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Literary notes about leniency (AI summary)

Literary works employ leniency in a variety of ways, often using it as a lens to examine the balance between mercy and justice. It is sometimes portrayed as a calculated policy—where rulers or magistrates extend clemency despite personal or political dilemmas, as seen when financial intrigues or national sentiment influence decisions [1][2][3]. In other instances, leniency emerges within interpersonal relations, highlighting how compassion can mitigate harsh judgments, yet also be criticized as overly permissive, thereby stirring debate about fairness and accountability [4][5][6]. By exploring such contrasts, authors reveal leniency to be a multifaceted concept that encapsulates both the moral virtues and the potential pitfalls inherent in weighing severity against forgiveness [7][8].
  1. Charles’s leniency towards Ranelagh may be explained by His Majesty having received money without accounting for it publicly.
    — from Ireland under the Stuarts and During the Interregnum, Vol. 3 (of 3), 1660-1690 by Richard Bagwell
  2. In another ruler than Henry, the leniency which we attribute to astute policy would have been freely described as surprising magnanimity.
    — from England under the Tudors by Arthur D. (Arthur Donald) Innes
  3. The secretary of war had pronounced against any leniency toward what were dubbed glaring traitors.
    — from The Lincoln Story Book A Judicious Collection of the Best Stories and Anecdotes of the Great President, Many Appearing Here for the First Time in Book Form
  4. We must neither judge ourselves with too much leniency nor with too much severity.
    — from The Catholic World, Vol. 17, April, 1873 to September, 1873 A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science by Various
  5. And speaking for myself, I can assure you that I have come long ago to regard her faults with the same leniency that I accord my own.
    — from The Eagle's Shadow by James Branch Cabell
  6. You treated him with altogether too much leniency, Mr. Bryant."
    — from The Iron Furrow by George C. (George Clifford) Shedd
  7. This is a leniency, Sir, which I hope you will remember.’
    — from The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
  8. Gawhar, like his master, always disposed to a politic leniency, renewed his former promises, and granted a complete amnesty to all who submitted.
    — from The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 05 (From Charlemagne to Frederick Barbarossa)

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