--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What will be left of the power of example…" description: "\"What will be left of the power of example if it is proved that capital punishment has another power, and a very real one, which degrades men to the poi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg" --- # What will be left of the power of example if it is proved… ![“What will be left of the power of example if it is proved that capital punishment has another power, and a very real one, which degrades men to the point of shame, madness, and murder?” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg) > “What will be left of the power of example if it is proved that capital punishment has another power, and a very real one, which degrades men to the point of shame, madness, and murder?” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capital punishment’s power to degrade humanity raises moral questions about justice and societal values. **In simple terms:** Execution degrades society. Key Takeaway Question the ethics of capital punishment. Themes justice human dignity morality Mood philosophical critical Type ethical social commentary When to use this quote - legal reform - human rights advocacy - public debate Key Concepts state violence ethical philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives exist to capital punishment? - How does punishment reflect societal values? A Different Perspective Societal condemnation may overlook systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capital punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/) [Death penalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-penalty/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Penalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penalty/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think we've got the concept in the West that male desire degrades men. Or that if men become sexually active, they become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/i-don-t-think-we-ve-got-the-concept-in-the-west-that-male-desire/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“…I know that if I were mad, after several days of confinement I should take advantage of any lapses in my madness to murder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/i-know-that-if-i-were-mad-after-several-days-of-confinement-i-should/) [André Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [The argument that capital punishment degrades the state is moonshine, for if that were true then it would degrade the state to send men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-argument-that-capital-punishment-degrades-the-state-is-moonshine/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/capital-punishment-is-the-most-premeditated-of-murders/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“But what then is capital punishment but the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated it may be, can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/but-what-then-is-capital-punishment-but-the-most-premeditated-of/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders, to which no criminal's deed, however calculated can be compared. For there to be an equivalency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/capital-punishment-is-the-most-premeditated-of-murders-to-which-no/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“And she looked upon the mirror that was given as a gift. She hated everything about it, from the circular size of it, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/and-she-looked-upon-the-mirror-that-was-given-as-a-gift-she-hated/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [You degrade us and then ask why we are degraded. You shut our mouths and ask why we don't speak. You close your colleges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/you-degrade-us-and-then-ask-why-we-are-degraded-you-shut-our-mouths/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [... one pets what one degrades; and one has to support what one has enfeebled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/one-pets-what-one-degrades-and-one-has-to-support-what-one-has/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [Psychoanalysis is a technique we practice at our cost; psychoanalysis degrades our risks, our dangers, our depths; it strips us of our impurities, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/psychoanalysis-is-a-technique-we-practice-at-our-cost-psychoanalysis/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [For God to be kept out of the classroom or out of America's public debate by nervous school administrators or overcautious politicians serves no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/for-god-to-be-kept-out-of-the-classroom-or-out-of-america-s-public/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Any time you can degrade or take away the top leadership of an organization, it's a positive step forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/any-time-you-can-degrade-or-take-away-the-top-leadership-of-an/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [What more degrades woman today than that she so often seeks marriage as a support? Why is the holy sacrament of love, the sanctity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-c-ames/what-more-degrades-woman-today-than-that-she-so-often-seeks-marriage/) [Mary C. Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-c-ames/) > [So far as discipline is concerned, freedom means not its absence but the use of higher and more rational forms as contrasted with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/so-far-as-discipline-is-concerned-freedom-means-not-its-absence-but/) [Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/) > [Money degrades all the gods of man and converts them into commodities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/money-degrades-all-the-gods-of-man-and-converts-them-into-commodities/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Capital punishment quotes > [“The next time believers tell you that 'separation of church and state' does not appear in our founding document, tell them to stop using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barker/the-next-time-believers-tell-you-that-separation-of-church-and-state/) [Dan Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barker/) > [“The very mention of crucifixion was taboo in polite Roman circles, since it was the lowest form of capital punishment, reserved for slaves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/the-very-mention-of-crucifixion-was-taboo-in-polite-roman-circles/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/it-is-better-and-more-satisfactory-to-acquit-a-thousand-guilty/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [Let us leave the EEC, abolish human rights laws, take TV sets, pool tables and phones out of prisons, bring back corporal and capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bates/let-us-leave-the-eec-abolish-human-rights-laws-take-tv-sets-pool/) [Ken Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bates/) > [ The law which attempts a man's life \[capital punishment\] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/the-law-which-attempts-a-man-s-life-capital-punishment-is-impractical/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. Which executioner is more humane? The one who kills you in a few minutes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/capital-punishment-kills-immediately-whereas-lifetime-imprisonment/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/to-take-a-life-when-a-life-has-been-lost-is-revenge-not-justice/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Capital punishment...treats members of the human race...as objects to be toyed with and discarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/capital-punishment-treats-members-of-the-human-race-as-objects-to-be/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [But now inquiry is being made concerning these issues. First, can any believer enlist in the military? Second, can any soldier, even those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/but-now-inquiry-is-being-made-concerning-these-issues-first-can-any/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Capital punishment would be more effective as a preventive measure if it were administered prior to the crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/capital-punishment-would-be-more-effective-as-a-preventive-measure-if/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [ “\[T\]here are some human rights that are so deep that we can't negotiate them away. I mean people do heinous, terrible things. But there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-helen-prejean/t-here-are-some-human-rights-that-are-so-deep-that-we-can-t-negotiate/) Sister Helen Prejean > [I favor capital punishment. It saves lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-reagan/i-favor-capital-punishment-it-saves-lives/) [Nancy Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-reagan/) > [It is significant that, as innocent babies are killed, and capital punishment is withheld from their murderers, the same men who plead for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-rushdoony/it-is-significant-that-as-innocent-babies-are-killed-and-capital/) [R.J. Rushdoony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-rushdoony/) > [I don't know if the question is whether you believe in capital punishment anymore. I think the greater question is its effectiveness and given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tani-cantil-sakauye/i-don-t-know-if-the-question-is-whether-you-believe-in-capital/) Tani Cantil-Sakauye > [“Zwingli's introduction of capital punishment for those who differed from him on points of doctrine..." p179”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-h-broadbent-the-pilgrim-church/zwingli-s-introduction-of-capital-punishment-for-those-who-differed/) [E.H. Broadbent- The Pilgrim Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-h-broadbent-the-pilgrim-church/) [Browse all 209 Capital punishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What will be left of the power of example if it is proved that capital punishment has another power, and a very real one, which degrades men to the point of shame, madness, and murder?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Albert Camus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-example-if-it-is-proved-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capital punishment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-example-if-it-is-proved-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39d/albert-camus-47_capital-punishment_what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-exampl_2625218.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What will be left of the power of example if it is proved that capital punishment has another power, and a…” — Albert Camus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Albert Camus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What will be left of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-example-if-it-is-proved-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/what-will-be-left-of-the-power-of-example-if-it-is-proved-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```