
Gestroma: I seem to have forgotten what species I was, but for all I know, your species must pay for destroying my home and family and then turning me into this. [fires some concussion rifle blasts at Zolph]
Hiriss: What the Empire did to you, your family and home was truly awful. However, it isn't a valid excuse for what you've done... and what you're planning to do. If the Empire was still in power, if you were only trying to get back at them, and just them as an institution, and you weren't experimenting on the people you captured, you might have stronger ground to stand on. But that time is over. Right now, you're just a self-righteous, hypocritical bigot who's clinging to a decades-old grudge to justify genocide on an entire species... just because you weren't able to get personal satisfaction from destroying the Empire by yourself. There were many more humans and other species that hated the Empire, but even most of those victimized by it didn't try to commit genocide on humans just because of one rotten group of them. Besides, my mother is a human from Alderaan, and she fought against the Empire you resent so much.
Gestroma: That just gives me more reason to cleanse you, you mutt! Even if you weren’t half-human, you Mirialans wouldn’t be safe from my wrath, either. You biologically have too much in common.
Hiriss: So you’ve got a grudge with near-human species by extension. [She and Zolph activate their lightsabers] On that note, you’ve become a threat to not just humans, but to living beings in general.
—Star Wars: Paranormalities: Episode II - "Chapter 9: Lab Rat"
“I’m sorry, Alan,” she said softly. “You didn’t deserve what happened to you. But your victims didn’t deserve it either.”
— Alexandria, I Panacea
“I’m not asking you to forget the pain. I only ask that you do your best to move forward. For your sake, and for Nagisa’s.”
In a way, she already knew the answer, but that didn’t make the revelation any less horrifying. There were still so many things Mary didn’t understand, but even if she did, she knew none of it—Dana’s problems with her mother or whatever Dana herself felt—did anything to even remotely justify what she wanted to do to her own daughter. So what if her mother had a loveless childhood? So what if her mother was cruel to her? Did that really give Dana the right to do the same things to her own daughter, and possibly worse?
— The Sun Will Come Up And The Seasons Will Change, Chapter 12
He recalled the sorry state the Horde was in before the Cataclysm. After the war against the Lich King, the Horde had nearly depleted itself of resources. The Darkspear had spread themselves thin, in their campaign to reclaim the Echo Isles. The tauren were constantly under attack by centaur and quillboar. And both the Forsaken and Blood Elves – allies more to each other than the rest of the Horde – were half a world away. Even Garrosh had questioned Thrall’s decision, for at the time, he didn’t feel he was ready.
Every time he looked back to those days, Thrall asked himself: had he given Garrosh an impossible task? Had he set him up to fail from the very start?
“You cannot take responsibility for the choices of others,” Aggra continued, gripping Thrall’s shoulder. “Especially not those made by a grown man who is two decades older than you. He chose to ignore the counsel of those you left behind to aid him. He chose to challenge Cairne to Mak’gora. He chose to drag the Horde back to the self-destructive ways of old. He chose to enslave the elements, bomb Theramore, and tamper with the power of the Old Gods. And if he had the chance, he would do so again – without hesitation. His trial in Pandaria made that fact abundantly clear.”
Thrall nodded grimly. Again, his mind whisked him away, this time to the Temple of the White Tiger:
“And now, here at this moment, when I am free to speak my mind and heart, I tell you true: I regret…”
Garrosh’s laughter rang through the arena.
“Nothing!”
Every time he looked back to those days, Thrall asked himself: had he given Garrosh an impossible task? Had he set him up to fail from the very start?
“You cannot take responsibility for the choices of others,” Aggra continued, gripping Thrall’s shoulder. “Especially not those made by a grown man who is two decades older than you. He chose to ignore the counsel of those you left behind to aid him. He chose to challenge Cairne to Mak’gora. He chose to drag the Horde back to the self-destructive ways of old. He chose to enslave the elements, bomb Theramore, and tamper with the power of the Old Gods. And if he had the chance, he would do so again – without hesitation. His trial in Pandaria made that fact abundantly clear.”
Thrall nodded grimly. Again, his mind whisked him away, this time to the Temple of the White Tiger:
“And now, here at this moment, when I am free to speak my mind and heart, I tell you true: I regret…”
Garrosh’s laughter rang through the arena.
“Nothing!”
—Thrall reflects on Garrosh Hellscream, And Justice For Thrall
King Solomon: Long ago, Erazor was a plague upon this world. He committed many malicious misdeeds, until I hunted him down and punished him by sealing him within the lamp. He would not be forgiven or released until he had granted the wishes of one thousand people. Aladdin was one of his many masters. I am partially to blame for his current state. I had hoped that this punishment would mellow Erazor out, so to speak. Calm him. Instead, I just made things worse. Once he had served his sentence, all Erazor gained was a renewed hatred for humanity, and the creator of the Arabian Nights.
Sonic: I can see why it made him worse.
Sally: Now I kinda feel sorry for him.
King Solomon: Don't. Erazor is a tragic figure, but not a sympathetic one.
Sonic: He's right, Sal. Erazor brought that punishment on himself, so he has no one but himself to blame. He didn't learn a damn thing from it, and just started committing even worse crimes as soon as his sentence was done. Save your sympathy for someone who actually deserves it.
Sonic: I can see why it made him worse.
Sally: Now I kinda feel sorry for him.
King Solomon: Don't. Erazor is a tragic figure, but not a sympathetic one.
Sonic: He's right, Sal. Erazor brought that punishment on himself, so he has no one but himself to blame. He didn't learn a damn thing from it, and just started committing even worse crimes as soon as his sentence was done. Save your sympathy for someone who actually deserves it.
— Tales of Sonic the Hedgehog, Chapter 217
Luke: I understand, Ms. Fogerty. After an upbringing under drug users, and then having to administer medication to yourself in the same way, you developed a strong hatred for the entire notion and wanted to remove another addict from society.
Jennifer: So you understand? You get what I wanted, right? Why I replaced that bottle of his and threw his stuff in the trash where I thought it belonged?!
Luke: No. While I understand your motivation, Ms. Fogerty, I don’t understand your decision to end Mr. Rivera’s life rather than, say, ask him what was going on. How long would it have taken for you to ask ‘what is this equipment for?’ How long would it have taken him to say ‘I have diabetes’? [...] And instead, you decided to take the most ridiculous, most extreme option available to you. That’s what I can’t understand, Ms Fogerty. You immediately decided you had to kill him. I can’t empathise with that. I don’t think anybody can.
Jennifer: So you understand? You get what I wanted, right? Why I replaced that bottle of his and threw his stuff in the trash where I thought it belonged?!
Luke: No. While I understand your motivation, Ms. Fogerty, I don’t understand your decision to end Mr. Rivera’s life rather than, say, ask him what was going on. How long would it have taken for you to ask ‘what is this equipment for?’ How long would it have taken him to say ‘I have diabetes’? [...] And instead, you decided to take the most ridiculous, most extreme option available to you. That’s what I can’t understand, Ms Fogerty. You immediately decided you had to kill him. I can’t empathise with that. I don’t think anybody can.
Films — Animation
The Joker: [gets kneed by Terry in the groin] What are you doing?!
Terry McGinnis: Fighting dirty.
Joker: The real Batman would never— [Terry digs the knee in deeper] AUGH!
Terry: [knocks Joker backwards] Told you you didn't know me.
Joker: Funny guy...
Terry: Can't say the same for you.
Joker: [throws punch at Terry but misses, runs to desk to grab gun] Impudent brat! Who do you think you're talking to?
Terry: Not a comedian, I'll tell you that.
Joker: [shoots at Terry, but he flies up into the rafters] Shut your mouth!
Terry: [uses Batarang to knock Joker's gun out of his hand] The real Batman never talked to you much, did he? That's probably why you were so fixated on him.
Joker: Don't play "psychoanalyst" with me, boy!
Terry: [uses another Batarang to cut power supply] Oh, I don't need a degree to figure you out. The real reason you kept coming back was you never got a laugh out of the old man.
Joker: I'm not hearing this...
Terry: Get a clue, clowny! He's got no sense of humor! He wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him in the cape. Not that you ever had a good joke.
Joker: Shut up! Shut up!
Terry: I mean, joy buzzers, squirting flowers? Lame! Where's the "A" material? Make a face, drop your pants, something!
Joker: Show yourself!
Terry: You make me laugh, but only because I think you're kinda pathetic. [imitates Joker's laugh]
Joker: Stop that!
Terry: So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached, and decided to become a supervillain. What, you couldn't get work as a rodeo clown? [continues laughing]
Joker: Don't you dare laugh at me!
Terry: Why? I thought the Joker always wanted to make Batman laugh!
Joker: [tosses grenades at Terry] YOU'RE NOT BATMAN!
Terry McGinnis: Fighting dirty.
Joker: The real Batman would never— [Terry digs the knee in deeper] AUGH!
Terry: [knocks Joker backwards] Told you you didn't know me.
Joker: Funny guy...
Terry: Can't say the same for you.
Joker: [throws punch at Terry but misses, runs to desk to grab gun] Impudent brat! Who do you think you're talking to?
Terry: Not a comedian, I'll tell you that.
Joker: [shoots at Terry, but he flies up into the rafters] Shut your mouth!
Terry: [uses Batarang to knock Joker's gun out of his hand] The real Batman never talked to you much, did he? That's probably why you were so fixated on him.
Joker: Don't play "psychoanalyst" with me, boy!
Terry: [uses another Batarang to cut power supply] Oh, I don't need a degree to figure you out. The real reason you kept coming back was you never got a laugh out of the old man.
Joker: I'm not hearing this...
Terry: Get a clue, clowny! He's got no sense of humor! He wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him in the cape. Not that you ever had a good joke.
Joker: Shut up! Shut up!
Terry: I mean, joy buzzers, squirting flowers? Lame! Where's the "A" material? Make a face, drop your pants, something!
Joker: Show yourself!
Terry: You make me laugh, but only because I think you're kinda pathetic. [imitates Joker's laugh]
Joker: Stop that!
Terry: So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached, and decided to become a supervillain. What, you couldn't get work as a rodeo clown? [continues laughing]
Joker: Don't you dare laugh at me!
Terry: Why? I thought the Joker always wanted to make Batman laugh!
Joker: [tosses grenades at Terry] YOU'RE NOT BATMAN!
Hiccup: All of this loss, and for what? To become unstoppable? To rule the world? Dragons, they are kind, amazing creatures that can bring them together.
Drago Bludvist: Or tear them apart!
[reveals a stump underneath his prosthetic arm, unnerving Hiccup]
Drago: You see, I know what it is to live in fear. To see my village burned. My family taken. But even as a boy, left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons, and liberate the people of this world.
Hiccup: Then why a dragon army?
Drago: Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons.
Hiccup: Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you. And to get rid of those who won't.
Drago: [chuckles] Clever boy.
Drago Bludvist: Or tear them apart!
[reveals a stump underneath his prosthetic arm, unnerving Hiccup]
Drago: You see, I know what it is to live in fear. To see my village burned. My family taken. But even as a boy, left with nothing, I vowed to rise above the fear of dragons, and liberate the people of this world.
Hiccup: Then why a dragon army?
Drago: Well, you need dragons to conquer other dragons.
Hiccup: Or maybe you need dragons to conquer people. To control those who follow you. And to get rid of those who won't.
Drago: [chuckles] Clever boy.
Hal/Tighten: This is the last time you make a fool out of me!
Megamind: I made you a hero. You did the fool thing all by yourself!
Megamind: I made you a hero. You did the fool thing all by yourself!
— Megamind
Maui: And back to the humans I went. I gave them islands, fire, coconuts! [chuckles] Anything they could ever want.
Moana: You took the [Heart of Te Fiti] for them. You did everything for them...so they'd love you.
Maui: It was...never enough.
[Later]
Maui: Look, what I did was...wrong. I have no excuse.
Moana: You took the [Heart of Te Fiti] for them. You did everything for them...so they'd love you.
Maui: It was...never enough.
[Later]
Maui: Look, what I did was...wrong. I have no excuse.
The Witch: They hurt me!
Norman: So you hurt them back?!
The Witch: I wanted everyone to see how rotten they were!
Norman: You're just like them, Agatha!
The Witch: No, I'm not!
Norman: You're a bully!
The Witch: No I'm NOT!
Norman: So you hurt them back?!
The Witch: I wanted everyone to see how rotten they were!
Norman: You're just like them, Agatha!
The Witch: No, I'm not!
Norman: You're a bully!
The Witch: No I'm NOT!
Doofenshmirtz-1: If we're the same person, how come you're so much better at being evil than me?
Doofenshmirtz-2: True evil is born though pain and loss. You see, when I was a small boy back in Gimmelshtump, I had a toy train...and one day I lost it.
[long beat]
Doof-1: That...that's it?
Doof-2: What do you mean?
Doof-1: That's your emotionally scarring backstory? That's your great tragedy?! Dude, I was raised by ocelots, I mean literally! Disowned by my parents and raised by Central American wildcats, and you're telling me you lost a toy train? That's all? That's all you got, really?! I had to work as a lawn gnome, I was forced to wear hand-me-up girl's clothing, neither of my parents showed up for my birth!
Doofenshmirtz-2: True evil is born though pain and loss. You see, when I was a small boy back in Gimmelshtump, I had a toy train...and one day I lost it.
[long beat]
Doof-1: That...that's it?
Doof-2: What do you mean?
Doof-1: That's your emotionally scarring backstory? That's your great tragedy?! Dude, I was raised by ocelots, I mean literally! Disowned by my parents and raised by Central American wildcats, and you're telling me you lost a toy train? That's all? That's all you got, really?! I had to work as a lawn gnome, I was forced to wear hand-me-up girl's clothing, neither of my parents showed up for my birth!
Lotso: I didn't throw you away, your kid did! Ain't one kid ever loved a toy, really. Chew on that when you're at the dump! [Starts to walk away]
Woody: Wait! What about Daisy?
Lotso: [stops in his tracks upon hearing that name, then turns his head to look back at Woody] I don't know what you're talking about.
Woody: Daisy? You used to do everything with her.
Lotso: Yeah, then she threw us out.
Woody: No, she lost you.
Lotso: [faces Woody, slamming his cane down angrily] She replaced us!
Woody: She replaced you, and if you couldn't have her, then no one could! [Takes out Daisy's tag, getting Big Baby's attention] You lied to Big Baby and you've been lying ever since!
Lotso: [incredulous] Where'd you get that?
Woody: She loved you Lotso.
Lotso: She never loved me!
Woody: As much as any kid ever loved a toy.
Woody: Wait! What about Daisy?
Lotso: [stops in his tracks upon hearing that name, then turns his head to look back at Woody] I don't know what you're talking about.
Woody: Daisy? You used to do everything with her.
Lotso: Yeah, then she threw us out.
Woody: No, she lost you.
Lotso: [faces Woody, slamming his cane down angrily] She replaced us!
Woody: She replaced you, and if you couldn't have her, then no one could! [Takes out Daisy's tag, getting Big Baby's attention] You lied to Big Baby and you've been lying ever since!
Lotso: [incredulous] Where'd you get that?
Woody: She loved you Lotso.
Lotso: She never loved me!
Woody: As much as any kid ever loved a toy.
Mei: All I wanted... was to go... to a CONCERT!!!
Ming: I never went to concerts! I put my family first! I tried to be a good daughter!
Mei: [angrily growls] Well, sorry I'm not perfect! Sorry I'm not good enough! And sorry... I'll never be like YOU!!! [headbutts her mom with such force it knocks Ming out cold]
Ming: I never went to concerts! I put my family first! I tried to be a good daughter!
Mei: [angrily growls] Well, sorry I'm not perfect! Sorry I'm not good enough! And sorry... I'll never be like YOU!!! [headbutts her mom with such force it knocks Ming out cold]
Films — Live-Action
Anthony's lawyer: I realize that my client had a difficult time adjusting when he...
Judge: Excuse me, Counsel. l, too, was a marine... and I served my country proudly in World War II, a real war, I may add...
Anthony's lawyer: Yes, Your Honor...
Judge: I'm not finished yet, please. I received the Purple Heart at Guadalcanal. Now, this young man has obviously forgotten some very... fundamental things like decency and dedication and honor... everything the corps taught us. He is a disgrace to everyone that has ever put on that uniform... and I will not permit you or him to use the Vietnam War as a cop-out here.
Judge: Excuse me, Counsel. l, too, was a marine... and I served my country proudly in World War II, a real war, I may add...
Anthony's lawyer: Yes, Your Honor...
Judge: I'm not finished yet, please. I received the Purple Heart at Guadalcanal. Now, this young man has obviously forgotten some very... fundamental things like decency and dedication and honor... everything the corps taught us. He is a disgrace to everyone that has ever put on that uniform... and I will not permit you or him to use the Vietnam War as a cop-out here.
Lindsay: Do you ever think it's a crutch though, blaming your mother and father for everything?
Frank: When did crutches get a bad name? When you have a broken leg, you need a crutch. In fact, it would be stupid not to have a crutch.
Lindsay: Well, yeah, but broken legs heal. I mean don't you have a responsibility to yourself to eventually cast aside the crutches and meet new challenges?
Frank: When did crutches get a bad name? When you have a broken leg, you need a crutch. In fact, it would be stupid not to have a crutch.
Lindsay: Well, yeah, but broken legs heal. I mean don't you have a responsibility to yourself to eventually cast aside the crutches and meet new challenges?
Serg. Pendergast: Let's meet a couple of police officers. They're all good guys.
Bill Foster: I'm the bad guy?
Serg. Pendergast: Yeah.
Bill Foster: How did that happen? I did everything they told me to. Did you know I build missiles?
Serg. Pendergast: Yeah.
Bill Foster: I help to protect America. You should be rewarded for that. Then they give it to the plastic surgeon. You know, they lied to me.
Serg. Pendergast: Is that what this is about? You're angry because you got lied to? Is that why my chicken dinner is drying out in the oven? Hey, they lie to everybody. They lie to the fish! But that doesn't give you any special right to do what you did today.
Bill Foster: I'm the bad guy?
Serg. Pendergast: Yeah.
Bill Foster: How did that happen? I did everything they told me to. Did you know I build missiles?
Serg. Pendergast: Yeah.
Bill Foster: I help to protect America. You should be rewarded for that. Then they give it to the plastic surgeon. You know, they lied to me.
Serg. Pendergast: Is that what this is about? You're angry because you got lied to? Is that why my chicken dinner is drying out in the oven? Hey, they lie to everybody. They lie to the fish! But that doesn't give you any special right to do what you did today.
James Bond: Interesting setup, Alec. You break into the Bank of England via computer and transfer the money electronically. Just minutes before you set off the Goldeneye, which erases any trace of the transactions. Ingenious.
Janus/Alec Trevelyan: Thank you, James.
Bond: But it still boils down to petty theft. In the end, you're just a bank robber. Nothing more than a common thief.
Janus/Alec Trevelyan: [glowers at Bond] You always did have a small mind, James. It's not just erasing bank records, it's everything on every computer in Greater London. Tax records. Stock market. Credit ratings. Land registries. Criminal records. In 16 minutes and 43 sec- no, 42 seconds, the United Kingdom will re-enter the stone age.
Bond: A worldwide financial meltdown, and all so mad little Alec can settle a score with the world, 50 years on.
Janus/Alec Trevelyan: Thank you, James.
Bond: But it still boils down to petty theft. In the end, you're just a bank robber. Nothing more than a common thief.
Janus/Alec Trevelyan: [glowers at Bond] You always did have a small mind, James. It's not just erasing bank records, it's everything on every computer in Greater London. Tax records. Stock market. Credit ratings. Land registries. Criminal records. In 16 minutes and 43 sec- no, 42 seconds, the United Kingdom will re-enter the stone age.
Bond: A worldwide financial meltdown, and all so mad little Alec can settle a score with the world, 50 years on.
Rocket: "Aww, boo-hoo-hoo. My wife and child are dead."
Groot: [gasps]
Rocket: Oh, I don't care that it's mean. Everybody's got dead people! It's no excuse to get everyone else dead along the way!
Groot: [gasps]
Rocket: Oh, I don't care that it's mean. Everybody's got dead people! It's no excuse to get everyone else dead along the way!
"I don't need another speech by some impotent whack job whose mother didn't love him, rationalizing why he needs to conquer the universe!"
—Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mum is dead, Dad! For the first time in my life, you know, I'm glad! If she could see what you've become, I think she'd probably... kill herself all over again!
— Danny Butterman, Hot Fuzz
Jake: I don't subscribe to that "the mother is the cause of all psychological problems" crap.
Young Woman: That's misogynistic claptrap. Freudian bullshit.
Jake: It is tempting, to have someone to pin it on, though.
Young Woman: Pin what on?
Jake: All of it. Why you feel a certain way, why you are a certain way.
Young Woman: That's misogynistic claptrap. Freudian bullshit. A person, an adult, has to, at one point or another, take responsibility for who they are.[...] Mothers are people with their own pain, their own history of neglect and abuse. Yet, at one time or another, during the 20th century, every fucking childhood trait was blamed on them: schizophrenia, autism, narcissism, homosexuality.
Young Woman: That's misogynistic claptrap. Freudian bullshit.
Jake: It is tempting, to have someone to pin it on, though.
Young Woman: Pin what on?
Jake: All of it. Why you feel a certain way, why you are a certain way.
Young Woman: That's misogynistic claptrap. Freudian bullshit. A person, an adult, has to, at one point or another, take responsibility for who they are.[...] Mothers are people with their own pain, their own history of neglect and abuse. Yet, at one time or another, during the 20th century, every fucking childhood trait was blamed on them: schizophrenia, autism, narcissism, homosexuality.
You finished? I mean it's so much self-pity Arthur. You sound like you're making excuses for killing those young men. Not everybody and I'll tell you this, not everyone is awful.
— Murray Franklin to Arthur Fleck, Joker (2019)
"Sorry, reverend, doctor, bishop, preacher lady, whatever your name is. I-I just... I don't agree with all of this stuff. I hear what you say about forgiveness, yes. You're supposed to forgive. But this child over here talking about what her daddy did. Honey, your daddy's somewhere living his life and you on lockdown. Honey, you in jail cause of what you did. Learn how to take some responsibility for yourself! For your own stuff! I can't stand folks wanna be the victim! "This person did this that's why I'm this way." Everybody in this place got a story. Your mama and your daddy gave you life. That's all they suppose do. No matter how good, how bad the life was... it's up to you to make something of it. Suck it up and shut the hell up!"
— Madea, Madea Goes to Jail
"As a child, my heart bleeds for him. Someone took a little boy and turned him into a monster. But as an adult... as an adult, he's irredeemable. He butchers whole families to fulfill some sick fantasy. As an adult, I think someone should blow the sick fuck out of his socks."
— Will Graham on Serial Killer Francis Dolarhyde, Manhunter
Sidney: God, why don't you stop your whining and get on with it? I've heard this shit before!
Roman: STOP!
Sidney: Do you know why you kill people, Roman? Do you?
Roman: I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!
Sidney: BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO! There is no one else to blame!
Roman: DAMMIT, FUCKING DAMMIT!
Sidney: Why don't you take some FUCKING responsibility?
Roman: FUCK YOU!
Sidney: FUCK YOU!!!
Roman: STOP!
Sidney: Do you know why you kill people, Roman? Do you?
Roman: I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!
Sidney: BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO! There is no one else to blame!
Roman: DAMMIT, FUCKING DAMMIT!
Sidney: Why don't you take some FUCKING responsibility?
Roman: FUCK YOU!
Sidney: FUCK YOU!!!
— Scream 3
Silva: They [the Chinese] kept me for five months in a room with no air. They tortured me and I protected your secrets. I protected you. But they made me suffer and suffer and suffer. Until I realized, it was you who betrayed me. You betrayed me. So I had only one thing left: my cyanide capsule in my back left molar. So I broke the tooth and bit into the capsule. It burned all of my insides, but I didn't die. Life clung to me like a disease. And then I understood why I had survived. I needed to look into your eyes one last time.
M: Well, I hope it was worth it. Mr. Silva, you're going to be transferred to Belmarsh Prison, where you will be remanded in custody, until the Crown Prosecution Service deem you fit to stand trial-
Raoul Silva: [interrupts.] Say my name. Say it. My real name. I know you remember it.
M: Your name is on the memorial wall of the very building you attacked. I will have it struck off. Soon, your past will be as non-existent as your future. I'll never see you again.
M: Well, I hope it was worth it. Mr. Silva, you're going to be transferred to Belmarsh Prison, where you will be remanded in custody, until the Crown Prosecution Service deem you fit to stand trial-
Raoul Silva: [interrupts.] Say my name. Say it. My real name. I know you remember it.
M: Your name is on the memorial wall of the very building you attacked. I will have it struck off. Soon, your past will be as non-existent as your future. I'll never see you again.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me. I just want you to understand."
—Flint Marko, Spider-Man 3, regarding his Accidental Murder of Uncle Ben. In the end, Peter does forgive him.
"I have nothing but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the State. She is the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance. But my pity does not extend so far as to her putting a man's life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt."
—Atticus Finch on Mayella Ewell, To Kill a Mockingbird
Literature
"Don't be specious. You can't keep returning to sibling rivalry as an excuse for everything. 'Oh, don't blame me for my crimes against man, God, and nature. It's my brother's fault for being so perfect.' No jury would convict."
— Horst to his Villain Protagonist brother, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
People cling to their rotten memories, to all their misfortunes, and you can't pry them loose. These things keep them busy. They avenge themselves for the injustice of the present by smearing the future inside them with this shit. They're cowards deep down, and just. That's their nature.
— Journey to the End of the Night, by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
"How is that an excuse?!" Andy howled. "Why do all bullies think they can get away with 'I was a kid?!' Guess what; I was a kid too, and I didn't make other people feel like shit! You were not a kid: you were a cunt!"
— Meddling Kids (2017), by Edgar Cantero
"Lots of kids get bullied and they don't turn into nutcases. You're really sad, Mr. Sayle."
—Alex Rider to Herod Sayle, Stormbreaker
He only wants to draw attention to [his childhood abuse] if it’s an excuse to stay the same, not if it’s a reason to change.
—Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That?
Hercules was a bitter, selfish jerk. He'd hurt too many people, and he wanted to keep hurting them. Maybe he'd had some bad breaks. Maybe the gods had kicked him around. But that didn't excuse it. A hero couldn't control the gods, but he should be able to control himself.
— Piper McLean on Hercules, The Mark of Athena
Nothing made him that way. No matter what terrible things happened in his life, no matter what dreadful hungers rose up from his soul, he chose to act on those desires, he chose to do the things he did. He's responsible for his own actions, and no one else.
— Bean, Shadow of the Hegemon
There's something ugly in my tone, but I don't care. I'm sick of people explaining why they manipulated me, seeking my pity and forgiveness. I'm so sorry your life sucked, I guess it's okay you decided to help ruin mine. "It must be nice to be surrounded by people who aren't a bunch of fakes and liars, huh?"
— August Pfiffer, The Fell of Dark
Marcone was still a black hat. The pain and suffering of the criminal state he ruled accounted for an untold amount of human misery. Maybe he'd been doing it for a noble reason. I could understand that. But it didn't change anything. Marcone's good intentions could have paved a new road to hell.
— Harry Dresden on Gentleman Johnny Marcone, Death Masks
"I think you got a raw deal. However, I also know plenty of other people who suffered almost as bad. Gina the mage was in a goddamn camp in Serbia, for example. He didn't turn into a fucking psychopath. So... what's wrong with you?"
—Peter Stone to Renaud de Bures, Straight Outta Fangton
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? After all the evil you and your kind have done? I don't think so. Share your burdens with someone who cares."
—Tahu, BIONICLE
"Oh, no doubt the man would suggest there were mitigating circumstances, that he had an unhappy childhood or was driven by Compulsive Well-Poisoning Disorder. But I have a compulsion to behead cowardly murderers."
Not everyone has a sob story, Charlie, and even if they do, it's no excuse.
—Charlie's father in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
It's a remarkable case-history. Galloping paranoia. Delusions of jealousy and persecution. Megalomaniac hatred and desire for revenge. Curiously enough, it may have something to do with your teeth. Diastema, they call it. Comes from sucking your thumb when you're a child. Yes. I expect that's what the psychologists will say when they get you into the lunatic asylum. "Ogre's teeth." Being bullied at school and so on. Extraordinary the effect it has on a child. Then Nazism helped to fan the flames and then came the crack on your ugly head. The crack you engineered yourself. I expect that settled it. From then on you were really mad. Same sort of thing as people who think they're God. Extraordinary what tenacity they have. Absolute fanatics. You're almost a genius. Lombroso would have been delighted with you. As it is you're just a mad dog that'll have to be shot. Or else you'll commit suicide. Paranoiacs generally do. Too bad. Sad business. And now let's get on with this farce, you great hairy-faced lunatic.
— James Bond to Hugo Drax/Graf Hugo von der Drache, Moonraker
Live-Action TV
We all had our traumas, Ward. Didn't turn any of us into psychopaths!
— Melinda May, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just because you grow up in a family of abusive monsters doesn’t mean you have to become one!
— Thomas Ward, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Stop trying to justify what you did. Just STOP. They were my parents, too. And yeah, they were horrible people, but you are so much worse.
— Thomas Ward, to Grant Ward, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Bob, I wanna talk to you here! I was thinking I should say sorry...You created Infinity. You're a fucking genius. I exploited that. I treated you like the golden goose and I got fat off the profits, figuratively speaking. And I was thinking, I should have appreciated you more, you know? I should have treated you better. Yeah, yeah, I was thinking I should say all that. But you threw my son out of an airlock, so... FUCK YOU TO DEATH!
— James Walton, Black Mirror, "USS Callister"
Jake Peralta: I'm telling my friend how you killed that guy.
Nate Dexter: It was for love!
Jake Peralta: Cool motive, still murder.
Nate Dexter: It was for love!
Jake Peralta: Cool motive, still murder.
Faith: Oh yeah, give me the speech again. "Faith, we're still your friends. We can help you. It's not too late."
Willow: It's way too late. You know it didn't have to be this way, but you made your choice. I know you had a tough life, I know some people think you had a lot of bad breaks. Well boo-hoo, poor you. You know, you had a lot more in your life than some people, I mean you had friends like Buffy, now you have no one, you were a Slayer, now you are nothing. You're just a big selfish, worthless waste.
Willow: It's way too late. You know it didn't have to be this way, but you made your choice. I know you had a tough life, I know some people think you had a lot of bad breaks. Well boo-hoo, poor you. You know, you had a lot more in your life than some people, I mean you had friends like Buffy, now you have no one, you were a Slayer, now you are nothing. You're just a big selfish, worthless waste.
Yeah, I know everything about you, Billy. And I know why you're a bully. And it's terrible what happened at that summer camp when you were eleven years old. It is awful what those boys did to you. And how none of your counselors believed you, and how your dad didn't either, and how your mother washed your mouth out with detergent until you just stopped talking. That doesn't give you the right to harass anybody, especially someone much smaller than you. So why don't you and your... chum, who is in lust with you by the way, leave my store before I start telling everyone what happened. Come on, let's go. Crack on. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.
— Hilda Spellman, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Everybody's got a sob story. Doesn't give you the right to be a bully.
Look, I'm supposed to emphasize with you. Sympathize. Understand. But I can't. That would be a lie. The truth is, I don't understand what you've done. I don't sympathize with you killing people all these years, and I especially don't understand you taking Ellie. What I can do is tell you what a mother should tell you — that you can't take away your pain by hurting someone else. That it doesn't make all the nights you spent alone any better if you scare someone else the way you're scaring Ellie. What happened to you, it isn't fair, but what you're doing to her isn't fair either. And if anyone understands what that feels like, it's YOU.
— JJ, Criminal Minds
You killed 12 people in two states over the last 72 hours and you want me to feel sorry for you because your daddy didn't kiss you when you were a baby?! You asked for my help? I *did* help you - you're where you belong...You rot in hell, you son of a bitch.
— Mac Taylor to Henry Darius, CSI: NY, "Manhattan Manhunt"
You know you're not the only one, right? Who did you lose? Huh? Was it someone you loved? Well, boo-hoo. Let me tell you something, buddy. Everybody's lost someone. Doesn't mean you have to do this.
Having cancer doesn't give you the right to be a jackass.
— Jimmy to Spinner, Degrassi: The Next Generation.
I keep looking for a way to care about you. I think, "Her father was a terrible person." But a lot of people have terrible parents. And... I think, "Well, she's clearly a damaged person," but then... who isn't? So, I'm down to, "Maybe she has a brain tumor." Do you have a brain tumor?
— Anna Volovodov to Melba/Clarissa Mao, The Expanse
Peggy Blumquist: It's a lie, okay? That you can do it all. Be a wife and a mother and this self-made career woman, like there's 37 hours in a day. And then, when you can't, they say it's you. "You're faulty," like— like— like you're inferior somehow. And... like— like, if you could just get your act together until you're half mad with—
Lou Solverson: People are dead, Peggy.
Lou Solverson: People are dead, Peggy.
—Fargo: Season Two, "Palindrome"
Zoom: We're not so different, you know. What happened to us when we were kids... you could'a just as easily become me.
Barry: No. I'd never become like you.
Trevor: I can't believe you thought you could pretend to be Real Eleanor. She's like a perfect ball of light, and you're like a wet pile of mulch. [...]
Eleanor: Whatever. It's easy when you're just born perfect. My parents were both dirt bags who split up when I was eight.
Real Eleanor: I don't mean to eavesdrop, but did you say your parents got a divorce?
Eleanor: Yeah, and that kind of thing really changes a person. I mean, that trauma, it can explain away a lot of behavior. [...] Your parents are still together, I guess.
Real Eleanor: Oh, actually I'm not sure. I never met my birth parents. They put me in an empty fish tank and abandoned me at a train station in Bangladesh.
Trevor: Ugh.
Real Eleanor: Luckily, I was found and adopted by a very nice couple, the Shellstrops.
Trevor: Oh, thank God.
Real Eleanor: But then they died when I was four. Bird flu.
Chidi: That's awful!
Real Eleanor: Anyway, orphanage burned down, yadda yadda yadda, made my way to America,, yadda yadda yadda, learned English from watching Seinfeld, put myself through law school, and here I am.
Trevor: Huh. (to Eleanor) And I'm sorry, what is it that is it you said happened to you? The same thing that happens to half of all kids in America?
Eleanor: Whatever. It's easy when you're just born perfect. My parents were both dirt bags who split up when I was eight.
Real Eleanor: I don't mean to eavesdrop, but did you say your parents got a divorce?
Eleanor: Yeah, and that kind of thing really changes a person. I mean, that trauma, it can explain away a lot of behavior. [...] Your parents are still together, I guess.
Real Eleanor: Oh, actually I'm not sure. I never met my birth parents. They put me in an empty fish tank and abandoned me at a train station in Bangladesh.
Trevor: Ugh.
Real Eleanor: Luckily, I was found and adopted by a very nice couple, the Shellstrops.
Trevor: Oh, thank God.
Real Eleanor: But then they died when I was four. Bird flu.
Chidi: That's awful!
Real Eleanor: Anyway, orphanage burned down, yadda yadda yadda, made my way to America,, yadda yadda yadda, learned English from watching Seinfeld, put myself through law school, and here I am.
Trevor: Huh. (to Eleanor) And I'm sorry, what is it that is it you said happened to you? The same thing that happens to half of all kids in America?
Paige: Ok um, I’m sorry you had a crappy year. I’m sorry Craig treated you like dirt, but get over it.
Ashley: Paige, you have no idea.
Paige: You take everything so seriously. Just lighten up.
Ashley: Yeah, I’ll just do that, Paige.
Paige: You should. I’m sorry to be brutally blunt but Craig didn’t cheat on you just because of hormones.
Ashley: Paige…
Paige: So run away next year, but it won’t help, cuz the real problem is you.
Jason: Wow... Your parents sucked.
Eleanor: Yeah. And I've been using their crappy parenting as an excuse for my selfish behavior. No more.
Eleanor: Yeah. And I've been using their crappy parenting as an excuse for my selfish behavior. No more.
"What's your point? That just because she hurt you, you now get to hurt her? That's not how a marriage works, son."
— Marvin Eriksen Sr., How I Met Your Mother
"What's your plan here, Gary? Are you just going to keep pushing everyone away until there is no one left? At a certain point here, the problem isn't everyone else, the problem is you."
— Delilah Dixon, A Million Little Things
"Wow, Chloe. You're a horrible person, and I tried to make excuses for you over the years. Like maybe your parents didn't hug you, or maybe you grew up in a prison like Bane from that Batman movie. But I just think it comes down to who you are, a petty, mean-spirited bitch!"
— Jane Gloriana Villanueva, Jane the Virgin
Audrey Eastman: "Gifted". [scoffs] Stupid word. It's like... calling someone "special". They're not "special", they're retarded. You're not "gifted", you're a freak.
Jessica Jones: What have we or the mentally challenged ever done to you?
Audrey Eastman: You "saved" the city. That's what the newspapers said; You were "heroes".
Jessica Jones: [bewildered] Not me...
Audrey Eastman: "The city was saved"... But I was there. I saw what really happened. I saw my mother crushed to death under a building that you people destroyed.
Jessica Jones: ...In "the Incident"?
Audrey Eastman: I was trying to pull my mother out from the rubble, watching her bleed to death [sniffs] while all around me, you people were raining down hell!
Jessica Jones: [getting increasingly angrier] So go after the big green guy or the flag waver! I wasn't even there!
Audrey Eastman: Consider it a preventative measure for next time!
Jessica Jones: [Finally has had enough of her Fantastic Racism and begins throwing their furniture around while ranting] You think you're the only ones who lost people? You think you are the only ones in pain? You think you can take your shit and dump it on me? You don't get to do that! So you take your goddamn pain and you live with it, assholes!! You lost your parents? Welcome to the goddamn club! I lost mine in some random accident! Do you see me trying to kill every shitty driver? NO! Because I don't work my shit out on other people! So keep your goddamn feelings to YOURSELF! [Jessica finishes her rampage by throwing a water heater through the double doors] Ninety-nine. You wanted to know how many of us there are? The last time I counted, I had ninety-nine gifted friends in this borough alone. And now, every single one of them is going to know about the shit you tried to pull. And they hate attempted murder, they really do. And the cops hate it too, you know, because it's against the law.
Jessica Jones: What have we or the mentally challenged ever done to you?
Audrey Eastman: You "saved" the city. That's what the newspapers said; You were "heroes".
Jessica Jones: [bewildered] Not me...
Audrey Eastman: "The city was saved"... But I was there. I saw what really happened. I saw my mother crushed to death under a building that you people destroyed.
Jessica Jones: ...In "the Incident"?
Audrey Eastman: I was trying to pull my mother out from the rubble, watching her bleed to death [sniffs] while all around me, you people were raining down hell!
Jessica Jones: [getting increasingly angrier] So go after the big green guy or the flag waver! I wasn't even there!
Audrey Eastman: Consider it a preventative measure for next time!
Jessica Jones: [Finally has had enough of her Fantastic Racism and begins throwing their furniture around while ranting] You think you're the only ones who lost people? You think you are the only ones in pain? You think you can take your shit and dump it on me? You don't get to do that! So you take your goddamn pain and you live with it, assholes!! You lost your parents? Welcome to the goddamn club! I lost mine in some random accident! Do you see me trying to kill every shitty driver? NO! Because I don't work my shit out on other people! So keep your goddamn feelings to YOURSELF! [Jessica finishes her rampage by throwing a water heater through the double doors] Ninety-nine. You wanted to know how many of us there are? The last time I counted, I had ninety-nine gifted friends in this borough alone. And now, every single one of them is going to know about the shit you tried to pull. And they hate attempted murder, they really do. And the cops hate it too, you know, because it's against the law.
Kilgrave: I didn't have all this! A home, loving parents, a family.
Jessica Jones: You blame bad parenting? My parents died! You don't see me raping anyone!
Jessica Jones: You blame bad parenting? My parents died! You don't see me raping anyone!
Lily: Every time I think I'm getting closer to you, you do something stupid, or foolish, and I catch just a glimpse of what you must have been like before you got kicked out of med school.
Kyle: I was an addict back then. I was using!
Lily: "Back then?" What's your excuse now?
Kyle: I was an addict back then. I was using!
Lily: "Back then?" What's your excuse now?
"Jill"/Caroline Palmer: I'm not trying to steal magic. I'm gonna destroy magic... for good.
Hannah Parker-Kent: Destroy it? Why?
"Jill"/Caroline: Magic is bad, Hannah. It ruins lives. I assume Arthur told you what happened to my ballet career.
Kelly Quinn: You can't blame that on the magic, that was your fault. The magic wasn't intended for you to go forward in time to cheat.
Darbie O'Brien: Yeah, you misused it.
"Jill"/Caroline: I never would have thought of going forward if it wasn't an option. Magic corrupts. I'm doing you and the world a favor. Once I ruin this garden and spell you three, it'll all be over.
Hannah: And what about you?
"Jill"/Caroline: I can't wait to spell myself to forget magic, then I'll finally be free. But only after I keep it from hurting anyone ever again.
Hannah Parker-Kent: Destroy it? Why?
"Jill"/Caroline: Magic is bad, Hannah. It ruins lives. I assume Arthur told you what happened to my ballet career.
Kelly Quinn: You can't blame that on the magic, that was your fault. The magic wasn't intended for you to go forward in time to cheat.
Darbie O'Brien: Yeah, you misused it.
"Jill"/Caroline: I never would have thought of going forward if it wasn't an option. Magic corrupts. I'm doing you and the world a favor. Once I ruin this garden and spell you three, it'll all be over.
Hannah: And what about you?
"Jill"/Caroline: I can't wait to spell myself to forget magic, then I'll finally be free. But only after I keep it from hurting anyone ever again.
Mass shooting perp: I just wanted my brother back.
Torres: Yeah, well, Officer Moseby survived. But what about Diana Sanchez?
Mass shooting perp: Who?
Torres: She's the woman you killed, Evan. Hey, tell me something. Was shooting all those people just a cover-up for your motive, or was it a cry for help, or was it just a bonus? 'Cause, see, what gets under my skin is that there was no reason, but there was a reason. You had a reason, didn't you? You didn't have the power to save your brother, so in the hospital, you took the power over everything. But, man... I don't accept that reason.
Torres: Yeah, well, Officer Moseby survived. But what about Diana Sanchez?
Mass shooting perp: Who?
Torres: She's the woman you killed, Evan. Hey, tell me something. Was shooting all those people just a cover-up for your motive, or was it a cry for help, or was it just a bonus? 'Cause, see, what gets under my skin is that there was no reason, but there was a reason. You had a reason, didn't you? You didn't have the power to save your brother, so in the hospital, you took the power over everything. But, man... I don't accept that reason.
Charles: I know Sir can be prickly, but you have to understand, he had a very terrible childhood.
Klaus: I understand. I'm having a very terrible childhood right now.
Klaus: I understand. I'm having a very terrible childhood right now.
Chronos: Three sacrifices, and I can control when and where I land. But once I get there, it's never for long before I'm tossed through time again. That's my life, Lila. And all I want is to get back here.
Ness: Because you just love the clean Canton air?
Chronos: Because I love her! Because I lived the worst existence you can imagine, and then I found you.
Ness: After you killed Tyler Crosby and Cathy Porter? Lila here was gonna be victim number three, am I right? Don't act like you never killed a soul before you met her, pal. Something tells me you used to kill three saps just for a change of scenery.
Ness: Because you just love the clean Canton air?
Chronos: Because I love her! Because I lived the worst existence you can imagine, and then I found you.
Ness: After you killed Tyler Crosby and Cathy Porter? Lila here was gonna be victim number three, am I right? Don't act like you never killed a soul before you met her, pal. Something tells me you used to kill three saps just for a change of scenery.
George: Look, he told me he was gonna dump you as soon as he gets you in bed! Wake up!
Carmen: You're lying! You hate him so much, you'd say anything to keep us apart!
George: Yeah, did I make up that he vandalized the factory? That he got a girl pregnant?
Angie: He didn't even respect the girl enough to be safe!
Carmen: No, no you guys don't understand Zack; his dad was never there for him and his mom's a bitter old drunk! You have no idea what that's like!
[George and Angie both react with a silent "You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!" while Benny sheepishly tries to hide her beer]
George: [to Benny] You wanna feel that one?
Carmen: You're lying! You hate him so much, you'd say anything to keep us apart!
George: Yeah, did I make up that he vandalized the factory? That he got a girl pregnant?
Angie: He didn't even respect the girl enough to be safe!
Carmen: No, no you guys don't understand Zack; his dad was never there for him and his mom's a bitter old drunk! You have no idea what that's like!
[George and Angie both react with a silent "You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!" while Benny sheepishly tries to hide her beer]
George: [to Benny] You wanna feel that one?
"Freddie, you got dealt a bad hand, and I'm sorry about that. But what you did with it? That's a choice. You stopped being a victim the moment you left that first bomb."
— Captain Nash, 9-1-1
Phil: You know, Will was doing just fine until you showed up. But now that you're back, you have responsibilities to him.
Lou: Look, we still gonna take the trip--
Phil: OH, BULL! BULL! Will is not some coat that you hang up in the closet and you pick it up when you're ready to wear it! His life goes on! He's not supposed to be here for you! You're supposed to be there for him!
Lou: You get off my back! You think I want this?! It just happened! Now, when Will was a baby, I was scared of—
Phil: Cut the crap, alright?! Cut it! 'Cause I've been there! But I didn't run out on my family. I was there every day for them, because that's what a man does!
Lou: Fine, Phillip! You win! You da man! You a better man than me! Happy?! Now, you gonna tell Will or not?
Phil: I'm not going to do your dirty work for you.
Lou: Look, we still gonna take the trip--
Phil: OH, BULL! BULL! Will is not some coat that you hang up in the closet and you pick it up when you're ready to wear it! His life goes on! He's not supposed to be here for you! You're supposed to be there for him!
Lou: You get off my back! You think I want this?! It just happened! Now, when Will was a baby, I was scared of—
Phil: Cut the crap, alright?! Cut it! 'Cause I've been there! But I didn't run out on my family. I was there every day for them, because that's what a man does!
Lou: Fine, Phillip! You win! You da man! You a better man than me! Happy?! Now, you gonna tell Will or not?
Phil: I'm not going to do your dirty work for you.
— The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, "Papa's Got a Brand-New Excuse"
Carla: Look, Katie, I've seen all kinds of people come through this place. Tall, short, gay, straight, smart, weird The point is, this childish, self-centered attitude you keep throwing everyone's way is nothing new.
Katie: You know what's really driving me crazy? You keep acting like you know me.
Carla: Don't bother with the sob story. I've been here a long time, I've heard it all before.
Katie: Really? Because my dad died when I was six, and to cope, my mom drank herself through most of my childhood. No one ever did anything for me. I've always had to do it for myself.
Carla: (feigning sympathy) Oh, Katie.
Katie: I know.
Carla: (dropping the act) Heard it! Me, dead mom. J.D., dead dad. Elliot, emotionally abusive parents. Dr. Cox, emotionally and physically abusive dead parents, which he may have killed. No one's sure. Look, Katie, now that you're here, it doesn't matter what crap you have in your past. All that matters is that you leave it there. Because this hospital is your home now and these people are your family. And I can tell you they will love you unconditionally if you let them. But if you don't, they... Check that. We will eat you alive.
Katie: You know what's really driving me crazy? You keep acting like you know me.
Carla: Don't bother with the sob story. I've been here a long time, I've heard it all before.
Katie: Really? Because my dad died when I was six, and to cope, my mom drank herself through most of my childhood. No one ever did anything for me. I've always had to do it for myself.
Carla: (feigning sympathy) Oh, Katie.
Katie: I know.
Carla: (dropping the act) Heard it! Me, dead mom. J.D., dead dad. Elliot, emotionally abusive parents. Dr. Cox, emotionally and physically abusive dead parents, which he may have killed. No one's sure. Look, Katie, now that you're here, it doesn't matter what crap you have in your past. All that matters is that you leave it there. Because this hospital is your home now and these people are your family. And I can tell you they will love you unconditionally if you let them. But if you don't, they... Check that. We will eat you alive.
— Scrubs
Festival bomber: You will never understand. I did this for my people. For our way of life. Everything was taken from me. I want to show them that I can take something back.
Scott Forrester: You don't get to make excuses! You killed people!
Festival bomber: They were sacrificed for the greater good. I sacrifice myself, too.
Scott Forrester: You sacrifice nothing!
"We can understand a suspect's motives, but we can still hate the evil things they're willing to do because of it. All we can do is fight to help people, keep 'em safe."
— Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson, S.W.A.T. (2017), "Genesis"
"The State doesn't refute that the defendant was protective of his brother. That's something we can all respect and admire. But while we might sympathize with Mr. Tamura's motivations, the fact is we're here today because Mr. Tamura made a choice. He acted recklessly. Dangerously. And his actions had consequences."
— Firuzeh Ahmadi, Accused (2023), "Jiro's Story"
"He did you wrong, Freddie. You only ever wanted to be loved by him. You only ever wanted his approval...and it's still no fucking excuse."
Music
Wasting away again in Margaritaville
Searching for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, but I know...
It's my own damn fault!
—Jimmy Buffett, "Margaritaville"
I don't wanna understand the child abuse,
The past gone violence
Don't justify his violent nature
—Lagwagon, "Give It Back"
So you've been broken, and you've been hurt
Show me somebody who ain't
—Bruce Springsteen, "Human Touch"
This world may have failed you
It doesn't give you reason why
You could have chosen a different path in life...
The smile when you tore me apart!
—Within Temptation, "Angels"
I can see it started years ago
And I recognize your pain
But I can't forget the innocence you've taken from me
Now I see you, but I can't hear you
— Shihad, "Bitter"
Theatre
Fine, we're damaged... really damaged
But that does not make us wise!
We're not special, we're not different
We don't choose who lives or dies!
But that does not make us wise!
We're not special, we're not different
We don't choose who lives or dies!
—Veronica, Heathers, "Seventeen"
Blame your childhood, blame your dad
Blame the life you never had
But hurting people? That's your choice, my friend
— Veronica to J.D., Heathers, "I Say No"
Video Games
When you were a small girl, there was an accident! You were at the beach near the ocean, do you remember? [...] You swam out deep into the waters... too far for your father to see you! With him not watching you and the water getting rougher and rougher... you drowned... alone and cold... YOU DIED IN THE OCEAN THAT DAY! [...] And in your grief and anger, you were left behind, trapped in this world... And so you did the only thing that could bring you any kind of relief... You haunted that man, your father, who so carelessly let you swim on your own, who let you die that day! You haunted him and made him do dark and evil things, so he could feel the same pain and anguish you felt! You're... you're UNFORGIVABLE!
—Nicole Chapman to Brittaney/The Collage, Acrylic
Spider-Man: Look at you. You don't care who gets caught in the middle of your grudge match. These are people, Harry. People with lives, with families and friends who love them. Just because you didn't have that doesn't give you the right to take it from anyone else.
Green Goblin: No one gave a damn about me. Why should I care about them?
Green Goblin: No one gave a damn about me. Why should I care about them?
Batman: What happened to you was wrong. But you killed people, you have to pay for that.
Killer Croc: When does Warden pay?
Batman: He'll face justice for his crimes.
The Jackal: The city just took and took till [my parents] had nothing left. Their own brat became a burden, so they dumped him like a bag of sand! Daft, eh? Absolutely stupid. If surviving means pinching from other folk, I'll happily join the takers!
Tiz: Are you sure they left because you were a burden to them? Maybe they swallowed their tears and left you in the city in hopes that you, at least, could find happiness there.
The Jackal: Aye, or maybe they left because they didn't have the guts to kill me themselves! You don't know a stinking thing about them.
Tiz: You're right. I don't know their reasons. But they do. If they're still alive, you can go and ask them! You can track them down and make them explain themselves. Make them answer for their choices! You can yell and scream and fight as long as you like. As long as it takes. You can work on forgiving them! But you haven't done any of that. You've stayed here sulking and festering all your life. That's far dafter to me!
Tiz: Are you sure they left because you were a burden to them? Maybe they swallowed their tears and left you in the city in hopes that you, at least, could find happiness there.
The Jackal: Aye, or maybe they left because they didn't have the guts to kill me themselves! You don't know a stinking thing about them.
Tiz: You're right. I don't know their reasons. But they do. If they're still alive, you can go and ask them! You can track them down and make them explain themselves. Make them answer for their choices! You can yell and scream and fight as long as you like. As long as it takes. You can work on forgiving them! But you haven't done any of that. You've stayed here sulking and festering all your life. That's far dafter to me!
Carlito: My purpose in life... has been to get revenge for what you people did to Santa Cabeza... To my hometown. Why... Why was your meat so much more important to you than human life? Why... Why did my people have to die to feed your fat bellies?!
Frank: That doesn't excuse what you've done!
Frank: That doesn't excuse what you've done!
Victor: Have you been fighting the Empire? Was this rockslide your doing?
Robelle: It is as you say—I have devoted all my efforts to avenging our fallen.
Victor: And how, exactly, have you been taking on an entire army by yourself?
Robelle: ...
Victor: If you can't say it, I will. You resorted to methods that break the code of the Shadewolves. Your vengeance has claimed the lives of innocent civilians. You burned them in their beds... You poisoned the water they drink... You defied all that we stood for.
Robelle: I had no choice! I cannot fight against a horde of men the way you do! If I wanted to avenge our comrades, I didn't have the luxury of choice when it came to method. Besides, the Shadewolves are no more. There's no point in maintaining a code when the people who wrote it are gone.
Victor: The Shadewolves' fight is not over. Not so long as I stand.
Robelle: Then let us fight together, Commander! Let's both have our revenge!
Victor: No. You have forgotten the pride of the Shadewolves. You are no longer one of us.
Robelle: ...Not one of them? I did all of this FOR them!
Victor: And shamed their names in the process.
Robelle: No... I don't...
Victor: As my former comrade, you deserve a warrior's death. ...Draw your sword.
Robelle: It is as you say—I have devoted all my efforts to avenging our fallen.
Victor: And how, exactly, have you been taking on an entire army by yourself?
Robelle: ...
Victor: If you can't say it, I will. You resorted to methods that break the code of the Shadewolves. Your vengeance has claimed the lives of innocent civilians. You burned them in their beds... You poisoned the water they drink... You defied all that we stood for.
Robelle: I had no choice! I cannot fight against a horde of men the way you do! If I wanted to avenge our comrades, I didn't have the luxury of choice when it came to method. Besides, the Shadewolves are no more. There's no point in maintaining a code when the people who wrote it are gone.
Victor: The Shadewolves' fight is not over. Not so long as I stand.
Robelle: Then let us fight together, Commander! Let's both have our revenge!
Victor: No. You have forgotten the pride of the Shadewolves. You are no longer one of us.
Robelle: ...Not one of them? I did all of this FOR them!
Victor: And shamed their names in the process.
Robelle: No... I don't...
Victor: As my former comrade, you deserve a warrior's death. ...Draw your sword.
—Victor confronting his former subordinate Robelle over a series of murders, Dragalia Lost
There is tragedy to your tale, but you've earned no sympathy.
—Citrinne to Yunaka, Fire Emblem Engage
Miklan: Why have you come, you Crest-bearing fool?
Sylvain: I'm here for the Lance of Ruin, Miklan. Hand it over. I don't want to humiliate you, but I will.
Miklan: Hmph! Hurry up and die already. If not for you... If it hadn't been for you...
Sylvain: Shut up! I'm so tired of hearing that. You've always blamed me for something that isn't my fault.
Sylvain: I'm here for the Lance of Ruin, Miklan. Hand it over. I don't want to humiliate you, but I will.
Miklan: Hmph! Hurry up and die already. If not for you... If it hadn't been for you...
Sylvain: Shut up! I'm so tired of hearing that. You've always blamed me for something that isn't my fault.
Felix: Sometimes you have an animal's face, contorted with anger and bloodlust. At other times, a man's, with a friendly smile. Which is your true face?
Dimitri: Do not waste your breath on questions with such obvious answers. They are both the real me. My father, my friends, Glenn... They all meant a great deal to me. And they were all brutally slaughtered. I alone survived. If I do not shoulder the anguish and regret they must have felt, who will?
Felix: Hah. So, that's how you justify your atrocities.
Dimitri: What do you mean?
Felix: "I will fulfill my duty to the late king." My old man used to say that over and over, like a mantra. How nauseating. No one seems to understand. The dead won't acknowledge your loyalty. They don't care. What a load of bunk it is, pretending to serve a corpse. You're serving your own ego.
Dimitri: You are wrong.
Felix: No, I'm not. The dead are dead, the living are living. You have to respect that boundary. If you keep stringing gravestones around your neck, you'll snap
Dimitri: Even still... I cannot forget them, nor can I let them go.
Felix: Then keep those thoughts to yourself. If you're too weak to do that, abandon your throne. Become a grave keeper.
Dimitri: Felix...
Felix: I'm not immune to emotion, you know. Far from it. I haven't gone a day without questioning why my father and brother had to die, while I survived. I'll bear this pain until the day I die, but I refuse to wallow in it. I have more important things to do than blubber for my whole life.
Dimitri: Do not waste your breath on questions with such obvious answers. They are both the real me. My father, my friends, Glenn... They all meant a great deal to me. And they were all brutally slaughtered. I alone survived. If I do not shoulder the anguish and regret they must have felt, who will?
Felix: Hah. So, that's how you justify your atrocities.
Dimitri: What do you mean?
Felix: "I will fulfill my duty to the late king." My old man used to say that over and over, like a mantra. How nauseating. No one seems to understand. The dead won't acknowledge your loyalty. They don't care. What a load of bunk it is, pretending to serve a corpse. You're serving your own ego.
Dimitri: You are wrong.
Felix: No, I'm not. The dead are dead, the living are living. You have to respect that boundary. If you keep stringing gravestones around your neck, you'll snap
Dimitri: Even still... I cannot forget them, nor can I let them go.
Felix: Then keep those thoughts to yourself. If you're too weak to do that, abandon your throne. Become a grave keeper.
Dimitri: Felix...
Felix: I'm not immune to emotion, you know. Far from it. I haven't gone a day without questioning why my father and brother had to die, while I survived. I'll bear this pain until the day I die, but I refuse to wallow in it. I have more important things to do than blubber for my whole life.
Rather than thinking about the "why" of things, I prefer to focus on "what" has been done. There are countless reasons why people do things in this world, and upon hearing some of those reasons, you can't help but start to feel that the wrongdoer had a point, or that the public is being too harsh on them. The disadvantaged side will always garner people's sympathy, but the judge must abandon all such feelings. We may empathize with the pain and motivations of the accused, but a crime, once committed, cannot be left unpunished.
— Cyno, Genshin Impact
Masako: You murdered my children. My grandchildren. Destroyed my family.
Hana: A small price to pay for what you've done.
Masako: I have done nothing!
Hana: You stole everything! Drove me from our home. Took the life that was rightfully mine. Left me with that abusive drunk in this frozen land. You would have to suffer an eternity of pain to understand the life I've lived. The life you forced on me.
Masako: None of that is my fault.
Hana: It is. And damn you for acting like if it isn't. You've come to kill me. So finish this. It will be your only kindness.
Hana: A small price to pay for what you've done.
Masako: I have done nothing!
Hana: You stole everything! Drove me from our home. Took the life that was rightfully mine. Left me with that abusive drunk in this frozen land. You would have to suffer an eternity of pain to understand the life I've lived. The life you forced on me.
Masako: None of that is my fault.
Hana: It is. And damn you for acting like if it isn't. You've come to kill me. So finish this. It will be your only kindness.
Atreus: Those were the guys who were with Baldur. His nephews?
Mimir: Aye. Magni and Modi— the sons of Thor.
Atreus: Mother always said the Aesir were the worst of the gods, and Thor was the worst of the Aesir. Guess he's a terrible father, too.
Kratos: They are no longer children. They have no excuse.
Mimir: Aye. Magni and Modi— the sons of Thor.
Atreus: Mother always said the Aesir were the worst of the gods, and Thor was the worst of the Aesir. Guess he's a terrible father, too.
Kratos: They are no longer children. They have no excuse.
Darko: We were friends, but I had other friends. Friends that Goran and his guys killed. My fucking neighbours! Because of what? Because of shit! Lies! Fucking lies!
Niko: So that makes OK?! To stab your friends in the back?!
...That wounded childhood bullshit - we all had shitty childhoods, you balding lump! Most of us don't act like that turd...
— Amanda to Michael on Trevor, Grand Theft Auto V
Batman: Clark, there are lines we don't cross.
Superman: The world's changed since Metropolis.
Batman: No, it hasn't. You have.
Superman: The world's changed since Metropolis.
Batman: No, it hasn't. You have.
Batman: You shouldn't have killed the Joker.
Superman: I did it for Lois.
Batman: It's not what she would have wanted.
Superman: I did it for Lois.
Batman: It's not what she would have wanted.
Superman: I took one life to save millions.
Batman: Hardly the best example for Supergirl.
Superman: Your son would disagree.
Batman: Hardly the best example for Supergirl.
Superman: Your son would disagree.
Harley Quinn: How's it feel being the villain?
Superman: Justice requires order!
Harley Quinn: BORING!
Superman: Justice requires order!
Harley Quinn: BORING!
I am sorry I started you on this path. But you chose to continue down it.
Tatl: Hey, Skull Kid! Do you realize what you've been doing to everyone?!?
Tael: Wait...Sis...Don't...Don't be so hard on the Skull Kid.
Tatl: Tael! Why are you protecting him?! Aren't you mad at him for hitting you so much?
Tael: He was lonely... ...the Skull Kid.
Tatl: He was trying to destroy everything around him! That is not the same as a lonely child! We can't allow that!
Tael: The power of the mask made him do it. It was too much for the Skull Kid to handle.
Tatl: It's 'cause he doesn't know his place! On top of having a weak will and no strength of heart... he's a fool!
Tael: Wait...Sis...Don't...Don't be so hard on the Skull Kid.
Tatl: Tael! Why are you protecting him?! Aren't you mad at him for hitting you so much?
Tael: He was lonely... ...the Skull Kid.
Tatl: He was trying to destroy everything around him! That is not the same as a lonely child! We can't allow that!
Tael: The power of the mask made him do it. It was too much for the Skull Kid to handle.
Tatl: It's 'cause he doesn't know his place! On top of having a weak will and no strength of heart... he's a fool!
Angela: ... I only want to be compensated for my suffering.
Roland: What's this? You're acting weak before you can say "sword"? Are you finally starting to hesitate when it's almost over? Nah... can't be. You've got power and knowledge, and now a proper life as a living being on top of it...you just don't wanna give up what you finally took hold of.
Angela: At least I used a method that isn't forcef-
Roland: You used the same logic when you stole the Light. You used it to kill those who came to the Library in the name of fair price. You didn't even stop to think about the consequences of your actions. That's how you've always been. You don't give two shits about anyone other than yourself. I don't blame you though, I just can't. It's how the City works... that's that, and this is this.
Roland: What's this? You're acting weak before you can say "sword"? Are you finally starting to hesitate when it's almost over? Nah... can't be. You've got power and knowledge, and now a proper life as a living being on top of it...you just don't wanna give up what you finally took hold of.
Angela: At least I used a method that isn't forcef-
Roland: You used the same logic when you stole the Light. You used it to kill those who came to the Library in the name of fair price. You didn't even stop to think about the consequences of your actions. That's how you've always been. You don't give two shits about anyone other than yourself. I don't blame you though, I just can't. It's how the City works... that's that, and this is this.
Akira: Know what your problem is? You blamed everyone else. Said it was them or gods or fate that made you what you are. But it was YOU! Just you! Yeah, people can suck. We can be selfish-look out only for ourselves. But if you focus only on the bad-judge them at their worst, well... You've already made up your mind, haven't you? Everything else is just an excuse!
Oersted: ...Aye... Maybe so. I sought out nothing good. Expecting guilt... And just cause to condemn...
She is a tragic figure, but not a sympathetic one.
— Samara on Morinth, Mass Effect 2
Raiden: Yeah, I'm sure that's what gave him his whole survival-of-the-fittest worldview... Just one long series of traumatic events...
Kevin: Well, directly or otherwise, the Khmer Rouge messed up a whole lotta lives... But all of their victims didn't start thinking like Monsoon. People have to stop the cycle of violence somewhere... Stop the bad meme, I guess you could say. Course that's easy for me to say, having grown up in a nice, stable First World country...
Raiden: Nah, I get it. Growing up in bad circumstances... It's no excuse for the crimes you commit.
Kevin: Well, directly or otherwise, the Khmer Rouge messed up a whole lotta lives... But all of their victims didn't start thinking like Monsoon. People have to stop the cycle of violence somewhere... Stop the bad meme, I guess you could say. Course that's easy for me to say, having grown up in a nice, stable First World country...
Raiden: Nah, I get it. Growing up in bad circumstances... It's no excuse for the crimes you commit.
—Raiden and Kevin discussing Monsoon's backstory, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Past Jax: How 'bout we keep this between me, myself, and I? Never thought I'd stoop so low...
Present Jax: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BAD IT GETS! Losing your arms was just the beginning.
Past Jax: I know you suffered. You still do. But you don't betray your unit and you SURE AS HELL DON'T BETRAY YOUR FAMILY!
Present Jax: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW BAD IT GETS! Losing your arms was just the beginning.
Past Jax: I know you suffered. You still do. But you don't betray your unit and you SURE AS HELL DON'T BETRAY YOUR FAMILY!
Bea: It strikes me that we just murdered all of those [cultist] dudes down there.
Mae: How do you figure?
Bea: Well, I mean… the elevator's broken and we caused a cave-in.
Gregg: That was self-defense.
Bea: I guess. But we did cause the deaths of, like, a dozen guys.
Mae: No, no, no! They're all still alive down there! (takes a moment to realize) Oh god.
Bea: Yeah.
Mae: Geez.
Gregg: Well, we're blameless. They attacked us.
Bea: One of them attacked us.
Mae: So we're worrying about… like…
Bea: It's morally gray!
Mae: We're not murderers! Like, if we had a choice, we wouldn't have done it!
(beat)
Angus: I would have.
Bea: Uh…
Angus: What!? They, like, killed people! They were trying to get us to kill people! Screw 'em! I don't even believe in hell and I hope they all go straight there.
Mae: How do you figure?
Bea: Well, I mean… the elevator's broken and we caused a cave-in.
Gregg: That was self-defense.
Bea: I guess. But we did cause the deaths of, like, a dozen guys.
Mae: No, no, no! They're all still alive down there! (takes a moment to realize) Oh god.
Bea: Yeah.
Mae: Geez.
Gregg: Well, we're blameless. They attacked us.
Bea: One of them attacked us.
Mae: So we're worrying about… like…
Bea: It's morally gray!
Mae: We're not murderers! Like, if we had a choice, we wouldn't have done it!
(beat)
Angus: I would have.
Bea: Uh…
Angus: What!? They, like, killed people! They were trying to get us to kill people! Screw 'em! I don't even believe in hell and I hope they all go straight there.
Bob: Crime is the responsibility of the criminal. No one else. Look, everyone has a sob story but we don't all end up as barbarians do we?
"Every betrayer has their own sob story to excuse their actions. And each one thinks they are different from the rest, that they alone should be understood and shown mercy. I'm sick of hearing it."
—Regill Derenge, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Tatsuya Sudou: Hyaaaaahahahahaaaa! The pain... It hurts. Dammit! You goddamn brats... You did it to me again..! You! And you! And that woman too! And the goddamn dad of mine who locked me up in the frickin' mountains! I'll kill you all! It's everyone else's fault for not accepting me... I won't be my dad's frickin' puppet! I'll leave however the hell I want! AaaaaaAAAAAH! Stop...The voices! Thevoicesthevoicesthevoicesthevoices! Stop talking in my head!"
Maya Amano: You sad man... You can't exist without blaming everything around you. The reason you can't live a normal life is because you're so dependant! Enough of this childishness!
Maya Amano: You sad man... You can't exist without blaming everything around you. The reason you can't live a normal life is because you're so dependant! Enough of this childishness!
There are many things to sympathize with regarding Minazuki's past. He, too, was a victim of the Kirijo Group's dark side. Still... That does not give him license to endanger the world or hurt people. It doesn't change the fact that he is an enemy who must be defeated.
I don't need to hear your excuses. Everyone was going through the same bullshit with Kamoshida. The beatings, the impossible exercises... but we put up with all of it for the track team. But no. You had to go and fuck all of that up!
—Nakaoka about Ryuji punching Kamoshida, Persona 5
Ann: The person he [Kaneshiro] used to be...? What could have happened to make him so distorted?
Morgana: I don't know, but no matter what kind of past he had, his actions are unforgivable.
Morgana: I don't know, but no matter what kind of past he had, his actions are unforgivable.
— Persona 5 Royal
Hey, cool it. Whatever [Akira Konoe]'s past was, it doesn't justify what he's doing now. Nothing makes it okay for him to take control of people against their will. If we don't stop him now, more and more people are gonna get hurt.
—Zenkichi Hasegawa, Persona 5 Strikers
Ratchet: Look what you've done to the sector! How many lives are you going to let Vendra ruin just to open a few portals?
Neftin: She's strong-headed, I'll give you that. Hard to blame her, though. Can you imagine? Seeing your kind right there, close enough to touch… but impossible to reach?
Ratchet: Yes. Yes, I can. But wanting something too badly can change you into something you're not.
Neftin: She's strong-headed, I'll give you that. Hard to blame her, though. Can you imagine? Seeing your kind right there, close enough to touch… but impossible to reach?
Ratchet: Yes. Yes, I can. But wanting something too badly can change you into something you're not.
Dark Queen: You could never understand my sorrow at seeing the ruinous future of this kingdom.
Sonic: Good, 'cause I don't ever want to know such one-sided sadness.
Excalibur: Foolish wizard. You’re willing to sacrifice countless others just to escape your own sorrow?
Sonic: Good, 'cause I don't ever want to know such one-sided sadness.
Excalibur: Foolish wizard. You’re willing to sacrifice countless others just to escape your own sorrow?
Sylph: Duke fought with Elucifur against the leader of the ones who opposed humans, and defeated him. However, once the war ended, The Empire feared Elucifur's power. They assaulted the injured Elucifur and took his life.
Raven: Now I get it. Anyone would stop trusting humans after that.
Judith: I had no idea that was going on during the war.
Yuri: But it doesn't matter how badly he was betrayed. He has no right to sacrifice every human life.
Raven: Now I get it. Anyone would stop trusting humans after that.
Judith: I had no idea that was going on during the war.
Yuri: But it doesn't matter how badly he was betrayed. He has no right to sacrifice every human life.
— The heroes when they wish to learn Duke's motives and reasons, Tales of Vesperia
Unforgivable... No matter what kind of reason you have, whether you're an adult or a child... You killed people. So many people... Like it was nothing. And I'll never forgive that... ever!
—Komaru Naegi to Jataro Kemuri, Ultra Despair Girls
"Look, I get what you're going through, but that's got nothing to do with our fight. No matter what your plan is, no matter how many times you get back up, I'm gonna stop you. Me and this blade."
—Hyde Kido's Victory Quote to Kuon, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes
"Fools like you want to make others suffer just like they did. And they always seek to victimize those who are weaker than themselves. Parents beat their kids, and say it's because they were abused as children. Swindlers claim they were victims of fraud. But true strength means overcoming such misery, not perpetuating it. You'll never defeat me as long as you think your suffering gives you a right to make others miserable, too."
— Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 5
He said that my husband had slaughtered the people of the island to further his own ambitions... If that is indeed the truth, then I would agree, it is entirely unforgivable. As his wife, I share the burden of that sin. And I am prepared to answer for it. ...But my children do not. They are innocent souls untainted by this despicable act. The staff, as well. I believe that Sir Stoddart's actions are unjustifiable, even under such uniquely unpleasant circumstances.
—Elizebetha to Adol Christin on the actions of Chester Stoddart up to this point, Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Visual Novels
Anyway, I'm no psychologist, so I can only speculate. But paired with his self-centered personality, it certainly would explain a lot. Even if it does by no means excuse anything he's done.
— Raiko Shinpuku, after learning about Hiro Shiratake's past, Shinrai: Broken Beyond Despair
Judge: So are you saying you are a victim in all of this as well?
Acro: No... That's not what I mean. (sheds Tears of Remorse) I'm nothing but a murderer. That's who I am...
Acro: No... That's not what I mean. (sheds Tears of Remorse) I'm nothing but a murderer. That's who I am...
Bikini: When I think about it, I do kind of feel sorry for Mystic Morgan. It wasn't her fault that her sister was a more powerful spirit medium. Mystic Morgan just couldn't compete with her sister. It must have been really tough on her...
Phoenix: Even so... That doesn't excuse all the things she did.
Bikini: ... No... Of course not.
Phoenix: Even so... That doesn't excuse all the things she did.
Bikini: ... No... Of course not.
Trucy: Does your hatred run that deep? Deep enough to kill an innocent man?
Retinz: You're damn right! You have no idea what humiliations I had to suffer! Your grandfather, Magnifi Gramarye, kicked me out after I got hurt practicing my magic! He said I was too unskilled— that I would mess up on stage! He threw me out of the troupe just because he was worried about his own reputation! Since I was but a child, it was always my dream to become a great magician! But that Magnifi...! He took it all from me!
Trucy: But... that's no excuse...! That's no reason to do something so evil...! Magic is supposed to make people happy! Not used as a means for murder!
Retinz: What's the big deal? I just used what I had available to me, that's all.
Trucy: ...I get it now. That attitude toward magic... is why my grandfather kicked you out. You... you don't deserve to call yourself a magician!
Retinz: You're damn right! You have no idea what humiliations I had to suffer! Your grandfather, Magnifi Gramarye, kicked me out after I got hurt practicing my magic! He said I was too unskilled— that I would mess up on stage! He threw me out of the troupe just because he was worried about his own reputation! Since I was but a child, it was always my dream to become a great magician! But that Magnifi...! He took it all from me!
Trucy: But... that's no excuse...! That's no reason to do something so evil...! Magic is supposed to make people happy! Not used as a means for murder!
Retinz: What's the big deal? I just used what I had available to me, that's all.
Trucy: ...I get it now. That attitude toward magic... is why my grandfather kicked you out. You... you don't deserve to call yourself a magician!
Perhaps life treated you unfairly years ago, and others' misconduct left your life in tatters. But remember this... your own actions... resulted in exactly the same thing for another perfectly innocent young man!
— Ryunosuke Naruhodo, to the culprit of "The Return of the Great Departed Soul," The Great Ace Attorney
Web Animation
Emo Gohan: Would you piss off and leave us alone!?
Gohan Black: I will not leave her alone! Her very existence is a disgrace to the memory of my mother!
Emo Gohan: What the hell are you talking about?
Gohan Black: You have it all! A mother, a father, a universe to call home! I don't have any of that! An alcoholic pimp like you wouldn't understand the hell that I've been through!
Emo Gohan: …Y'know, Black? You're right. My mom acting like a slut, me pimping her out… it's not right. No mother or son should be doing that, even if the pay is good.
Gohan Black: Then let me train her, Emo—
Emo Gohan: But… you hitting her… and then planning on lobotomizing her… that's when you lost the moral high ground, you British shit.
Gohan Black: I will not leave her alone! Her very existence is a disgrace to the memory of my mother!
Emo Gohan: What the hell are you talking about?
Gohan Black: You have it all! A mother, a father, a universe to call home! I don't have any of that! An alcoholic pimp like you wouldn't understand the hell that I've been through!
Emo Gohan: …Y'know, Black? You're right. My mom acting like a slut, me pimping her out… it's not right. No mother or son should be doing that, even if the pay is good.
Gohan Black: Then let me train her, Emo—
Emo Gohan: But… you hitting her… and then planning on lobotomizing her… that's when you lost the moral high ground, you British shit.
— Dragonball Gohanverse, "Episode 7" (Gohan Black arc finale)
Someone might be struggling with their own personal stuff, but mental illness doesn't negate their responsibility to maintain a healthy relationship. It just means they need to work on themselves. Which is okay, but you don't need to be a part of that. You've got your own junk, they've got their junk, you need to decide how much of their junk you want to help with. Don't let them forcefully shove their junk on you.
— JaidenAnimations, "Things about Relationships I wish someone told me about"
"You think you're entitled to everything just because you've suffered, but suffering. Isn't. Enough. You can't just be strong, you have to be smart! You can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy! But all you have ever been IS A BLOODY MIGRAINE!"
—Arthur Watts to Cinder Fall, RWBY
Web Original
"What was done to you was monstrous, but what you have allowed yourself to become is worse."
—Spongebob calling out The Tortured One for his actions, The Bikini Bottom Horror
Your suffering does not excuse your actions.
If you suffered in life and want other people to suffer as you did because "you turned out fine," you did not in fact turn out fine.
— Daniel Shipwreck, on Twitter
Honestly, I have no sympathy for Angron. Was he dealt an incredibly shit hand? Absolutely. But I lost all sympathy for what he did to his legion.
— A random YouTube comment on Angron's past
Regal: You shot people! YOU SHOT PEOPLE! F-Fo-For what? Because they called you names back in school?! WHAT?
Lewis: I mean, yeah. I mean, like, not specifically them, no. But-
Regal: HOW COULD YOU JUSTIFY THAT?
Lewis: Look, I'm out for revenge. I'm just like you.
Regal: What-NO! NO! We're nothing alike! That's not revenge! What YOU do is a random act of violence! I have a target! Do you even remember the names of the people that bullied you? DAMN! (...) Oh you're- you're out of your mind!
Lewis: I mean, yeah. I mean, like, not specifically them, no. But-
Regal: HOW COULD YOU JUSTIFY THAT?
Lewis: Look, I'm out for revenge. I'm just like you.
Regal: What-NO! NO! We're nothing alike! That's not revenge! What YOU do is a random act of violence! I have a target! Do you even remember the names of the people that bullied you? DAMN! (...) Oh you're- you're out of your mind!
Lucifer: We had thousands of years to truly know one another after that. She was no ideal, no prize, no fantasy. She was not perfect, and neither was I. I loved her because of those flaws in her, because they were so essential to what made her who she truly was. You never saw anything except what you wanted underneath it. And now you speak to me of acknowledgment? Of gratification? Are you certain you're not projecting upon me, Nyarlathotep? Crawling Chaos indeed…simply scraping on the ground to seek recognition from your own father. And when you failed at that, you lashed out at the next targets. You seek to elevate yourself to fill a void that gapes inside your heart. But surely you must know that void can never truly be filled this way. She showed you the door to a better way and you slammed it shut yourself. You had a chance to be something better, something more than this, and you chose this path instead. Oh, and also? As I said to you a century ago: I never found your name very intimidating.
Nyarlathotep: Don't you value choice, Morningstar?
Lucifer: Of course. But freedom of choice means you're going to inevitably make the wrong decision wrong sooner or later. That is why having people around you is so important; to remind you of what is right, to show you your mistakes and help you acknowledge them. What's important is recognizing those mistakes for yourself and using them to grow. But introspection is entirely beyond you. You have nobody because you have chosen to destroy all you encounter, to take bonds you could have forged and focus on giving them anguish and pain instead. It doesn't matter how many worlds you consume, Nyarlathotep. Not even if you achieve the strength of the Outer Gods. You'll never find that fulfillment within yourself. You'll never truly be at peace with yourself. How many realities will you have to destroy before you realize that?
Kaya felt the tug on her heart. That slight feeling that said (Rhett Talbot) was telling the truth, and that he was deserving of sympathy. But she refused to listen to that feeling. She didn't know whether Talbot was telling the truth, and she was surprised to realize she didn't care. She didn't care why he was what he was, or what reasons there were for his actions. She just wanted him dead.
Guess what, Alice? A bad childhood doesn't justify an act of murder. Or torture. Or thinking up the worst ways to hurt someone your mind can possibly brew. People have to take responsibility for these feelings, Alice – and instead, you gleefully let yourself be controlled by them. That's what makes you a slave, Alice; you're so afraid of being controlled that you don't even realize that fear is controlling you.
Gohan... GROW. UP. You act like you are the only one suffering. But I believe that Trunks has some stories for you. And I can assume they all end with, "And then he died too." And before you start whining about your father again - and I get it - take a moment to consider that my father made me a soulless killing machine to kill your father. And that doesn't even come close to the complete tragedy of fatherhood that is Vegeta. Cell was right. You think you're better than everyone else. But there you stand: the good man doing nothing. And while evil triumphs, and your rigid pacifism crumbles into bloodstained dust, the only victory afforded to you is that you stuck to your guns: you were a coward, to your last whimper.
— Android 16, Dragon Ball Z Abridged ("Cell-Out")
HEY, YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHAT'S THE MATTER, SEPARATED FROM YOUR PARENTS!? CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT THAT'S LIKE!
— Tifa to Sephiroth after he kills her dad, Final Fantasy VII: Machinabridged
"Yes, BoJack's mother was abused by her father and just the patriarchal society in general but that doesn't absolve her from damaging and abusing her own child. She even poisoned a girl for months just to make her lose weight. And Yes BoJack suffers from severe mental illness and intrusive thoughts but that doesn't mean he's absolved from the things he has done to his friends."
Linkara: You wanna know why I still have those posters up? Because they're a part of my past. They're part of what made me who I am. I don't just pretend that the last ten years didn't happen. I learn from both my mistakes and my triumphs to try to become better. You? You just became bitter and abusive. You let your past control you. You let it turn you into a monster.
Mirrorkara: Everyone is a monster! Give people enough free reign, and they'll always be like me!
Linkara: No. What you mean is that You would do that, because people are good, and decent, and kind. You, however, are an asshole. And it pisses you off so much to see a world where you didn't become a jerkwad, because you can't accept that you're just a complete and total jackass! Ten years of fighting, of bad comics, of heartbreaks and toxic people. This entire year has been spent looking back on all that. But while you would let it consume you, I just can't wait to see what the next ten years will bring.
Mirrorkara: Everyone is a monster! Give people enough free reign, and they'll always be like me!
Linkara: No. What you mean is that You would do that, because people are good, and decent, and kind. You, however, are an asshole. And it pisses you off so much to see a world where you didn't become a jerkwad, because you can't accept that you're just a complete and total jackass! Ten years of fighting, of bad comics, of heartbreaks and toxic people. This entire year has been spent looking back on all that. But while you would let it consume you, I just can't wait to see what the next ten years will bring.
— Linkara to his Mirror Universe Counterpart in Atop the Fourth Wall
"Duke... This is all my fault. I'm such an asshole! I've been surrounded by assholes my whole life, but that's... that's no excuse..."
—Darth Vader, Auralnauts Star Wars
"Next, we have 'The Wannabe', which is Ren Yi Xiang. He's going through some sort of identity crisis, he's not too sure what he is, who he is, maybe he got heartbroken by someone. But that is not an excuse for him to act the way he is acting and all I know is somebody needs to knock some sense into him."
— Jianhao, in a presentation, Titan Academy
Fordola: You don't understand, I had a tragic childhood!
Baby: ... Okay, first of all—!
Baby: ... Okay, first of all—!
— Mad Because Small "4.3 - The Legend Returns"
"Yeah I'm a rude person, But I'm aware I'm being rude so it's okay!"
no.
— Tweet by Doobus Goobus
by Doobus Goobus"You really are somethin' else, you know that? You lash out at people, and why? Because you hate your job? Newsflash, asshole! Everyone hates their job! I work at the grocery store, I have to deal with bullshit all the time, too! But I don't act like a sarcastic prick with customers! You know, Squidward, this town does not like you, and it's not because you're some kind of misunderstood artist, or genius, or we just don't get you. It's because you're mean, all right?"
— A Tiktok video of a Krusty Krab customer chewing out Squidward on his typical snide behavior
of a Krusty Krab customer chewing out Squidward on his typical snide behaviorBelfry: I've come to a decision! Dad was right all along. I have to take more responsibility for my mistakes! So from now on, I'm going to be more responsible! I'll make sure I never make a mistake again! If I think really hard about everything I do before I do it, I'll be sure to catch mistakes before I make them! But I lose sight of things when I'm upset. That's a problem!
Briar: Belfry…
Belfry: So from now on, whenever I'm upset, I'll just lock myself in my room! That way I'll never hurt anyone ever again!
Briar: Oh, for the love of… Belfry, that's enough! Stop spiraling! This isn't helping anyone! You are Tamberlane's mum. You have to stay strong for her. You can't just lock yourself away from her!
Belfry: That's not fair!
Briar: It doesn't matter what's fair, Belfry! You need to hear this! Sometimes you just have to pull yourself together! Like for your kit!
Belfry: Oh, just "pull myself together"? That's easy for you to say, Briar! You don't know what it's like! Everything is so hard, all the time! And when I try, I mess it up! Always!
Briar: Belfry, stop! You have to stop doing this!
Belfry: I know! I'm trying to stop messing up, I am!
Briar: No! You can't just say you're terrible at everything as an excuse to never work on anything! You are not the world's most pathetic creature! You're not Mum's little waif anymore! You are an adult and a mother, and you need to stop just flaking out whenever things get hard!
Briar: Belfry…
Belfry: So from now on, whenever I'm upset, I'll just lock myself in my room! That way I'll never hurt anyone ever again!
Briar: Oh, for the love of… Belfry, that's enough! Stop spiraling! This isn't helping anyone! You are Tamberlane's mum. You have to stay strong for her. You can't just lock yourself away from her!
Belfry: That's not fair!
Briar: It doesn't matter what's fair, Belfry! You need to hear this! Sometimes you just have to pull yourself together! Like for your kit!
Belfry: Oh, just "pull myself together"? That's easy for you to say, Briar! You don't know what it's like! Everything is so hard, all the time! And when I try, I mess it up! Always!
Briar: Belfry, stop! You have to stop doing this!
Belfry: I know! I'm trying to stop messing up, I am!
Briar: No! You can't just say you're terrible at everything as an excuse to never work on anything! You are not the world's most pathetic creature! You're not Mum's little waif anymore! You are an adult and a mother, and you need to stop just flaking out whenever things get hard!
/!\ Pure Evil villains CAN NEVER be Tragic. Either their so-called "tragedies" would have to be extremely and outrageously logic-defying to even be realistic, or they would simply use it to justify their evil actions and nothing more. Through their actions and lack of feelings, they manage to destroy their own innocence and as a result are no longer sympathetic. Their excuses may be what they deserved and some have faked at least one tragedy. They may also try to present their excuses as tragedies, but end up being LESS sympathetic if their excuses amount to pure jealousy or pettiness.
Even if a Pure Evil villain was given reasons for what they were doing that could genuinely be considered a tragedy, their actions FAR OUTWEIGH their tragedies. They should go under the Envious and/or Vengeful categories instead.
Western Animation
I used to believe Batman was responsible for you people, but now I see nearly everyone here would have ended up exactly the same, Batman or not. Oh, the gimmicks might be different, but you'd all be out there in some form or another bringing misery to Gotham. The truth is, you created him.
Kevin: Still wanna be a goody two shoes, Ben? Aw, let me guess, you just want to help me.
Ben: You had plenty of chances to get help, and you always messed up. This time, you're getting what you deserve.
Ben: You had plenty of chances to get help, and you always messed up. This time, you're getting what you deserve.
Bojack: Every stupid decision I made, every bad thing that has ever happened, it all started because of you!
Angela: Grow up! You play these games, "if I hadn't done this, if I wasn't so that", but you did, and you were, and here we are.
Angela: Grow up! You play these games, "if I hadn't done this, if I wasn't so that", but you did, and you were, and here we are.
"No no, that's okay. Keep talking. Keep talking, Daddy. That's the eulogy this woman deserved. She did this to you, and now you're doing it to me. You've been doing it our whole lives, and it's getting old! It's gettin' real old, old man! So get it out yo' system, then sit down AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
— Uncle Ruckus to his father, The Boondocks
"Mr. Quagmire, your story is a sad one, but that doesn't excuse your actions. I have no choice but to sentence you to twenty years in prison."
— Judge, Family Guy, "Quagmire's Mom"
Sheryl: (grunts in pain) You little bastard!
Gary: Yep, it's me, the little bastard. And you're my mom. Let that sink in for a second. Have you got it, alright? Parent-teacher conferences, baking cookies? Not crazed rampages on your boy!
Sheryl: (with a smirk) You caught me on an off day.
Gary: An off day? I've never seen an on day! And I'm done being the excuse for all your mistakes. Things with Dad went the way they did because of you! You did all that! And you're gonna have to live with it!
Gary: Yep, it's me, the little bastard. And you're my mom. Let that sink in for a second. Have you got it, alright? Parent-teacher conferences, baking cookies? Not crazed rampages on your boy!
Sheryl: (with a smirk) You caught me on an off day.
Gary: An off day? I've never seen an on day! And I'm done being the excuse for all your mistakes. Things with Dad went the way they did because of you! You did all that! And you're gonna have to live with it!
God: Look, I know your father was a real jerk to you, but you don't know what was in his heart.
Bob: Don't do this, don't give me that crap - I don't care what was in his heart! He never shared it with me.
God: You're right. And you're right to be mad at him. But it's not your job to forgive him, it's mine.
Bob: Don't do this, don't give me that crap - I don't care what was in his heart! He never shared it with me.
God: You're right. And you're right to be mad at him. But it's not your job to forgive him, it's mine.
—God, the Devil and Bob, "Bob's Father"
Grace: Simon, you're in a lot of pain, I understand that!
Simon: Another hollow apology, Grace?
Grace: No. I'm not responsible for your problems. I don't owe you anything!
Simon: Another hollow apology, Grace?
Grace: No. I'm not responsible for your problems. I don't owe you anything!
—Infinity Train, "The New Apex"
Crooler: But they only had eyes for their little miracle baby! I've been trying to make them see me ever since. In the beginning, I even tried helping my brother. But no matter what I did, my parents acted like they only had one child! Miracle baby, Cragger! Things only got worse for me and my fool of a brother. So, when my parents were banished and Cragger became king, I finally had the chance to rule the tribe! I would make Cragger my little puppet! Obeying my every will! But then... things went terribly wrong. Now Cragger is just vengeful and mean, without anyone guiding him.
Lagravis: When you say, "guiding him", you really mean "controlling", don't you?
Crooler: I mean reclaiming my birth right! I should've been the leader of this tribe! But that sneaky little fool tricked them all!
Lagravis: Hm... It's a bit hard to tell who's worse. You, or your brother!
Lagravis: When you say, "guiding him", you really mean "controlling", don't you?
Crooler: I mean reclaiming my birth right! I should've been the leader of this tribe! But that sneaky little fool tricked them all!
Lagravis: Hm... It's a bit hard to tell who's worse. You, or your brother!
—Legends of Chima, "Laval in Exile"
"I know there's no excuse for what I did, but I want you all to know I'm ready for whatever punishment you think is fair."
—Starlight Glimmer, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "The Cutie Re-Mark Part 2"
Eva: [Tearfully] Why didn't you ever call me? Why didn't you ever write? Why didn't you ever VISIT me? WHY?
Don: I...It wasn't possible. I wasn't myself anymore. A man with no name, and no past. I was a shadow of myself.
Eva: A few years later, that "shadow" managed a racing team. The best on earth. You think I didn't know? Everyone knew! Why didn't you contact me then?
Don: I...It wasn't possible. I wasn't myself anymore. A man with no name, and no past. I was a shadow of myself.
Eva: A few years later, that "shadow" managed a racing team. The best on earth. You think I didn't know? Everyone knew! Why didn't you contact me then?
Scrooge: Was I supposed to learn something?
Peter (posing as the Ghost of Christmas Past): You were supposed to learn that just because you had a rotten past, that's no reason to blame Christmas. Lots of us had Christmases that weren't the best, but if you give up, you just end up denying yourself what you're so mad about never having had before. [realizing] I think maybe that's a lesson we could all stand to learn.
Jeremy Whittington: You fool! What have you done? You would have gone on!
DiTillio: Me, the fool? No, you're the fool! You've thrown away everything because the world hurt you! Well, look at me! Yes, I'm small, and I'm twisted, and I'm ugly, but at least I'm still human. Nobody ever said the world was an easy place! Nobody ever said you wouldn't be hurt! (groans) If... if you weren't sufficiently loved, it's your own fault, not the world's!
Jeremy Whittington: DiTillio, please! You... you're my Only Friend! You can't do this! Just take my hand!
DiTillio: No! I don't want anything to do with you! You're the one who doesn't care! You! You were born with everything! I had nothing! But I'll have had more humanity, more love in my going out than you'll ever have!
—The Real Ghostbusters, "Ragnarok and Roll"
Evil Morty: There aren't infinite versions of our grandfather, Morty; he's an infinite smear of one shitty old man. And he's attached to us infinitely through his weakness and our forgiveness. This is why we're with him; this is why we're alive.
(...)
C-137 Rick: Morty, I'm not responsible for every fucked-up Rick out there.
Evil Morty: They literally all say that. They all have that excuse. It's all part of their system: None of them have to be responsible, they're all victims of themselves. "Oh, it's so hard to be a Genius!" (Hand on his heart) Couldn't you just die?
(...)
C-137 Rick: Morty, I'm not responsible for every fucked-up Rick out there.
Evil Morty: They literally all say that. They all have that excuse. It's all part of their system: None of them have to be responsible, they're all victims of themselves. "Oh, it's so hard to be a Genius!" (Hand on his heart) Couldn't you just die?
Kyle: Ike... Ike, I'm sorry that I caused a nuclear bomb to be dropped on Canada. I was just- you know, I was just trying to get shows that were toxic taken down. You know, those shows can be really harmful.
Ike: Ohhh, stop being a victim! Jesus Christ!
Ike: Ohhh, stop being a victim! Jesus Christ!
"I used to be kind, I used to be caring, but then you...[Cartman] you... No. Not you. Me. I did this. I let being a victim become a way of life. If you always make yourself the victim, you can justify being awful."
—Heidi Turner, South Park
NAMBLA Leader: Rights? Does anybody know their rights? You see, I've learned something today. Our forefathers came to this country because...they believed in an idea. An idea called "freedom." They wanted to live in a place where a group couldn't be prosecuted for their beliefs. Where a person can live the way he chooses to live. You see us as being perverted because we're different from you. People are afraid of us, because they don't understand. And sometimes it's easier to persecute than to understand.
Kyle: Dude, you have sex with children!
NAMBLA Leader: We are human. Most of us didn't even choose to be attracted to young boys. We were born that way. We can't help the way we are, and if you all can't understand that, well, then, I guess you'll just have to put us away.
[Beat]
Kyle: Dude. You have sex with children!
Stan: Yeah. You know, we believe in equality for everybody, and tolerance, and all that gay stuff, but dude, fuck you.
Kyle: Seriously!
Kyle: Dude, you have sex with children!
NAMBLA Leader: We are human. Most of us didn't even choose to be attracted to young boys. We were born that way. We can't help the way we are, and if you all can't understand that, well, then, I guess you'll just have to put us away.
[Beat]
Kyle: Dude. You have sex with children!
Stan: Yeah. You know, we believe in equality for everybody, and tolerance, and all that gay stuff, but dude, fuck you.
Kyle: Seriously!
Wasp: Alright, you caught Wasp! But Wasp was good bot once, until Bumblebot ruined Wasp!
Bulkhead: No, Wasp! You were always mean to me and Bumblebee! You may not be a traitor, but you were never a good bot!
Bulkhead: No, Wasp! You were always mean to me and Bumblebee! You may not be a traitor, but you were never a good bot!
Real Life
"[imitating a whiny loser] Yeah, man! I didn't get that good job, you know why? And I didn't go to college! You know why?' [normal voice] Yes, I know why. Don't tell me again. And look, we all feel really bad that the Scoutmaster touched your butt at the Boy Scout jamboree. But what are you, like, thirty now? Here, let me flip this around for you. See? Now your past is behind you! Why don't you climb down off the cross, use the wood to build a bridge, and get over it?"
— Christopher Titus, Norman Rockwell is Bleeding
"You cannot continue to victimize someone else just because you yourself were a victim once - there has to be a limit."
— Edward Said
"We cannot have a world where everyone is a victim. "I'm this way because my father made me this way. I'm this way because my husband made me this way." Yes, we are indeed formed by traumas that happen to us. But then you must take charge, you must take over, you are responsible."
— Camille Paglia
"Psychic vampires are more often highly dependent people, unable to rejuvenate themselves emotionally and intellectually. This may be the result of a childhood in which parents gave too much: they did not learn emotional autonomy. The result is a profound lack of self-confidence. The fact remains that this is by no means an excuse to drain others!"
— Stéphane Clerget, "Le vampire psychique prive sa victime de toute énergie" (The psychic vampire deprives his victim of all energy) - L'Express Styles
- L'Express Styles"So, you think you're fucked up because you were born in a trailer park and you never saw your drunk dad, or your parents divorced, or you were bullied at school, or someone betrayed your trust or manipulated you as a kid? Maybe you were a standout sports star at school and now you're a washed-up has-been. Maybe you didn't flourish at school at all and that's why you don't pursue a life that requires some academic or intellectual application.
Really? Sure, your life might be off track, or, hell, even in the gutter right now, but your established truths you use to explain it just don't cut it in the cold light of day anymore. Not after what you've just read here. That truth doesn't own you.
In short, the jig is up. You do not self-sabotage because of mommy issues or daddy issues or trust issues or confidence issues or anything else. You don't even have issues! We did this before—you're not a category! This isn't about what was done to you or what has happened to you or where you are from or your genetic luck of the draw."
Really? Sure, your life might be off track, or, hell, even in the gutter right now, but your established truths you use to explain it just don't cut it in the cold light of day anymore. Not after what you've just read here. That truth doesn't own you.
In short, the jig is up. You do not self-sabotage because of mommy issues or daddy issues or trust issues or confidence issues or anything else. You don't even have issues! We did this before—you're not a category! This isn't about what was done to you or what has happened to you or where you are from or your genetic luck of the draw."
— Gary John Bishop, Stop Doing That Sh*t
"Your mental illness is not your fault, but it is your responsibility."
— Marcus Parks, The Last Podcast on the Left
"As great as my compassion for Robert Harris the child, I cannot excuse the choices made by Robert Harris the man."
— Pete Wilson, Governor of California denying clemency to Robert Alton Harris.
