--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The blacklist was a time of evil...no one…" description: "\"The blacklist was a time of evil...no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil...[Looking] back on this time...it will do no g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg" --- # The blacklist was a time of evil...no one on either side… ![“The blacklist was a time of evil...no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil...[Looking] back on this time...it will do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were only victims.” quote by Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg) > “The blacklist was a time of evil...no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil...\[Looking\] back on this time...it will do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were only victims.” [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that labeling people as villains or heroes during the blacklist era is futile; everyone was a victim of the system. **In simple terms:** All involved suffered; no clear heroes or villains. Key Takeaway Recognize the complexity of moral judgment in oppressive times. Themes history morality political oppression Mood somber thoughtful Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - students of history - activists - policy makers Key Concepts victimhood ethical ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - Can we ever fully escape the influence of oppressive systems? - What responsibilities do survivors have? A Different Perspective The statement may overlook individual agency and responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blacklist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacklist/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-back/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [Villain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/villain/) ## Related quotes > [“American foreign policy was a mirror image of Russian foreign policy: whatever the Russians did, we did in reverse. American domestic policies were conducted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/american-foreign-policy-was-a-mirror-image-of-russian-foreign-policy/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [I would rather quit public life at seventy, and quit it forever, than to retain public life at a sacrifice to my own self-respect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gurney-cannon/i-would-rather-quit-public-life-at-seventy-and-quit-it-forever-than/) Joseph Gurney Cannon > [Not a single person I named hadn't already been named at least a half-dozen times and wasn't already on he blacklist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dmytryk/not-a-single-person-i-named-hadn-t-already-been-named-at-least-a-half/) [Edward Dmytryk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dmytryk/) > [I'm so happy with 'The Blacklist.' Give me more people to shoot and throw them off buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/i-m-so-happy-with-the-blacklist-give-me-more-people-to-shoot-and/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [Im so happy with The Blacklist. Give me more people to shoot and throw them off buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/im-so-happy-with-the-blacklist-give-me-more-people-to-shoot-and-throw/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [“There are today many Communists in America. They are everywhere -- in factories, offices, butcher stores, on street corners, in private businesses. And each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-howard-mcgrath/there-are-today-many-communists-in-america-they-are-everywhere-in/) J. Howard McGrath > [ The blacklist against people in the entertainment industry that show up for \[Donald\] Trump is worse than that blacklist you heard of in Hollywood… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-blacklist-against-people-in-the-entertainment-industry-that-show/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I was living in a terrible time when people were being accused of being communists, and they attacked the movie industry, especially the writers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-douglas/i-was-living-in-a-terrible-time-when-people-were-being-accused-of/) [Kirk Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-douglas/) > [There is no blacklist. In the first place, in the entertainment business, money talks, bullshit walks. So Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/there-is-no-blacklist-in-the-first-place-in-the-entertainment/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Film and television were out. I was 24, and it went on until I was 36. For an actor, those are your years. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-grant/film-and-television-were-out-i-was-24-and-it-went-on-until-i-was-36/) [Lee Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-grant/) > [The 'Blacklist' duology is a project I am very passionate about, and when the St. Martin's Press team approached me, I was captivated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/the-blacklist-duology-is-a-project-i-am-very-passionate-about-and/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [If you've got a blacklist, I want to be on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/if-you-ve-got-a-blacklist-i-want-to-be-on-it/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [It's never been written about, but before the blacklist of Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten, there was a de facto blacklist by Communists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/it-s-never-been-written-about-but-before-the-blacklist-of-dalton/) [Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/) > [To my knowledge, there is no blacklist. But there is a mindset, even among liberal producers, that says 'He may be difficult so let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/to-my-knowledge-there-is-no-blacklist-but-there-is-a-mindset-even/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [I was blacklisted and overnight my TV appearances dried up. Ed Sullivan called to cancel my appearance and said he'd help me when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/i-was-blacklisted-and-overnight-my-tv-appearances-dried-up-ed/) [Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/) ## More by Dalton Trumbo > [Everybody now seems to be talking about democracy. I don't understand this. As I think of it, democracy isn't like a Sunday suit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/everybody-now-seems-to-be-talking-about-democracy-i-don-t-understand/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [I never considered the working class anything other than something to get out of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/i-never-considered-the-working-class-anything-other-than-something-to/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“They died crying in their minds like little babies. They forgot the thing they were fighting for the thing they were dying for. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/they-died-crying-in-their-minds-like-little-babies-they-forgot-the/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [Now the truth of the matter is that there are a lot of things people don't understand. Take the Einstein theory. Take taxes. Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/now-the-truth-of-the-matter-is-that-there-are-a-lot-of-things-people/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [An animal can learn to fight, but to sing beautiful things and make people believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/an-animal-can-learn-to-fight-but-to-sing-beautiful-things-and-make/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“There ought to be at least as much common sense about living and dying as there is about going to the grocery store and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/there-ought-to-be-at-least-as-much-common-sense-about-living-and/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [Goodbye, my love, my life. Goodbye, goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/goodbye-my-love-my-life-goodbye-goodbye/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“Have you ever noticed how many fences there're getting to be? And the signs they got on them: no hunting, no hiking, no admission,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/have-you-ever-noticed-how-many-fences-there-re-getting-to-be-and-the/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [The only kind of love worth having is the kind that goes on living and laughing and fighting and loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/the-only-kind-of-love-worth-having-is-the-kind-that-goes-on-living/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“The worst criminals on earth are those who toy with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/the-worst-criminals-on-earth-are-those-who-toy-with-love/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“What the hell does liberty mean anyhow? It's just a word like house or table or any other word. Only it's a special kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/what-the-hell-does-liberty-mean-anyhow-it-s-just-a-word-like-house-or/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [Privately, I believe in none of them. Neither do you. Publicly, I believe in them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/privately-i-believe-in-none-of-them-neither-do-you-publicly-i-believe/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“It will be you—-you who urge us on to battle you who incite us against ourselves you who would have one cobbler kill another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/it-will-be-you-you-who-urge-us-on-to-battle-you-who-incite-us-against/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [“I am trying to penetrate the mystery of why I am as I am- what I am- I have done everything well and right-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/i-am-trying-to-penetrate-the-mystery-of-why-i-am-as-i-am-what-i-am-i/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/dishonesty-in-government-is-the-business-of-every-citizen-it-is-not/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) [Explore all 69 Dalton Trumbo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) ## More Blacklist quotes > [“American foreign policy was a mirror image of Russian foreign policy: whatever the Russians did, we did in reverse. American domestic policies were conducted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/american-foreign-policy-was-a-mirror-image-of-russian-foreign-policy/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [To my knowledge, there is no blacklist. But there is a mindset, even among liberal producers, that says 'He may be difficult so let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-asner/to-my-knowledge-there-is-no-blacklist-but-there-is-a-mindset-even/) [Ed Asner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-asner/) > [It's never been written about, but before the blacklist of Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten, there was a de facto blacklist by Communists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/it-s-never-been-written-about-but-before-the-blacklist-of-dalton/) [Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/) > [If you've got a blacklist, I want to be on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/if-you-ve-got-a-blacklist-i-want-to-be-on-it/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [The 'Blacklist' duology is a project I am very passionate about, and when the St. Martin's Press team approached me, I was captivated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/the-blacklist-duology-is-a-project-i-am-very-passionate-about-and/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [Film and television were out. I was 24, and it went on until I was 36. For an actor, those are your years. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-grant/film-and-television-were-out-i-was-24-and-it-went-on-until-i-was-36/) [Lee Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-grant/) > [There is no blacklist. In the first place, in the entertainment business, money talks, bullshit walks. So Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/there-is-no-blacklist-in-the-first-place-in-the-entertainment/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [I was living in a terrible time when people were being accused of being communists, and they attacked the movie industry, especially the writers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-douglas/i-was-living-in-a-terrible-time-when-people-were-being-accused-of/) [Kirk Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-douglas/) > [ The blacklist against people in the entertainment industry that show up for \[Donald\] Trump is worse than that blacklist you heard of in Hollywood… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-blacklist-against-people-in-the-entertainment-industry-that-show/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“There are today many Communists in America. They are everywhere -- in factories, offices, butcher stores, on street corners, in private businesses. And each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-howard-mcgrath/there-are-today-many-communists-in-america-they-are-everywhere-in/) J. Howard McGrath > [Im so happy with The Blacklist. Give me more people to shoot and throw them off buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/im-so-happy-with-the-blacklist-give-me-more-people-to-shoot-and-throw/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [I'm so happy with 'The Blacklist.' Give me more people to shoot and throw them off buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/i-m-so-happy-with-the-blacklist-give-me-more-people-to-shoot-and/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [Not a single person I named hadn't already been named at least a half-dozen times and wasn't already on he blacklist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dmytryk/not-a-single-person-i-named-hadn-t-already-been-named-at-least-a-half/) [Edward Dmytryk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dmytryk/) > [I would rather quit public life at seventy, and quit it forever, than to retain public life at a sacrifice to my own self-respect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gurney-cannon/i-would-rather-quit-public-life-at-seventy-and-quit-it-forever-than/) Joseph Gurney Cannon > [I was blacklisted and overnight my TV appearances dried up. Ed Sullivan called to cancel my appearance and said he'd help me when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/i-was-blacklisted-and-overnight-my-tv-appearances-dried-up-ed/) [Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/) [Browse all 17 Blacklist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacklist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The blacklist was a time of evil...no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by evil...[Looking] back on this time...it will do no good to search for villains or heroes or saints or devils because there were none; there were only victims.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dalton Trumbo" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one-on-either-side-who-survived/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blacklist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one-on-either-side-who-survived/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/398/dalton-trumbo-9732_devil_the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one_1041007.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The blacklist was a time of evil...no one on either side who survived it came through untouched by…” — Dalton Trumbo", "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": "Dalton Trumbo", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The blacklist was a time of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one-on-either-side-who-survived/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/the-blacklist-was-a-time-of-evil-no-one-on-either-side-who-survived/#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 } } ] } ```