The phrase "an eye for an eye" originates from the ancient principle of lex talionis, or the law of exact retaliation, which means that a person who injures another should be penalized in a similar way. The earliest known written use of this principle is found in the Code of Hammurabi, created by the Babylonian king Hammurabi around 1792–1750 BCE. It also appears in various religious texts, including the Hebrew Bible (Book of Exodus 21:23–27) and Islamic law. The phrase was originally meant to limit the extent of retribution to be equal to the original injury, rather than encourage excessive punishment. Mahatma Gandhi famously reinterpreted this phrase with his quote, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind," advocating for nonviolence and peaceful resistance instead of retaliation. In summary, while the phrase "an eye for an eye" originated as a legal principle in ancient Babylonian law codified by Hammurabi, it has been referenced and reinterpreted by many cultures and figures, including the Bible and Gandhi's nonviolent philosophy.