Mma Ramotswe was right: evil repaid with retribution, with punishment, had achieved half its goal; evil repaid with kindness was shown to be what it really was, a small, petty thing, not something frightening at all, but something pitiable, a paltry affair.
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
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Mma Ramotswe's insight reveals a profound understanding of the nature of evil and how it can be confronted. When evil is met with retribution and punishment, it often retains its power and influence, achieving its goal of instilling fear and harm. This cycle of vengeance perpetuates negativity and suffering, making evil seem formidable and significant.

However, when faced with kindness, evil is stripped of its power, revealing its true nature as something weak and miserable. Kindness acts as a catalyst for dismantling the facade of strength that evil tries to project, illuminating its pettiness and triviality. In this view, responding to evil with compassion can expose its limitations, allowing individuals to rise above and diminish its impact.

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The Miracle at Speedy...
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Other quotes in The Miracle at Speedy Motors

Sometimes it seemed as if the world itself was broken, that there was something wrong with all of us, something broken in such a way that it might not be put together again; but the holding of hands, human hand in human hand, could help, could make the world seem less broken.
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
Sometimes it seemed as if the world itself was broken, that there was something wrong with all of us, something broken in such a way that it might not be put together again; but the holding of hands, human hand in human hand, could help, could make the world seem less broken.
She would have wished for the suffering of Africa to be relieved, to be legislated out of existence, but it seemed that this would never be, for fundamental unfairness seemed to be a condition of human life. There were rice, there were poor; and whilst one might rail against the injustices which kept people poor, it seemed that these were stubborn to the point of entrenchment. And in the meantime, whilst waiting for justice, or just for a chance, what could one say to the poor, who had only one life, one brief spell of time, and were spending their short moment of life in hardship?
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
She would have wished for the suffering of Africa to be relieved, to be legislated out of existence, but it seemed that this would never be, for fundamental unfairness seemed to be a condition of human life. There were rice, there were poor; and whilst one might rail against the injustices which kept people poor, it seemed that these were stubborn to the point of entrenchment. And in the meantime, whilst waiting for justice, or just for a chance, what could one say to the poor, who had only one life, one brief spell of time, and were spending their short moment of life in hardship?
...and although she'd glibly remarked that you couldn't stand still, was this actually true or was it a hollow axiom as false and misleading as any other trite saying? Why should one not stand still? If the position in which one found oneself standing was a satisfactory and comfortable one? She felt no need, no need at all to move on from being Mma Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, wife that great mechanic, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni.
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
...and although she'd glibly remarked that you couldn't stand still, was this actually true or was it a hollow axiom as false and misleading as any other trite saying? Why should one not stand still? If the position in which one found oneself standing was a satisfactory and comfortable one? She felt no need, no need at all to move on from being Mma Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, wife that great mechanic, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni.
Her engagement? That is a long story. He laughed
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
Her engagement? That is a long story. He laughed
Small ones too, Mma Sometimes big problems are really tiny ones when you look at them in the right way.
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
Small ones too, Mma Sometimes big problems are really tiny ones when you look at them in the right way.
It is not at all foolish to hope for miracles
Alexander McCall Smith The Miracle at Speedy...
It is not at all foolish to hope for miracles
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Relationships and marriages are hard enough, but you add war into the mix and small fissures become gaping wounds. No one sees what you're seeing - again that clear-eyed, unbiased thing - except your fellow soldiers. It's like one of those movies where only the hero can see the ghosts and everyone else thinks the hero is crazy.
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Relationships and marriages are hard enough, but you add war into the mix and small fissures become gaping wounds. No one sees what you're seeing - again that clear-eyed, unbiased thing - except your fellow soldiers. It's like one of those movies where only the hero can see the ghosts and everyone else thinks the hero is crazy.
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Sociologists have a theory of the looking - glass self. You become what the most important person in your life {wife, father, boss, etc.} thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?
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Sociologists have a theory of the looking - glass self. You become what the most important person in your life {wife, father, boss, etc.} thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible's astounding words about God's love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?
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