--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was getting money for showing one man…" description: "\"I was getting money for showing one man killing another. Two lives were destroyed and I was getting paid for it. (On his 1968 photograph of the summary..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/eddie-adams-44884_chiefs_i-was-getting-money-for-showing-one-man_1900177.png" --- # I was getting money for showing one man killing another… ![“I was getting money for showing one man killing another. Two lives were destroyed and I was getting paid for it. (On his 1968 photograph of the summary street corner execution of prisoner Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnam's police chief, Lt. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Loan.)” quote by Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/eddie-adams-44884_chiefs_i-was-getting-money-for-showing-one-man_1900177.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/eddie-adams-44884_chiefs_i-was-getting-money-for-showing-one-man_1900177.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd9/eddie-adams-44884_chiefs_i-was-getting-money-for-showing-one-man_1900177.png) > “I was getting money for showing one man killing another. Two lives were destroyed and I was getting paid for it. (On his 1968 photograph of the summary street corner execution of prisoner Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnam's police chief, Lt. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Loan.)” [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The photographer captured a brutal execution, highlighting the paradox of profiting from violence and the loss of humanity. **In simple terms:** A photographer took money for a violent scene, showing moral conflict. Key Takeaway Recognize the cost of exploiting tragedy. Themes ethics war media humanity morality Mood somber reflective Type journalistic ethical When to use this quote - newsrooms - documentary projects - educational discussions - media ethics courses Key Concepts photojournalism moral paradox spectatorship Questions to Reflect On - How does witnessing violence affect our values? - Can profit ever justify exposing cruelty? A Different Perspective Profit from violence can desensitize and obscure accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) [Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed/) [Execution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/execution/) [Get money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-money/) [Getting money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-money/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Killing Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-lives-2799295/) [Loan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loan/) [Man Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-killing-703145/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [One man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-man/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Paid 1968](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid-1968-2799296/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) [Prisoner Nguyen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner-nguyen-1892518/) [South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/south/) [Street corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street-corners/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Summary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summary/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-lives/) [Vans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vans/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) ## Related quotes > [I saw a man walk into my camera viewfinder from the left. He took a pistol out of his holster and raised it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/i-saw-a-man-walk-into-my-camera-viewfinder-from-the-left-he-took-a/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [You don't teach a man something by killing him. That's my job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-teach-a-man-something-by-killing-him-that-s-my-job/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's harder to fall in love with a man when he's killing people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/it-s-harder-to-fall-in-love-with-a-man-when-he-s-killing-people/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“A man killing himself in the pursuit of his dreams is no different in a moth flying into a flame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-pine/a-man-killing-himself-in-the-pursuit-of-his-dreams-is-no-different-in/) [Katherine Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-pine/) > [“I even heard a rumor of one man killing his wife and eating her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/i-even-heard-a-rumor-of-one-man-killing-his-wife-and-eating-her/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [for in the absence of God he had found Man. Man killing man, man helping man, both of them anonymous: the scourge and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/for-in-the-absence-of-god-he-had-found-man-man-killing-man-man/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [Man lives two lives, woe, were it otherwise! One is seized by death, the other one, his honor, remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/man-lives-two-lives-woe-were-it-otherwise-one-is-seized-by-death-the/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [When one person mentors, two lives are changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sessums/when-one-person-mentors-two-lives-are-changed/) [Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sessums/) > [“I felt like I was living two lives. One in the present and one in the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-shepherd/i-felt-like-i-was-living-two-lives-one-in-the-present-and-one-in-the/) [A.B. Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-shepherd/) > [Sometimes the warrior feels as if he were living two lives at once. 'There is a bridge that links what I do with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/sometimes-the-warrior-feels-as-if-he-were-living-two-lives-at-once/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If you're living two lives and you're lying to everyone, you're bound to slip up, in some way, you're bound to get something wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/if-you-re-living-two-lives-and-you-re-lying-to-everyone-you-re-bound/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [What to do with your one life? The same thing you would do if you had two lives, and this were the second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/what-to-do-with-your-one-life-the-same-thing-you-would-do-if-you-had/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [I'm a southern girl, and I grew up with this slightly schizophrenic upbringing where I bounced back and forth between Atlanta, Georgia, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/i-m-a-southern-girl-and-i-grew-up-with-this-slightly-schizophrenic/) [Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/) > [If only we could live two lives: the first in which to make one's mistakes, and the second in which to profit by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-only-we-could-live-two-lives-the-first-in-which-to-make-one-s/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) ## More by Eddie Adams > [I'm not a great believer in the power of the moving image. A still image has greater lasting power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/i-m-not-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-moving-image-a-still/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [I saw a man walk into my camera viewfinder from the left. He took a pistol out of his holster and raised it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/i-saw-a-man-walk-into-my-camera-viewfinder-from-the-left-he-took-a/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [Still photographs are the most powerful weapons in the world. Words and pictures have a continuing struggle for primacy. In my mind, a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/still-photographs-are-the-most-powerful-weapons-in-the-world-words/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [All that a Pulitzer really does is give the obit writers something to put between the commas after your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/all-that-a-pulitzer-really-does-is-give-the-obit-writers-something-to/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/still-photographs-are-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-world-people/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [Fear not a thousand accusing fingers, if you are right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/fear-not-a-thousand-accusing-fingers-if-you-are-right/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/the-general-killed-the-viet-cong-i-killed-the-general-with-my-camera/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) > [If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that's a good picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-adams/if-it-makes-you-laugh-if-it-makes-you-cry-if-it-rips-out-your-heart/) [Eddie Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) [Explore all 9 Eddie Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-adams/) ## More Chiefs quotes > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. 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Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [There is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. It is one of the chief causes of sorrow evoked by death: what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hopkins/there-is-a-wealth-of-unexpressed-love-in-the-world-it-is-one-of-the/) [Arthur Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hopkins/) > [Pure love is the chief manifestation of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/pure-love-is-the-chief-manifestation-of-education/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/no-commander-in-chief-would-ever-say-i-m-not-going-to-listen-to-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. 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I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) [Browse all 1,428 Chiefs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was getting money for showing one man killing another. Two lives were destroyed and I was getting paid for it. (On his 1968 photograph of the summary street corner execution of prisoner Nguyen Van Lem by South Vietnam's police chief, Lt. Col. 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