Revenge

Aomame shook her head. "Even If I take your life here, that won't bring Ayumi back."

"No, but it would provide some degree of retaliation against the Little People. You could have your revenge, as it were. They don't want me to die yet. If I die now, it will open up vacuum- at least a temporary vacuum, until a successor comes into being. It would be a strike against them. At the same time, it would be a benefit to you."

"Someone once said that nothing costs more and yields less benefit than revenge," Aomame said.

"Winston Churchill. As I recall it, though, he was making excuses for the British Empire's budget deficits. It has no moral significance."

"Never mind about the morals. You are going to die in agony while some strange thing eats you up whether I raise a hand against you or not. I have no reason to sympathise with you for that. Even if the world were to lose all morals and go to pieces, it wouldn't be my fault."

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1Q84, H. Murakami

From the talk between Aomame and the Leader. Striking...