--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not…" description: "\"“Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not anythingI love or know or care about. Because thou shalt not kill, Kade. Thou shalt not kill. With all my heart..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/david-james-duncan-8032_killed_because-i-wasn-t-anything-anymore-not-an_48370.png" --- # Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not anythingI love or… ![“Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not anythingI love or know or care about. Because thou shalt not kill, Kade. Thou shalt not kill. With all my heart I believed this. And I killed. So what am I now? And why should I live? How am I even alive? Because if this is what our lives are--if doing this…” quote by David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/david-james-duncan-8032_killed_because-i-wasn-t-anything-anymore-not-an_48370.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/david-james-duncan-8032_killed_because-i-wasn-t-anything-anymore-not-an_48370.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96f/david-james-duncan-8032_killed_because-i-wasn-t-anything-anymore-not-an_48370.png) > ““Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not anythingI love or know or care about. Because thou shalt not kill, Kade. Thou shalt not kill. With all my heart I believed this. And I killed. So what am I now? And why should I live? How am I even alive? Because if this is what our lives are--if doing this to others before they do it to us is all our lives are--we’re already dead. Honest to God I feel it, Kade. I’m dead. The hell with me.”” [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A confession of existential emptiness after committing violence, questioning purpose and the value of life when one feels morally dead. **In simple terms:** Despair after killing Key Takeaway Violence erodes identity Themes existentialism morality violence identity despair Mood anguish resignation darkness Type confessional philosophical When to use this quote - post‑combat reflection - personal crisis - guilt - search for meaning Key Concepts moral injury nihilism Practical Applications - therapy for trauma - ethical debates on self‑defense Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be alive after killing? - Can remorse restore a sense of self? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“I didn't hurt anymore, didn't feel like hiding anymore, wasn't scared anymore. Because I wasn't anything anymore. 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If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craven/but-i-held-him-till-he-relented-and-just-let-me-pet-him-and-give-him/) Michael Craven > [“Its just either your way or my way. There is no way that is universally right. For British, they killed us to develop their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/its-just-either-your-way-or-my-way-there-is-no-way-that-is/) [Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/) > [“The only ones who kill are those prepared to be killed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lelouch-vi-britannia/the-only-ones-who-kill-are-those-prepared-to-be-killed/) [Lelouch Vi Britannia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lelouch-vi-britannia/) > [“I knew how I was supposed to feel when I was with him. Well, I knew what I was not supposed to feel. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-miranda/i-knew-how-i-was-supposed-to-feel-when-i-was-with-him-well-i-knew/) [Megan Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-miranda/) > [I never thought I'd be on the cover of the 'Atlanta Journal' unless I killed someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-robinson/i-never-thought-i-d-be-on-the-cover-of-the-atlanta-journal-unless-i/) [Chris Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-robinson/) ## More by David James Duncan > [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“It was so good to see him in there, yet so funny to find him so much like me, and so tiny. 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Or to worship the sun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/is-the-work-of-sun-worshippers-to-honor-those-who-think-they-can-see/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he-wanted-to-fully-comprehend-it/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“It is a rare high school teacher who enjoys seeing their world being enormously improved upon by youths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/it-is-a-rare-high-school-teacher-who-enjoys-seeing-their-world-being/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [The principles that will save Earth's life are the same principles that save the living souls of humans: ineluctable spiritual principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/the-principles-that-will-save-earth-s-life-are-the-same-principles/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“I’m just saying that his card-burning would have meant far more, on the day he did it, if he hadn’t already incinerated his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-m-just-saying-that-his-card-burning-would-have-meant-far-more-on/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“I gave him everything from my lunches I hate, which is called Charity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-gave-him-everything-from-my-lunches-i-hate-which-is-called-charity/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“If we can’t be ballplayers together, maybe I can start bein’ a Buddhist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/if-we-can-t-be-ballplayers-together-maybe-i-can-start-bein-a-buddhist/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [As a lifelong student of the world’s wisdom literature, it is my duty to inform students that “ridding the world of evil” is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/as-a-lifelong-student-of-the-world-s-wisdom-literature-it-is-my-duty/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“that was the thing about nature: make one lousy rule to describe it and it'll contradict you even if it has to transmogrify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/that-was-the-thing-about-nature-make-one-lousy-rule-to-describe-it/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) [Explore all 85 David James Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) ## More Killed quotes > [I never thought I'd be on the cover of the 'Atlanta Journal' unless I killed someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-robinson/i-never-thought-i-d-be-on-the-cover-of-the-atlanta-journal-unless-i/) [Chris Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-robinson/) > [“I knew how I was supposed to feel when I was with him. 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