Vengeance comes from the individual and punishment from God.
The injury therefore that we do to a man must be such that we need not fear his vengeance.[L’offesa che si fa all’uomo, deve essere in modo, che ella non tema la vendetta.]
Vengeance is a uniquely compelling motivation. Revenge trumps self-preservation.
There is no satisfaction in vengeance unless the offender has time to realise who it is that strikes him, and why retribution has come upon him.