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He who fights with monsters should look to it that he does not become one

Meaning: In struggling against evil, we risk adopting the very characteristics we oppose.

Origin: Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (1886), Aphorism 146.

Translations

  • French: Celui qui lutte contre des monstres doit veiller à ne pas devenir l'un d'eux (literally: He who fights monsters must take care not to become one)
  • Spanish: Quien lucha contra monstruos debe cuidar no convertirse en uno (literally: He who fights monsters should see that he doesn't become one)
  • Japanese: 怪物と戦う者は自分が怪物にならないよう気をつけよ (Kaibutsu to tatakau mono wa jibun ga kaibutsu ni naranai yō ki wo tsukereyo) (literally: He who fights monsters should take care not to become one)

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