--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You've got to kill people, and when…" description: "\"You've got to kill people, and when you've killed enough they stop fighting.\" — Curtis LeMay" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/curtis-lemay-23330_enough_you-ve-got-to-kill-people-and-when-you-v_1987290.png" --- # You've got to kill people, and when you've killed enough… ![“You've got to kill people, and when you've killed enough they stop fighting.” quote by Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/curtis-lemay-23330_enough_you-ve-got-to-kill-people-and-when-you-v_1987290.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/curtis-lemay-23330_enough_you-ve-got-to-kill-people-and-when-you-v_1987290.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/curtis-lemay-23330_enough_you-ve-got-to-kill-people-and-when-you-v_1987290.png) > “You've got to kill people, and when you've killed enough they stop fighting.” [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence be a cycle; killing enough enemies eventually ends resistance, reflecting a ruthless strategic view. **In simple terms:** Killing ends fighting, according to a harsh logic. Key Takeaway Consider the moral cost of violent solutions. Themes war strategy morality Mood critical serious Type political military When to use this quote - conflict zones - policy decisions - historical analysis Key Concepts realpolitik military ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is killing ever justified to end war? - What alternatives exist to force? A Different Perspective Violence often breeds more violence, not peace. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Yes, you suck something awful. You’re gonna get yourself or someone else killed. Stop signs are there for a reason! 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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/) > [We went over there and fought the war and eventually burned down every town in North Korea anyway, someway or another, and some in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/we-went-over-there-and-fought-the-war-and-eventually-burned-down/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [If we maintain our faith in God, love of freedom, and superior global air power, the future looks good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/if-we-maintain-our-faith-in-god-love-of-freedom-and-superior-global/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [Native annalists may look sadly back from the future on that period when we had the atomic bomb and the Russians didn't. Or when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/native-annalists-may-look-sadly-back-from-the-future-on-that-period/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [My solution to the problem would be to tell the North Vietnamese Communists frankly that they've got to drawn in their horns and stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/my-solution-to-the-problem-would-be-to-tell-the-north-vietnamese/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [There are no innocent civilians, so it doesn't bother me so much to be killing innocent bystanders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-lemay/there-are-no-innocent-civilians-so-it-doesn-t-bother-me-so-much-to-be/) [Curtis LeMay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-lemay/) > [Today, shooting wars are won or lost before they start. 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