"When one person makes an accusation, check to be sure he himself is not the guilty one. Sometimes it is those whose case is weak who make the most clamour"
About this Quote
Accusation can be a mirror. The impulse to point away from oneself often hides a need to divert attention, to preempt scrutiny by casting suspicion elsewhere. The line warns against taking volume or vehemence as proof. Loudness is a tactic when evidence is thin; clamour can drown out the quiet discipline of verification. It invites a pause, a habit of checking whether the accuser has a stake in the narrative, a motive to obscure, or a fear of exposure.
Psychologists describe projection, the defense mechanism by which a person attributes to others the impulses they cannot accept in themselves. Public life offers constant examples: officials decrying corruption while skimming funds, moral crusaders hiding private vice, demagogues inflaming crowds to conceal their own failures. Shakespeare captured the same intuition with the line about protesting too much. History bears it out through witch hunts, red scares, and moral panics in which certainty and noise stand in for proof.
There is no call here to dismiss all accusers. Many speak up at great personal cost, especially when power imbalances make gentle speech unsafe. The point is epistemic, not cynical: separate evidence from theatrics, reasons from volume. Ask who benefits, what facts are offered, whether alternative explanations have been ruled out. The better the case, the less it relies on showmanship and indignation.
Piers Anthony, known for fantastical worlds laced with satire and moral puzzles, often pokes at appearances and the human capacity for self-deception. Across his work, characters wrestle with power and responsibility, and illusions fall away to reveal motive. The admonition aligns with that sensibility. It champions skepticism without cruelty, urging readers to protect the innocent not only from false accusations but also from those who wield accusation as a shield. Truth rarely needs to shout; it needs to be shown.
Psychologists describe projection, the defense mechanism by which a person attributes to others the impulses they cannot accept in themselves. Public life offers constant examples: officials decrying corruption while skimming funds, moral crusaders hiding private vice, demagogues inflaming crowds to conceal their own failures. Shakespeare captured the same intuition with the line about protesting too much. History bears it out through witch hunts, red scares, and moral panics in which certainty and noise stand in for proof.
There is no call here to dismiss all accusers. Many speak up at great personal cost, especially when power imbalances make gentle speech unsafe. The point is epistemic, not cynical: separate evidence from theatrics, reasons from volume. Ask who benefits, what facts are offered, whether alternative explanations have been ruled out. The better the case, the less it relies on showmanship and indignation.
Piers Anthony, known for fantastical worlds laced with satire and moral puzzles, often pokes at appearances and the human capacity for self-deception. Across his work, characters wrestle with power and responsibility, and illusions fall away to reveal motive. The admonition aligns with that sensibility. It champions skepticism without cruelty, urging readers to protect the innocent not only from false accusations but also from those who wield accusation as a shield. Truth rarely needs to shout; it needs to be shown.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|
More Quotes by Piers
Add to List
