--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He thought that in the history of the…" description: "\"He thought that in the history of the world it might even be that there was more punishment than crime but he took small comfort from it.\" — Cormac McC..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg" --- # He thought that in the history of the world it might even… ![“He thought that in the history of the world it might even be that there was more punishment than crime but he took small comfort from it.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg) > “He thought that in the history of the world it might even be that there was more punishment than crime but he took small comfort from it.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when evil seems prevalent, some find solace in the notion that punishment outweighs crime. **In simple terms:** Finding comfort in the idea that punishment exceeds crime. Key Takeaway Seek solace in moral balance. Themes morality comfort punishment Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - legal debates - ethical counseling Key Concepts existentialism justice hope Questions to Reflect On - What comforts you in moral dilemmas? - Is punishment truly more prevalent than crime? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on punishment can ignore rehabilitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-history/) ## Related quotes > [Disgrace does not consist in the punishment, but in the crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vittorio-alfieri/disgrace-does-not-consist-in-the-punishment-but-in-the-crime/) [Vittorio Alfieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vittorio-alfieri/) > [Your fate is to be yourself, both punishment and crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/your-fate-is-to-be-yourself-both-punishment-and-crime/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [To call it a crime against Mankind is to miss at least half its significance, it is also the punishment of a crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-manning/to-call-it-a-crime-against-mankind-is-to-miss-at-least-half-its/) [Frederic Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-manning/) > [The world was getting too small for comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paritoshik-sharma/the-world-was-getting-too-small-for-comfort/) [Paritoshik Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paritoshik-sharma/) > [I don't know much about death and the sorriest lesson I've learned is that words, my most trusted guardians against chaos, offer small comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hawthorne-deming/i-don-t-know-much-about-death-and-the-sorriest-lesson-i-ve-learned-is/) [Alison Hawthorne Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hawthorne-deming/) > [“...for he had learned from others of their kind that death seemed to bring small comfort from the worrisome sphere of life…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-barrett-jr/for-he-had-learned-from-others-of-their-kind-that-death-seemed-to/) Neal Barrett Jr > [Counsel in trouble gives small comfort when help is past remedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenocrates/counsel-in-trouble-gives-small-comfort-when-help-is-past-remedy/) [Xenocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xenocrates/) > [One man meets an infamous punishment for that crime which confers a diadem on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/one-man-meets-an-infamous-punishment-for-that-crime-which-confers-a/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [“He's bound to have done something ,” Nobby repeated. In this he was echoing the Patrician's view of crime and punishment. If there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-s-bound-to-have-done-something-nobby-repeated-in-this-he-was/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Punishment of any crime should be dangerous when someone thinked about crime his soul is vibrating remains punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/punishment-of-any-crime-should-be-dangerous-when-someone-thinked/) Mak\_786 > [ “Money interests fix the punishment for crime in this country \[...\] consequently there is no moral justice.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-anderson/money-interests-fix-the-punishment-for-crime-in-this-country/) [Edward Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-anderson/) > [Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-khamarov/poverty-is-like-punishment-for-a-crime-you-didn-t-commit/) [Eli Khamarov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-khamarov/) > [“Sometimes love can be both the punishment and the crime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/sometimes-love-can-be-both-the-punishment-and-the-crime/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [We are concerned here only with the imposition of capital punishment for the crime of murder, and when a life has been taken deliberately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-are-concerned-here-only-with-the-imposition-of-capital-punishment/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The nature of the criminal justice system has changed. It is no longer primarily concerned with the prevention and punishment of crime, but rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-nature-of-the-criminal-justice-system-has-changed-it-is-no-longer/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Comfort quotes > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I think that comfort is underrated in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/i-think-that-comfort-is-underrated-in-a-lot-of-ways/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) [Browse all 4,542 Comfort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He thought that in the history of the world it might even be that there was more punishment than crime but he took small comfort from it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-world-it-might-even-be-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comfort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-world-it-might-even-be-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a4/cormac-mccarthy-181_comfort_he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-wo_3113740.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He thought that in the history of the world it might even be that there was more punishment than crime but…” — Cormac McCarthy", "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": "Cormac McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He thought that in the history...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-world-it-might-even-be-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-thought-that-in-the-history-of-the-world-it-might-even-be-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 } } ] } ```