---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We killed 6 innocent people, launching…"
description: "\"We killed 6 innocent people, launching 22, I think $3 million apiece missiles on Baghdad...that's a little bit overdoing it.\" — Bill Hicks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg"
---

#  We killed 6 innocent people, launching 22, I think $3…

![“We killed 6 innocent people, launching 22, I think $3 million apiece missiles on Baghdad...that's a little bit overdoing it.” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg)

> “We killed 6 innocent people, launching 22, I think $3 million apiece missiles on Baghdad...that's a little bit overdoing it.”

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He critiques excessive military force, highlighting moral absurdity of overkill in war.

**In simple terms:** Too much violence is immoral.

Key Takeaway

Question restraint in conflict.

Themes

war morality politics

Mood

critical satirical

Type

political commentary

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- humanitarian interventions
- media coverage

Key Concepts

military ethics proportionality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies balance security and humanity?
- What limits should be set on force?

A Different Perspective

Combat decisions often ignore civilian lives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apiece Missiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apiece-missiles-4426793/) [Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/) [Bits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bits/) [Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent/) [Innocent people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent-people/) [Killed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed/) [Killed Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed-innocent-645761/) [Launching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/launching/) [Little bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-bit/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Missiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missiles/) [Missiles Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missiles-baghdad-4426792/) [Overdoing it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overdoing-it/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [We killed an innocent girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/we-killed-an-innocent-girl/)

[Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/)

> [“They killed him because he was too innocent to live. He was young and ignorant and silly and he got involved. He had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/they-killed-him-because-he-was-too-innocent-to-live-he-was-young-and/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [“They killed him because he was too innocent to live. He was young and ignorant and silly and he got involved. He had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/they-killed-him-because-he-was-too-innocent-to-live-he-was-young-and-2/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [“Bekka treated her role has Frankenstein's bride more like an audition to be Brett's bride. Every part of her body had been colored bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisi-harrison/bekka-treated-her-role-has-frankenstein-s-bride-more-like-an-audition/)

[Lisi Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisi-harrison/)

> [I've noticed that nowadays I'm doing a lot of stuff on the phone and on the computer, which I usually wouldn't do earlier. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-ve-noticed-that-nowadays-i-m-doing-a-lot-of-stuff-on-the-phone-and/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [To err is human, but when the eraser wears out ahead of the pencil, you're overdoing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-jenkins/to-err-is-human-but-when-the-eraser-wears-out-ahead-of-the-pencil-you/)

[Josh Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-jenkins/)

> [Rule a kingdom as though you were cooking a small fish - don't overdo it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/rule-a-kingdom-as-though-you-were-cooking-a-small-fish-don-t-overdo-it/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [Well if I had my choice I would not - I wouldn't mind working with Alec Baldwin, but the mother role - I'm kidding.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/well-if-i-had-my-choice-i-would-not-i-wouldn-t-mind-working-with-alec/)

[Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/)

> [“Too much of a good thing is toxic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aysha-taryam/too-much-of-a-good-thing-is-toxic/)

[Aysha Taryam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aysha-taryam/)

> [“A good practice carried to an extreme and worked in accordance with the letter of the law becomes a positive evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-good-practice-carried-to-an-extreme-and-worked-in-accordance-with/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [One of the most influential women of the 20th century? Well, that may be overdoing it. When one thinks of really influential women, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-of-the-most-influential-women-of-the-20th-century-well-that-may/)

[William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/)

> [I wish I were better at straightforward description. I feel like I'm usually overdoing it or underdoing it, and it takes a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-grodstein/i-wish-i-were-better-at-straightforward-description-i-feel-like-i-m/)

[Lauren Grodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-grodstein/)

> [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [I'd like to see a more aggressive attitude on the part of the United States. That doesn't mean launching an immediate preventive war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/i-d-like-to-see-a-more-aggressive-attitude-on-the-part-of-the-united/)

[Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/)

> [I was haunted always by my other life-my drab room in the Bronx, my square foot of the subway, my fixation upon the day's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-was-haunted-always-by-my-other-life-my-drab-room-in-the-bronx-my/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

## More by Bill Hicks

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [not all drugs are good.. some of them are great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/not-all-drugs-are-good-some-of-them-are-great/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [If you don't think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CD's and burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/if-you-don-t-think-drugs-have-done-good-things-for-us-then-take-all/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [I don't do drugs anymore... than, say, the average touring funk band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-don-t-do-drugs-anymore-than-say-the-average-touring-funk-band/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [How many people disapprove of the job the Conservatives are doing? Seventy percent. Of those same people, how many will vote for them again?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/how-many-people-disapprove-of-the-job-the-conservatives-are-doing/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [BTW A 24 week old embryo is not a human being. You're not a human being until you're in my phone book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/btw-a-24-week-old-embryo-is-not-a-human-being-you-re-not-a-human/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Christianity has a built-in defense system: anything that questions a belief, no matter how logical the argument is, is the work of Satan by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/christianity-has-a-built-in-defense-system-anything-that-questions-a/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [I'm just trying to rid the world of all these fevered egos that are tainting our collective unconscious...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-m-just-trying-to-rid-the-world-of-all-these-fevered-egos-that-are/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [I was told when I grew up I could be anything I wanted: a fireman, a policeman, a doctor – even President, it seemed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-was-told-when-i-grew-up-i-could-be-anything-i-wanted-a-fireman-a/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Good comedy helps people know they're not alone. Great comedy provides an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/good-comedy-helps-people-know-they-re-not-alone-great-comedy-provides/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [People ask me what I think about that woman priest thing. What, a woman priest? Women priests. Great, great. Now there's priests of both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/people-ask-me-what-i-think-about-that-woman-priest-thing-what-a-woman/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Oh sorry, I was taking life seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/oh-sorry-i-was-taking-life-seriously/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [I can't watch TV longer than five minutes without praying for nuclear holocaust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-can-t-watch-tv-longer-than-five-minutes-without-praying-for-nuclear/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [I'm not really a heavy smoker any more. I only get through two lighters a day now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-m-not-really-a-heavy-smoker-any-more-i-only-get-through-two/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [You watch the news these days? It's unbelievable. You think you just walk out your door, you're immediately gonna be raped by some crack-addicted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/you-watch-the-news-these-days-it-s-unbelievable-you-think-you-just/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

[Explore all 317 Bill Hicks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

## More Baghdad quotes

> [“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-ardalan/i-know-a-feeling-like-that-only-comes-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-think/)

[Ahmad Ardalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-ardalan/)

> [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/)

[Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/)

> [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/)

[Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/)

> [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/what-is-at-stake-is-how-to-answer-the-potential-threat-iraq/)

[Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/)

> [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [The mission statement was ordered, and it sent the 800th MP Brigade, effective the first of July, up to Baghdad. I joined my brigade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-karpinski/the-mission-statement-was-ordered-and-it-sent-the-800th-mp-brigade/)

[Janis Karpinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-karpinski/)

> [The senior officer who met with reporters in Baghdad said there had been 21 car bombings in the capital in May, and 126 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/the-senior-officer-who-met-with-reporters-in-baghdad-said-there-had/)

[Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/)

> [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. They still think that the old central state is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-w-galbraith/there-are-people-who-haven-t-faced-the-reality-of-what-has-gone-on-in/)

[Peter W. Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-w-galbraith/)

> [If the U.N. secretary-general withdraws the inspectors from Baghdad ... this means that the secretary-general has abandoned its own responsibility in maintaining peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naji-sabri/if-the-u-n-secretary-general-withdraws-the-inspectors-from-baghdad/)

[Naji Sabri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naji-sabri/)

> [I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-say/)

[Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/)

> [They are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/they-are-going-to-surrender-or-be-burned-in-their-tanks-they-will/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [I firmly believed we should not march into Baghdad ...To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/i-firmly-believed-we-should-not-march-into-baghdad-to-occupy-iraq/)

[George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/)

> [We're giving them a real lesson today. Heavy doesn't accurately describe the level of casualties we have inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/we-re-giving-them-a-real-lesson-today-heavy-doesn-t-accurately/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [I think that we live in a remarkably networked world. The problem with that, of course, is that tensions can travel in nanoseconds across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-think-that-we-live-in-a-remarkably-networked-world-the-problem-with/)

[Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/)

[Browse all 191 Baghdad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We killed 6 innocent people, launching 22, I think $3 million apiece missiles on Baghdad...that's a little bit overdoing it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Hicks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22-i-think-3-million-apiece/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Baghdad"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22-i-think-3-million-apiece/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/bill-hicks-970_baghdad_we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22_525555.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We killed 6 innocent people, launching 22, I think $3 million apiece missiles on Baghdad...that's a little…” — Bill Hicks",
                "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": "Bill Hicks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We killed 6 innocent people, launching...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22-i-think-3-million-apiece/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/we-killed-6-innocent-people-launching-22-i-think-3-million-apiece/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
