--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is my belief that the sentence \"The…" description: "\"“It is my belief that the sentence \"The end justifies the means\"—that suppression, repression, and/or murder become somehow acceptable if committed in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/anonymous-1_faith_it-is-my-belief-that-the-sentence-the-en_1387570.jpg" --- # It is my belief that the sentence "The end justifies the… ![“It is my belief that the sentence "The end justifies the means"—that suppression, repression, and/or murder become somehow acceptable if committed in the name of a "cause" or belief which reduces individuals to expendable pawns—is the vilest of human poisons, and that terrorism, regardless of the…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/anonymous-1_faith_it-is-my-belief-that-the-sentence-the-en_1387570.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/anonymous-1_faith_it-is-my-belief-that-the-sentence-the-en_1387570.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec9/anonymous-1_faith_it-is-my-belief-that-the-sentence-the-en_1387570.jpg) > ““It is my belief that the sentence "The end justifies the means"—that suppression, repression, and/or murder become somehow acceptable if committed in the name of a "cause" or belief which reduces individuals to expendable pawns—is the vilest of human poisons, and that terrorism, regardless of the terrorist's "cause," is the ultimate act of dehumanization. I did not expect that between the time I wrote this novel and the time it was published a United States citizen in Oklahoma City would demonstrate an even worse contempt for human life and the fundamental values of his own society or prove capable of an act even more despicable than my fictional villains. That some human beings are capable of such atrocities is an inescapable lesson of history. That we cannot allow those acts to go unpunished or extend to those who commit them any shred of respect, whatever the "cause" which motivated them, is a lesson the civilized human community must teach itself.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote condemns justifying immoral actions for a cause, labeling it a poisonous belief and warning against terrorism and dehumanization. **In simple terms:** Ends don’t justify means; such thinking is poisonous. Key Takeaway Reject harmful justifications, uphold human dignity. Themes ethics violence humanity justice Mood cautionary critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy making - education - community building - conflict resolution Key Concepts moral philosophy political extremism Questions to Reflect On - How can societies prevent cause‑driven violence? - What safeguards protect against dehumanizing rhetoric? A Different Perspective Complex issues may resist simple moral judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act Dehumanization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-dehumanization-4826472/) [Dehumanization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dehumanization/) [End Justifies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-justifies-296418/) [End Justifies The Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-justifies-the-means/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Justifies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justifies/) [Terrorist Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist-cause-905882/) ## Related quotes > [“The End Justifies the Means”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-morawski/the-end-justifies-the-means/) [Ed Morawski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-morawski/) > [The end justifies the means only when the means used are such as actually bring about the desired and desirable end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-end-justifies-the-means-only-when-the-means-used-are-such-as/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [To declare that in the administration of criminal law the end justifies the means to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/to-declare-that-in-the-administration-of-criminal-law-the-end/) [Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/) > [The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bernanos/the-first-sign-of-corruption-in-a-society-that-is-still-alive-is-that/) [Georges Bernanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bernanos/) > [The end justifies the means. But what if there never is an end? All we have is means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-end-justifies-the-means-but-what-if-there-never-is-an-end-all-we/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The end justifies the means. Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing to get the right result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-fitzek/the-end-justifies-the-means-sometimes-you-have-to-do-the-wrong-thing/) [Sebastian Fitzek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-fitzek/) > [“But don't they say that all is fair in love and war? I heard that somewhere." "'They?' Who are 'they?'" "I don't know. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/but-don-t-they-say-that-all-is-fair-in-love-and-war-i-heard-that/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [The principle that the end justifies the means is in individualist ethics regarded as the denial of all morals. In collectivist ethics it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-principle-that-the-end-justifies-the-means-is-in-individualist/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [You think the end justifies the means, however vile. I tell you: the end is the means by which you achieve it. Today's step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-think-the-end-justifies-the-means-however-vile-i-tell-you-the-end/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“The war is just when the intention that causes it to be undertaken is just. The will is therefore the principle element that must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kissinger/the-war-is-just-when-the-intention-that-causes-it-to-be-undertaken-is/) [Henry Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kissinger/) > [Too soon we breast the tape and too late we realize the fun lay in the running. We deny that the end justifies the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-kelly/too-soon-we-breast-the-tape-and-too-late-we-realize-the-fun-lay-in/) [Walt Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-kelly/) > [“the end justifies the means. But the end and the means are one. And if the means did not contribute to human happiness, neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-end-justifies-the-means-but-the-end-and-the-means-are-one-and-if/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Politics can be relatively fair in the breathing spaces of history; at its critical turning points there is no other rule possible than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/politics-can-be-relatively-fair-in-the-breathing-spaces-of-history-at/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [There are times when the end justifies the means. But when you build an argument based on a whole series of such times, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-allston/there-are-times-when-the-end-justifies-the-means-but-when-you-build/) [Aaron Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-allston/) > [Your policy should be a mixture between your interests and how you reach your ends, but based on values. It cannot be only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/your-policy-should-be-a-mixture-between-your-interests-and-how-you/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Dehumanization quotes > [ \[Christian rebellion\] arises from the doctrine of mankind made in the image of God, and therefore protests against all forms of dehumanization. It sets… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/christian-rebellion-arises-from-the-doctrine-of-mankind-made-in-the/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [“Nothing disrupts dehumanization more quickly than inviting someone over, looking into their eyes, hearing their voice, and listening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/nothing-disrupts-dehumanization-more-quickly-than-inviting-someone/) [Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/) > [I'm really interested in violence. And I think there's an inevitably cinematic property that violence brings to the moviegoing experience. But one still has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karyn-kusama/i-m-really-interested-in-violence-and-i-think-there-s-an-inevitably/) [Karyn Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karyn-kusama/) > [“During those times, they'd stand there watching me watching them. I'd pray, please. Put a pillow to my face. Clench a hand around my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/during-those-times-they-d-stand-there-watching-me-watching-them-i-d/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [“One of the reasons a survivor finds it so difficult to see herself as a victim is that she has been blamed repeatedly for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-langberg/one-of-the-reasons-a-survivor-finds-it-so-difficult-to-see-herself-as/) [Diane Langberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-langberg/) > [“It neither kills outright nor inflicts apparent physical harm, yet the extent of its destructive toll is already greater than that of any war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/it-neither-kills-outright-nor-inflicts-apparent-physical-harm-yet-the/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [“Soldier on guard says they've identified “someone on two legs a hundred metres from the outpost”. The other soldier, in the lookout, says “A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-dabbagh/soldier-on-guard-says-they-ve-identified-someone-on-two-legs-a/) [Selma Dabbagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-dabbagh/) > [“But on Kwajalein, the guards sought to deprive them of something that had sustained them even as all else had been lost: dignity. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/but-on-kwajalein-the-guards-sought-to-deprive-them-of-something-that/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [I would much rather be the obnoxious feminist girl than be complicit in my own dehumanization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/i-would-much-rather-be-the-obnoxious-feminist-girl-than-be-complicit/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [“You are no longer human, with all those depths and highs and nuances of emotion that define you as a person. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/you-are-no-longer-human-with-all-those-depths-and-highs-and-nuances/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [This self-respect and sense of self-worth, the innermost armament of the soul, lies at the heart of humanness; to be deprived of it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/this-self-respect-and-sense-of-self-worth-the-innermost-armament-of/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [“Our assignment of worth to others, our unconditional love of even those who would seem most unworthy of it, becomes our response to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cullinan/our-assignment-of-worth-to-others-our-unconditional-love-of-even/) [John Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cullinan/) > [Property damage is so much easier to live with than murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/property-damage-is-so-much-easier-to-live-with-than-murder/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“In the face of such terror and dehumanization, human passion itself was an act of defiance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/in-the-face-of-such-terror-and-dehumanization-human-passion-itself/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [A society permissive of rhetorical dehumanization is necessarily more vulnerable to actual dehumanization. Allow racial contempt to spread unchallenged, and racist violence will eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamelle-bouie/a-society-permissive-of-rhetorical-dehumanization-is-necessarily-more/) [Jamelle Bouie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamelle-bouie/) [Browse all 74 Dehumanization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dehumanization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is my belief that the sentence \"The end justifies the means\"—that suppression, repression, and/or murder become somehow acceptable if committed in the name of a \"cause\" or belief which reduces individuals to expendable pawns—is the vilest of human poisons, and that terrorism, regardless of the terrorist's \"cause,\" is the ultimate act of dehumanization. I did not expect that between the time I wrote this novel and the time it was published a United States citizen in Oklahoma City would demonstrate an even worse contempt for human life and the fundamental values of his own society or prove capable of an act even more despicable than my fictional villains. That some human beings are capable of such atrocities is an inescapable lesson of history. 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