Literary notes about deter (AI summary)
In literature, “deter” serves as a powerful marker of both external forces intended to prevent actions and the inner resolve that overcomes such hindrances. Authors use the term to depict characters who, undaunted by ominous warnings or adverse conditions, press on with their objectives—as when a figure is not dissuaded by daunting risks [1] or physical perils [2]. At the same time, “deter” is employed to illustrate how laws, social pressures, or the looming threat of punishment function to curb misdeeds and maintain order [3], [4], [5]. This multifaceted use enriches narratives by juxtaposing the intended effectiveness of deterrents with the human capacity for determination, thereby adding layers of tension and insight into both personal ambition and societal control.
- But this did not deter him from making, soon afterwards, a still greater effort within the precincts of the city itself.
— from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius - The most icy water could not deter him from swimming; he could twist and turn like a fish.
— from Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by H. C. Andersen - But the real dependence [Pg 160] of morality must always be upon its penal sanctions—its power to deter from evil.
— from The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill - “Does not your Eminence fear that the punishment inflicted upon Ravaillac may deter anyone who might entertain the idea of imitating him?”
— from The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - It thus announces itself as inevitable in every future case, and thus the law obtains the power to deter, in which its end really consists.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer
