Punishment

"An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty.
It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and
to misapply even the best of laws.
He that would make his own liberty secure
must guard even his enemy from oppression;
for if he violates his duty
he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."
-- Thomas Paine
(1737-1809)
Source: Dissertation on First Principles of Government, 7 July 1795