Strafe muss sein

Strafe muss sein is a German saying that means "punishment must be" (or "there has to be punishment").

This phrase, or proverb, roughly carries the same meaning as Spare the rod and spoil the child, but is used more often than the German equivalents Spare die Rute und verdirb das Kind or An der Rute sparen rächt sich noch nach Jahren.

The phrase refers to the necessity of punishment in general, not specifically to corporal punishment or spanking. This may be one of the reasons why it is still in common use. Strafe muss sein is typically said by a parent or other authority figure to explain to a child who has committed a serious offense why they have to be punished. The phrase implicitly expresses that the parent may not like to punish the child, but sees it as something they have to do.

The phrase is also used by children themselves, and by adults in other contexts.

See also

• This hurts me more than you

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