Fear is better than mercy. رهبوت خير من رحموت

That is, to fear is better than to show mercy. Al-Mubarrad said: My fear is better than my mercy, and similarly in speech are might and my might.

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 The closest English equivalent to this proverb is:

It is better to be feared than loved.

This is a famous saying attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli, meaning that awe and fear are sometimes more beneficial than excessive leniency.

Other related expressions include:

Fear keeps people in line.

Or:

Better feared than pitied.

All of these revolve around the meaning of the Arabic proverb, “Rahbut is better than Rahmut,” meaning that awe-inspiring severity may be more effective than leniency, which emboldens people against you.

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 أي لأن ترهب خير من أن ترحم، قال المبرد: رهبوتي خير من رحموتي، ومثله في الكلام جبروت وجبروتي