"How many condemnations I have witnessed more criminal than the crime!"

Michel de Montaigne’s observation that condemnations can exceed the original crime in severity reflects a profound skepticism toward the systems by which society delivers judgment and assigns punishment. He suggests that, in the course of administering justice or meting out social censure, individuals and institutions may become overzealous, reacting out of fear, anger, resentment, or a misplaced sense of moral rectitude. In doing so, they can inflict consequences on the accused that are disproportionate to the offense, sometimes so much so that the act of condemnation morphs into a greater injustice than the deed being punished.

This thought reveals Montaigne’s deep distrust of the self-righteousness that can animate both legal systems and popular opinion. He implies that the process of condemning frequently turns into an act of violence, a social or psychological harm, that leaves more scars than the original wrongdoing. It highlights a human tendency to self-aggrandize as moral arbiters, equating harshness with virtue. In the name of righteousness or order, people may justify excessive cruelty, public shaming, or ostracism, failing to recognize their own actions as potentially more harmful than the misdeeds they decry.

The statement also alludes to the dangers of hypocrisy: societies often blind themselves to their own failings while harshly judging others. The administering of punishment becomes a spectacle or exercise in emotional catharsis, satisfying collective outrage more than it serves fairness or justice. Such imbalances, Montaigne suggests, should prompt humility and caution, urging a recognition that justice perverted by excessive condemnation is itself a kind of crime, one that damages both individuals and the moral credibility of communities.

Ultimately, Montaigne challenges us to consider the ethics of judgment, reminding us that to punish too severely is not only ineffective but can perpetuate cycles of harm, undermining the very ideals we claim to uphold.