"If he who employs coercion against me could mould me to his purposes by argument, no doubt he would. He pretends to punish me because his argument is strong; but he really punishes me because his argument is weak"

This quote by William Godwin speaks to the power of persuasion and the use of browbeating. He recommends that if somebody had the power to encourage another person to do something through argument, they would not need to resort to punishment. He indicates that penalty is typically used as an alternative for an absence of convincing argument. This quote speaks with the idea that individuals ought to be able to make their own choices and not be pushed into something. It also suggests that people ought to be able to believe on their own and not be manipulated by others. Godwin's quote is a suggestion that coercion need to not be utilized as an alternative for persuasive argument. It is necessary to keep in mind that individuals need to be enabled to make their own decisions and not be pushed into something.