Quote by Karl Menninger, The Crime of Pun

Before we can diminish our sufferings from the ill-controlled aggressive assaults of fellow citizens, we must renounce the philosophy of punishment, the obsolete, vengeful penal attitude. In its place we would seek a comprehensive, constructive social attitude - therapeutic in some instances, restraining in some instances, but preventive in its total social impact.In the last analysis this becomes a question of personal morals and values. No matter how glorified or how piously disguised, vengeance as a human motive must be personally repudiated by each and every one of us. This is the message of old religions and new psychiatries. Unless this message is heard, unless we ... can give up our delicious satisfactions in opportunities for vengeful retaliation on scapegoats, we cannot expect to preserve our peace, our public safety, or our mental health....But the punitive attitude persists. And just so long as the spirit of vengeance has the slightest vestige of respectability, so long as it pervades the public mind and infuses its evil upon the statute books of the law, we will make no headway toward the control of crime. We cannot assess the most appropriate and effective penalties so long as we seek to inflict retaliatory pain.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the need to reject the philosophy of punishment and the desire for vengeance in dealing with crimes and aggression from fellow citizens. It suggests that society should adopt a comprehensive and constructive approach that focuses on therapy and prevention rather than an eye for an eye mentality. The quote argues that personal morals and values should guide our actions, and unless we can let go of the desire for revenge and retaliation, we will not be able to achieve true peace, public safety, or mental well-being. It contends that as long as punishment and vengeance are justified, crime control efforts will be ineffective.