--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The men poured gasoline on them and…" description: "\"“The men poured gasoline on them and burned them alive, having no remedy for evil but only for the image of it as they conceived it to be.”\" — Cormac M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg" --- # The men poured gasoline on them and burned them alive… ![“The men poured gasoline on them and burned them alive, having no remedy for evil but only for the image of it as they conceived it to be.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg) > ““The men poured gasoline on them and burned them alive, having no remedy for evil but only for the image of it as they conceived it to be.”” [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. Violence is portrayed as a futile, image‑driven response to evil, highlighting humanity’s inability to address true malevolence. **In simple terms:** Violence fails to cure evil. Key Takeaway Seek deeper solutions beyond violent images. Themes violence evil humanity Mood dark grim Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - war - social injustice - personal conflict Key Concepts nihilism morality image vs reality Questions to Reflect On - What non‑violent alternatives exist? - How does imagery shape our perception of evil? A Different Perspective Violence may perpetuate the very evil it opposes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burned Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned-alive-2588638/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-image-1795002/) [Gasoline Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gasoline-burned-5146627/) [Poured Gasoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poured-gasoline-5146628/) ## Related quotes > [I struck my match, she poured out her gasoline. We burn now. All the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-struck-my-match-she-poured-out-her-gasoline-we-burn-now-all-the-time/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [“I sat back and looked at it. It was ugly, dark, uncontrolled. Like a monster's face. Or maybe what I saw there was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-sat-back-and-looked-at-it-it-was-ugly-dark-uncontrolled-like-a/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [The image my work invokes is the image of good - not evil; the image of order - not chaos; the image of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naum-gabo/the-image-my-work-invokes-is-the-image-of-good-not-evil-the-image-of/) [Naum Gabo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naum-gabo/) > [I wanted something that I could look back on and say, yes, you were fighting too, you burned to be alive, and whatever failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-powers/i-wanted-something-that-i-could-look-back-on-and-say-yes-you-were/) [Kevin Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-powers/) > [“I just saw someone get lit on fire, and you’re acting like it’s really not that big of a deal. 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To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) ## 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 Evil quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. 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On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) [Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The men poured gasoline on them and burned them alive, having no remedy for evil but only for the image of it as they conceived it to be.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burned-them-alive-having-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Evil" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burned-them-alive-having-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/179/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burn_2251921.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The men poured gasoline on them and burned them alive, having no remedy for evil but only for the image of…” — 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": "“The men poured gasoline on them...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burned-them-alive-having-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-men-poured-gasoline-on-them-and-burned-them-alive-having-no/#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 } } ] } ```