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Poetry · Chapter
CLXXXVIII explained
A brief admonition against allowing a woman to ask forgiveness, as it leads to self-justification through accusation.
What happens
A brief admonition against allowing a woman to ask forgiveness, as it leads to self-justification through accusation.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Self-Deception
The chapter warns that a request for forgiveness is a deceptive first step that leads to self-justification by blaming the other.
Key passages
“Do not permit a woman to ask forgiveness, for that is only the first step. The second is justification of herself by accusation of you.”
Never let a woman apologize, because it will inevitably lead to her defending herself by blaming you.
This cynical observation suggests that apologies are manipulative and lead to counter-accusation.