Revenge may be wicked, but it’s natural.

The line draws a sharp distinction between moral judgment and human impulse. Calling revenge “wicked” concedes its ethical and social destructiveness—its tendency to perpetuate harm rather than repair it. Yet labeling it “natural” acknowledges that the desire to retaliate is a common, almost instinctive response to injury or humiliation. The tension suggests a Thackerayan realism: people may recognize the wrongness of vengeance while still feeling its pull, especially in societies governed by pride, status, and perceived slights. The quote’s force lies in refusing sentimental denial of darker emotions, while implicitly inviting the harder task of mastering them rather than pretending they do not arise.