--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel…" description: "\"It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual punishments may - may mean with regard to future things, such as death by injection or the electr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png" --- # It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual… ![“It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual punishments may - may mean with regard to future things, such as death by injection or the electric chair, it's clear that - that the death penalty, in and of itself, is not considered cruel and unusual punishment.” quote by Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png) > “It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual punishments may - may mean with regard to future things, such as death by injection or the electric chair, it's clear that - that the death penalty, in and of itself, is not considered cruel and unusual punishment.” [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The death penalty itself is not deemed cruel and unusual, even if execution methods may be. **In simple terms:** Death penalty isn’t inherently cruel. Key Takeaway Recognize legal distinctions in punishment. Themes law ethics capital punishment Mood serious reflective Type legal analytical When to use this quote - court cases - legislative debates - public policy discussions Key Concepts Constitutional law cruel and unusual punishment judicial interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How should modern execution methods be evaluated? - Can legal definitions keep pace with moral shifts? A Different Perspective The definition of “cruel and unusual” can evolve with societal standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clear Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear-cruel-2370508/) [Considered Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considered-cruel-924490/) [Cruel and unusual punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-and-unusual-punishment/) [Cruel Unusual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-unusual-1554008/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death penalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-penalty/) [Electric chair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electric-chair/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Unusual Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unusual-punishment-1263110/) [Unusual Punishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unusual-punishments-2370507/) ## Related quotes > [“The Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment,” I told him when he stepped down from the podium. “What?” he innocently asked. “Getting you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/the-constitution-bans-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-i-told-him-when-he/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [Back in pre-Revolutionary America cruel and unusual punishment meant the rack and burning at the stake... in more recent rulings it has been taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/back-in-pre-revolutionary-america-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-meant/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“He had done regular live concerts from San Quentin jail until the civil rights people got him under the Cruel and Unusual Punishment clause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-had-done-regular-live-concerts-from-san-quentin-jail-until-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [By requiring that an execution be relatively painless, we necessarily protect the inmate from enduring any punishment that is comparable to the suffering inflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/by-requiring-that-an-execution-be-relatively-painless-we-necessarily/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [Ill-considered but well-intentioned actions do more good that actions that are well-considered but cruel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lukyanenko/ill-considered-but-well-intentioned-actions-do-more-good-that-actions/) [Sergei Lukyanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lukyanenko/) > [Society's mores have changed, and what used to be thought not to be cruel and unusual now is thought to be cruel and unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/society-s-mores-have-changed-and-what-used-to-be-thought-not-to-be/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [I do accept that, with - with respect to those vague terms in the Constitution such as equal protection of the laws, due process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-do-accept-that-with-with-respect-to-those-vague-terms-in-the/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [“And finally, your punishment WILL be cruel and unusual (no TV or IPad for a week, etc…)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ziegler/and-finally-your-punishment-will-be-cruel-and-unusual-no-tv-or-ipad/) [Jon Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ziegler/) > [I am dying a thousand cruel and unusual deaths as fifty pairs of eyes take me in, size me up like something that should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-am-dying-a-thousand-cruel-and-unusual-deaths-as-fifty-pairs-of-eyes/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [Capital punishment is neither cruel nor unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/capital-punishment-is-neither-cruel-nor-unusual/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink-2/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution protects citizens against cruel and unusual punishment. And there is a growing body of legal precedent that shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-robinson/the-eighth-amendment-to-the-constitution-protects-citizens-against/) [Allyson Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-robinson/) > [By creating false environment of a war on drugs, and cruel and unusual punishment with these crimes, 50% of our U.S. population is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/by-creating-false-environment-of-a-war-on-drugs-and-cruel-and-unusual/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) ## More by Antonin Scalia > [What is a moderate interpretation of the text? Halfway between what it really means and what you'd like it to mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/what-is-a-moderate-interpretation-of-the-text-halfway-between-what-it/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [If you think aficionados of a living Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. You think the death penalty is a good idea?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/if-you-think-aficionados-of-a-living-constitution-want-to-bring-you/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [More importantly, the Court forgets that ours is a government of laws and not of men. That means we are governed by the terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/more-importantly-the-court-forgets-that-ours-is-a-government-of-laws/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Wringing your hands about states' rights, forget it. They're gone. Basically, the federal government can do whatever it wants. Who's going to protect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/wringing-your-hands-about-states-rights-forget-it-they-re-gone/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [If you condemn someone who has committed a crime to be tortured, that would be unconstitutional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/if-you-condemn-someone-who-has-committed-a-crime-to-be-tortured-that/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Burning the flag is a form of expression. Speech doesn't just mean written words or oral words. It could be semaphore. And burning a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/burning-the-flag-is-a-form-of-expression-speech-doesn-t-just-mean/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Being a good person begins with being a wise person. Then, when you follow your conscience, will you be headed in the right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/being-a-good-person-begins-with-being-a-wise-person-then-when-you/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [The court's job is to uphold the Constitution and you don't call that off in times of crisis. Would the framers have allowed this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/the-court-s-job-is-to-uphold-the-constitution-and-you-don-t-call-that/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [We have laws against torture. The Constitution says nothing whatever about torture. It speaks of punishment; 'cruel and unusual' punishments are forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/we-have-laws-against-torture-the-constitution-says-nothing-whatever/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/if-i-have-brought-any-message-today-it-is-this-have-the-courage-to/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Many think it not only inevitable but entirely proper that liberty give way to security in times of national crisis--that, at the extremes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/many-think-it-not-only-inevitable-but-entirely-proper-that-liberty/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [That's the argument of flexibility and it goes something like this: The Constitution is over 200 years old and societies change. It has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/that-s-the-argument-of-flexibility-and-it-goes-something-like-this/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [Why in the world would you have it interpreted by nine lawyers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/why-in-the-world-would-you-have-it-interpreted-by-nine-lawyers/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [ Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality \[whatever that means\] were freedoms? And if intimacy is, one would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/who-ever-thought-that-intimacy-and-spirituality-whatever-that-means/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [I'm nervous about our civic culture. I'm not sure the Internet is largely the cause of it. It's certainly the cause of careless writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-m-nervous-about-our-civic-culture-i-m-not-sure-the-internet-is/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) [Explore all 146 Antonin Scalia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) ## More Cruel and unusual punishment quotes > [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [By creating false environment of a war on drugs, and cruel and unusual punishment with these crimes, 50% of our U.S. population is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-stone/by-creating-false-environment-of-a-war-on-drugs-and-cruel-and-unusual/) [Oliver Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-stone/) > [The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution protects citizens against cruel and unusual punishment. And there is a growing body of legal precedent that shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-robinson/the-eighth-amendment-to-the-constitution-protects-citizens-against/) [Allyson Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-robinson/) > [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink-2/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The Constitution has to be interpreted loosely, otherwise it becomes a straitjacket. You can't interpret it literally. You can pretend to, and go digging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-posner/the-constitution-has-to-be-interpreted-loosely-otherwise-it-becomes-a/) [Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-posner/) > [I do accept that, with - with respect to those vague terms in the Constitution such as equal protection of the laws, due process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-do-accept-that-with-with-respect-to-those-vague-terms-in-the/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [“I promised her we’d be quick, and Ben and I slipped away, just in time to hear Senator Blaine clear his throat and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/i-promised-her-we-d-be-quick-and-ben-and-i-slipped-away-just-in-time/) [Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/) > [“This felt like being stalked as prey, and he hated that his relationship with Dagger was being exploited for the entertainment of total strangers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-lister/this-felt-like-being-stalked-as-prey-and-he-hated-that-his/) [Ann Lister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-lister/) > [In Western Europe and North America some things are better than they were - at least relative to their moral nadirs - such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/in-western-europe-and-north-america-some-things-are-better-than-they/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [By requiring that an execution be relatively painless, we necessarily protect the inmate from enduring any punishment that is comparable to the suffering inflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/by-requiring-that-an-execution-be-relatively-painless-we-necessarily/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [“I once visited a place where they killed people by putting them in a chair. Not torture — that was common enough; beds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/i-once-visited-a-place-where-they-killed-people-by-putting-them-in-a/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [I’d forgotten to keep blasting a song in my mind. I remedied my mistake, but the lyrics to “Do You Really Want to Hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-d-forgotten-to-keep-blasting-a-song-in-my-mind-i-remedied-my/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“There’s the claim that the only progress made is in posing problems that scientists can answer. That philosophy never has the means to answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-newberger-goldstein/there-s-the-claim-that-the-only-progress-made-is-in-posing-problems/) [Rebecca Newberger Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-newberger-goldstein/) > [“The Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment,” I told him when he stepped down from the podium. “What?” he innocently asked. “Getting you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/the-constitution-bans-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-i-told-him-when-he/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [“He had done regular live concerts from San Quentin jail until the civil rights people got him under the Cruel and Unusual Punishment clause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-had-done-regular-live-concerts-from-san-quentin-jail-until-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 21 Cruel and unusual punishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-and-unusual-punishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual punishments may - may mean with regard to future things, such as death by injection or the electric chair, it's clear that - that the death penalty, in and of itself, is not considered cruel and unusual punishment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Antonin Scalia" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-cruel-and-unusual-punishments-may/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel and unusual punishment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-cruel-and-unusual-punishments-may/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b2/antonin-scalia-2855_cruel-and-unusual-pu_it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-crue_2653679.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual punishments may - may mean with regard to future…” — Antonin Scalia", "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": "Antonin Scalia", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-cruel-and-unusual-punishments-may/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-cruel-and-unusual-punishments-may/#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 } } ] } ```