What does "for principle" mean here? Just for the sake of it? Or because he deserves it?

Here it essentially means - to prove, or emphasize a point/argument. i.e. "I'm not stealing from you because I need your things. I'm stealing from you so that you learn to be more careful with your things". (As said above/below - it's also typically "on principle" or "as a matter of principle")

It should be "on principle", and the phrase just means he'd do it because you're doing such a bad job that it's basically required of him to make your life harder. Or I guess you could say "because of a deeply held belief." He thinks you should "smarten up", and he believes that so strongly that he would steal from you just to make the point clearer that you need to take his advice. Edit: To clarify, it's a shitty thing to say to someone. This guy is probably a jerk.

It's because they deserve it. OOP think whoever they're talking to deserves to get their stuff stolen because they don't guard it well enough. That's their principle, or moral, or ethical code. And OOP says they would nick whatever it is, not because they badly need the money, but to see that principle put into effect. e: I guess I should add, I don't necessarily agree with them.

It should say "on principle". If you do something on principle, it's because you strongly believe it is right, and just - fair. Not because you particularly care about it on a specific occasion. It's a *matter of principle.* For example, a restaurant should provide me with free water with my meal. I don't actually ever drink it. I don't actually need it. But if they don't bring it, I'll complain, on principle. I'm *entitled* to free water. Whether that's right or wrong is often a matter of opinion. A "Karen" demanding their free water might be described as "entitled", in the modern vernacular.

I usually hear it "on principle," but it seems to mean the same thing here. To do something "on principle" means to do it for the sake of your principles - your moral or ethical guidelines, the rules you live by. In this case, I'd say it means, "I would steal from you just because you have such a dumb attitude," or "I would steal from you just because you make it so easy to do." There's an underlying assumption that the speaker lives by some kind of principle that makes him value intelligence, honesty, being aware of and responsible for your own stuff, or something similar.

The phrase is usually "on principle" rather than "for principle." It's generally used to indicate something that you would do to prove a point, even if it's not part of your normal behavior. The "principle" (ie rule) that the commenter is referring to in this comment is that it's unwise to leave your belongings unattended in public where it can be easily stolen. On the surface level, the commenter is saying that they would steal the belongings of whomever they are responding to if they saw them unattended in public just to teach them the lesson that they shouldn't leave them unattended. From a personal perspective, when I see this kind of comment (not specifically the "on principle" part, but the tone of the entire post), I immediately suspect that the writer is an unpleasant person, and likely very manipulative.

It’s not really grammatically (or rather, idiomatically) correct: it should say “on principle” which means that your motivation is maintaining order and following the proper rules for something, even if the harm in the moment is actually negligible.

That should be on principle. It means they would do it just to prove a point.

I suspect this is a non-native speaker - “for principal” is not an idiomatic usage, and there are other problems in this screenshot.

I think "on principle" is far more common. My guess is that that formulation is specific to that person. But doing something "on principle" or "for the principle of the thing" means you aren't benefitting, you're making a point.

The proper way to put that is "on principle" A principle in this case means some code, belief system or something that the person follows. In this case they're saying they will steal from you because of some code they follow instead of the assumed reason someone would steal something which is to get the thing they're stealing it's also a semi-common joke in english which is "I would do this bad thing to (person, corporation, animal, whatever) on principle."

I think "to teach a lesson" is another valid interpretation. It's slightly different than "because you deserve it." But it's more of "I'm doing this to help you" than "I'm doing this because you were dumb enough to let me."

Are these the words to a song? Or a poem? Either way this is not natural English and sounds like it may be a translation, written by a person with poor command of the language or who is deliberately "dumbing down" the language for artistic effect. So when you read stuff like this you need to be aware of that. The writer probably means "on principle" or "as a matter of principle". If they do then they mean they will steal from them not because they want their stuff but because it would teach them a lesson. They would do it to prove their point or to emphasise the principle that people should look after their possessions.

“For principle,” in this context, is a really bad use of “for.” ON principle is correct. Most native English speakers struggle with correct preposition use, which is so weird.

As well as “for principle” being wrong, “been around the blocks” is wrong (should be block), and “many, many years” is unusual - it’s usually that you’ve been around the block many times that is noteworthy.

These are a combo platter malapropisms. ...And it's "ON principle"

It’s an error: he meant “on principle”.

In this case, they are saying that because they are a stupid piece of shit. And what is the valuable advice they are giving? To "smarten up"? Wow. "You deserve bad things to happen to you because you don't protect yourself." They sound just like Jesus /s.

In Standard English, it would be, “on principle.”

The more common version of this phrase is "on principle." [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20principle](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20principle) In essence, it refers to doing (or refusing to do) something based on one's moral or ethical beliefs regardless of any practical considerations. In context, the person writing seems to be saying they would steal from the other person just to teach them a lesson rather than to enrich themselves.

It should be "on principle".

It means the person who wrote it is trying to rationalize bad acts. It's a terrible thing to say. Like blaming a girl for being raped because 'she was asking for it'.

He misspoke. It should be "out of principle." You can see the same speaker botching English above as well (should be "around the block," not "blocks," and you don't combine this with an ongoing time frame). Typically, the phrase would mean "to be strict in your observation of some rule," like "I don't walk across a street on a red light out of principle." However, it doesn't really make sense in this context, probably because the speaker doesn't understand English very well as evidenced above. As a stretch, perhaps someone could use it like "for the sake of it" as you say or perhaps to teach someone a lesson, but in this particular situation it still doesn't really fit.

It's improper grammar. The phrase should be "on principle". The commenter is saying that they believe OP isn't careful enough with their things and because of that the commenter would steal from them as well

It's more typical to hear *"on* principle". It's a little tough to describe, but it basically means "for no personal reason, but just because I have a rule or principle about it." In this context specifically, it's because the speaker has a principle of taking advantage of people who are being willfully stupid/careless (implied is that he believes such people deserve such treatment).