--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a mistake in the system; perhaps…" description: "\"“It was a mistake in the system; perhaps it lay in the precept which until now he had held to be uncontestable, in whose name he had sacrificed others ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/arthur-koestler-1903_failure_it-was-a-mistake-in-the-system-perhaps-i_2410689.jpg" --- # It was a mistake in the system; perhaps it lay in the… ![“It was a mistake in the system; perhaps it lay in the precept which until now he had held to be uncontestable, in whose name he had sacrificed others and was himself being sacrificed: in the precept, that the end justifies the means. . . . Perhaps later, much later, the new movement would…” quote by Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/arthur-koestler-1903_failure_it-was-a-mistake-in-the-system-perhaps-i_2410689.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/arthur-koestler-1903_failure_it-was-a-mistake-in-the-system-perhaps-i_2410689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/arthur-koestler-1903_failure_it-was-a-mistake-in-the-system-perhaps-i_2410689.jpg) > ““It was a mistake in the system; perhaps it lay in the precept which until now he had held to be uncontestable, in whose name he had sacrificed others and was himself being sacrificed: in the precept, that the end justifies the means. . . . Perhaps later, much later, the new movement would arise—with new flags, a new spirit knowing of both: of economic fatality and the “oceanic sense.” Perhaps the members of the new party will wear monks’ cowls, and preach that only purity of means can justify the ends. Perhaps they will teach that the tenet is wrong which says that a man is the quotient of one million divided by one million, and will introduce a new kind of arithmetic based on multiplication: on the joining of a million individuals to form a new entity which, no longer an amorphous mass, will develop a consciousness and an individuality of its own, with an “oceanic feeling” increased a millionfold, in unlimited yet self-contained space. Rubashov broke off his pacing and listened. The sound of muffled drumming came down the corridor.”” [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques the belief that ends justify means and imagines a future where collective unity replaces individual sacrifice, emphasizing a shift from ruthless pragmatism to a more humane, communal ethic. **In simple terms:** Questioning the idea that goals legitimize any method and envisioning a new collective consciousness. Key Takeaway Rethink means, value collective humanity. Themes ethics politics collectivism philosophy humanism Mood reflective critical hopeful Type philosophical political literary When to use this quote - political activism - social movements - ethical decision making - community building - philosophical debate Key Concepts totalitarianism moral relativism collective identity consciousness expansion Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance collective goals with individual rights? - What safeguards prevent new movements from replicating old oppressions? A Different Perspective The ideal of pure means may be naïve when confronting entrenched power structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End Justifies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-justifies-296418/) [End Justifies The Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-justifies-the-means/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Individuality Oceanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality-oceanic-6068821/) [New Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-movement-272920/) [Precept End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precept-end-6068820/) [Sacrificed Precept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrificed-precept-5606896/) ## Related quotes > [“It was quiet in the cell. Rubashov heard only the creaking of his steps on the tiles. 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They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. 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The catastrophe consisted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/as-modern-physics-started-with-the-newtonian-revolution-so-modern/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [If one looks with a cold eye at the mess man has made of history, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/if-one-looks-with-a-cold-eye-at-the-mess-man-has-made-of-history-it/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The ultimate truth is penultimately always a falsehood. He who will be proved right in the end appears to be wrong and harmful before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-ultimate-truth-is-penultimately-always-a-falsehood-he-who-will-be/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... 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Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. 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Perhaps later, much later, the new movement would arise—with new flags, a new spirit knowing of both: of economic fatality and the “oceanic sense.” Perhaps the members of the new party will wear monks’ cowls, and preach that only purity of means can justify the ends. Perhaps they will teach that the tenet is wrong which says that a man is the quotient of one million divided by one million, and will introduce a new kind of arithmetic based on multiplication: on the joining of a million individuals to form a new entity which, no longer an amorphous mass, will develop a consciousness and an individuality of its own, with an “oceanic feeling” increased a millionfold, in unlimited yet self-contained space. Rubashov broke off his pacing and listened. 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