Damon Salvatore: 7 Mistakes and 7 Lessons

“If you're going to be bad, be bad with a purpose or else you're not worth forgiving.” — Damon Salvatore, The Vampire Diaries.

Damon Salvatore was one of the best characters of The Vampire Diaries. 
Damon, brother of Stefan Salvatore, the protagonist, was actually the show's first villain. Despite his villainous status, however, Damon is an incredibly likable character, and by the end of the series, he manages to achieve peace. 

Throughout the series, he made a lot of mistakes but there are a few things one can learn from him too.

7 Mistakes of Damon Salvatore: 

1. Damon Stole His Brother's Girlfriend

There was a complicated love triangle between Damon, Stefan, and Elena for the first six seasons of the show. At the beginning of Season 3, when Stefan leaves with Klaus Mikaelson, though Elena refused to stop looking for Stefan during a particularly vulnerable moment, she and Damon shared a kiss. 

2. Damon Killed Stefan's Best Friend

Lexi was a splendid character who was very liked but couldn't last long. She ended up being a victim of Damon's manipulations and got killed.

3. Damon Left Bonnie Without Saying Goodbye

Season 7 was tough for Damon. It wasn't just because of the Sirens, Elena had fallen into her coma, and would only wake up when Damon's best friend, Bonnie Bennett, died. Damon was fiercely protective of Bonnie, but he also missed Elena intensely.

He struggled to continue without her, and kept on making several mistakes. Despairing, Damon chose to lock himself away until Elena woke up, but this meant never seeing Bonnie again. Damon never dared to say goodbye to her face.

4. Damon Got Rid Of His Humanity

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Damon was no stranger to switching off his humanity. He did so when he was forced to leave Enzo behind to die in a fire, when being controlled by Sybil, and many other times. Every single time, however, Damon regretted his actions.

5. Damon Pushed Everyone Away

Whenever Damon endured a major set back, he would go on a vampire spree and deliberately hurt those who tried to help him. 

6. Damon Took His Anger Out On Other People

Damon is probably one of the best vampires in television history. He was suave, funny and unbelievably charming (when he wanted to be). However, he also had a dark side. It is seen many a times in the show that he took his anger out on other people.

7. Damon Always Acted Rashly

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Damon was not the most impatient person ever and usually adopted an act first, think later policy.

If someone had hurt him, he would lash out without thinking. Similarly, if someone had gotten on his bad side, he would try to unleash all manner of hell before calming down.

7 Lessons from Damon Salvatore: 

1. To Love Passionately 

Love like it’s all you’ve got. The all-consuming, larger-than-life love. Damon shows you to believe in love.

2. That it is Okay to Lose It Once In A While 

It is fine to snap once every now and then. While it is not very advisable to lie on the road, in the middle of nowhere, pretending to be dead and then going straight for the neck and sucking the life out of an innocent person just because you are going through a bad break up, but it is alright to vent. 

3. To Be Your Own Person 

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Many people see Damon as an arrogant man who doesn’t care about anyone. Well, he simply cares about things and people in his life but doesn’t necessarily rub it in your face until you suffocate or try to act noble and self-righteous. He is what he is and he doesn’t care what the world thinks of him. Damon teaches us to be what we truly are – not someone else’s idea of you. 

4. To shut It Off

Pain, anguish, heartbreak, anger, hatred or any other emotion that you would want to do away with, you shut it out. To not give a damn, be selfish and save yourself from the mental torment, diminishing the distress within. 

5. To Be Weak and Vulnerable but Never Show It 

Sometimes walls are important, indispensable too. They keep you from getting hurt. 

6. To Do the Eye Thing 

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Oh! how girls love the ‘eye-thing’. Every Damon fangirl knows what effect those beautiful eyes have on them. Pure havoc. The brooding thing, the smoldering look that he’s got going on 24/7, the flirty stare, the I’m Being Naughty look, the Intense Gaze that has us all swooning and ogling the TV screen. Lesson Learnt: If you’ve got pretty eyes that sparkle, then use them to your benefit. 

7. To Do Anything Possible to Protect the Ones You Love 

Damon teaches us to do whatever it takes to ensure safety of the people in your life that you couldn't live without. Even if it means killing yourself to bring your brother back, enduring the harshest of punishments, or going through unfathomable pain.

Written by - Anusha Vajha

Edited by - Adrija Saha