--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once man loses his faculty of…" description: "\"“Once man loses his faculty of indifference he becomes a potential murderer; once he transforms his idea into a god the consequences are incalculable. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/emil-cioran-523_quote_once-man-loses-his-faculty-of-indifferen_2223909.jpg" --- # Once man loses his faculty of indifference he becomes a… ![“Once man loses his faculty of indifference he becomes a potential murderer; once he transforms his idea into a god the consequences are incalculable. We kill only in the name of a god or of his counterfeits: the excesses provoked by the goddess Reason, by the concept of nation, class, or race are…” quote by Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/emil-cioran-523_quote_once-man-loses-his-faculty-of-indifferen_2223909.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/emil-cioran-523_quote_once-man-loses-his-faculty-of-indifferen_2223909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/emil-cioran-523_quote_once-man-loses-his-faculty-of-indifferen_2223909.jpg) > ““Once man loses his faculty of indifference he becomes a potential murderer; once he transforms his idea into a god the consequences are incalculable. We kill only in the name of a god or of his counterfeits: the excesses provoked by the goddess Reason, by the concept of nation, class, or race are akin to those of the Inquisition or of the Reformation”” [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Losing indifference leads to extreme ideologies; turning ideas into deities creates dangerous consequences. **In simple terms:** Blind devotion breeds violence. Key Takeaway Question the deification of ideas. Themes ideology violence human nature morality Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political movements - religious fanaticism - nationalism - racist ideologies Key Concepts philosophy political theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can indifference be healthy? - What limits the power of belief? A Different Perspective Complex ideas may be oversimplified; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inquisition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquisition/) ## Related quotes > [“...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/let-us-recognize-that-a-large-fraction-of-our-suffering-and-that-of/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“You and I need to obey God. When we do, the consequences of our obedience become God's problem and not ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/you-and-i-need-to-obey-god-when-we-do-the-consequences-of-our/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/beware-of-the-inclination-to-dictate-to-god-what-consequences-you/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beilby-porteus/kill-a-man-and-you-are-an-assassin-kill-millions-of-men-and-you-are-a/) [Beilby Porteus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beilby-porteus/) > [Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/kill-one-man-and-you-are-a-murderer-kill-millions-of-men-and-you-are/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Kill them all, God will recognise his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnaud-amalric/kill-them-all-god-will-recognise-his-own/) Arnaud Amalric > [I am proud to kill in the name of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umar-farouk-abdulmutallab/i-am-proud-to-kill-in-the-name-of-god/) Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab > [“They have decided nothing can kill them but God himself, and they don't even believe in him." -- David Benioff; City of Thieves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benioff/they-have-decided-nothing-can-kill-them-but-god-himself-and-they-don/) [david benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benioff/) > [“Turns out that when you kill a god, people want to talk to you. Paranormal insurance salesmen with special "godslayer" term life policies. Charlatans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/turns-out-that-when-you-kill-a-god-people-want-to-talk-to-you/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [“Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/kill-one-man-and-you-are-a-murderer-kill-millions-of-men-and-you-are-2/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Ask the sheep for their beliefs... Do you kill on God's command?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mustaine/ask-the-sheep-for-their-beliefs-do-you-kill-on-god-s-command/) [Dave Mustaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mustaine/) > [“Kill a man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/kill-a-man-and-you-are-a-murderer-kill-millions-of-men-and-you-are-a/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [I have a serious question." "I will give a serious answer." "Can a god be killed?" The humor drained from Roman's face. "Well, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-have-a-serious-question-i-will-give-a-serious-answer-can-a-god-be/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I'm going to kill that god of yours, next. Then we'll see what you can do, and what you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/i-m-going-to-kill-that-god-of-yours-next-then-we-ll-see-what-you-can/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) > [You've managed-- in our short three years together-- to kill not only my god, but my father, my brother, and my fiance. That's kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-ve-managed-in-our-short-three-years-together-to-kill-not-only-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More by Emil Cioran > [“Eu nu am idei ci obsesii. Idei poate avea oricine. Nimeni nu s-a prăbușit din cauza ideilor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/eu-nu-am-idei-ci-obsesii-idei-poate-avea-oricine-nimeni-nu-s-a-pr-bu/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“For a long while I have lived with the notion that I was the most normal being that ever existed. This notion gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/for-a-long-while-i-have-lived-with-the-notion-that-i-was-the-most/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“Natura s-a arătat darnică numai cu cei pe care i-a scutit de obsesia morţii. Dacă-i firesc să mori, nu-i deloc firesc să zaboveşti asupra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/natura-s-a-ar-tat-darnic-numai-cu-cei-pe-care-i-a-scutit-de-obsesia/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“Having always lived in fear of being surprised by the worst, I have tried in every circumstance to get a head start, flinging myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/having-always-lived-in-fear-of-being-surprised-by-the-worst-i-have/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“I would like to be free, totaly free... free like an aborted child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/i-would-like-to-be-free-totaly-free-free-like-an-aborted-child/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“We had nothing to say to one another, and while I was manufacturing my phrases I felt that earth was falling through space and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/we-had-nothing-to-say-to-one-another-and-while-i-was-manufacturing-my/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“It is no sign of benediction to have been obsessed with the lives of saints, for it is an obsession intertwined with a taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/it-is-no-sign-of-benediction-to-have-been-obsessed-with-the-lives-of/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“His power to adore is responsible for all his crimes: a man who loves a god unduly forces other men to love his god,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/his-power-to-adore-is-responsible-for-all-his-crimes-a-man-who-loves/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“Tell me how you want to die, and I’ll tell you who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/tell-me-how-you-want-to-die-and-i-ll-tell-you-who-you-are/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [One should live and die where one was born... I've been bored everywhere I went. What was the point of leaving Coasta Boacu?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/one-should-live-and-die-where-one-was-born-i-ve-been-bored-everywhere/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“I cannot imagine that there could be someone whose childhood could compare to mine. The sky and the earth belonged to me, literally, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/i-cannot-imagine-that-there-could-be-someone-whose-childhood-could/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“A fi sau a nu fi? Nici una nici alta.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/a-fi-sau-a-nu-fi-nici-una-nici-alta/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“Dispretul oamenilor ma intareste, si nu le cer decat o favoare - sa nu insemn nimic in ochii lor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/dispretul-oamenilor-ma-intareste-si-nu-le-cer-decat-o-favoare-sa-nu/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“Nobody would dare look at himself in the mirror, because a grotesque, tragic image would mix in the contours of his face with stains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/nobody-would-dare-look-at-himself-in-the-mirror-because-a-grotesque/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“Since it is difficult to approve the reasons people invoke, each time we leave one of our 'fellow men', the question which comes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/since-it-is-difficult-to-approve-the-reasons-people-invoke-each-time/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) [Explore all 260 Emil Cioran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) ## More Inquisition quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Where there is no danger of overt action there is rarely any interference with freedom. That is why there has so often been amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/where-there-is-no-danger-of-overt-action-there-is-rarely-any/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [You find this curious fact, that the more intense has been the religion of any period and more profound has been the dogmatic belief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/you-find-this-curious-fact-that-the-more-intense-has-been-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [A prisoner in the Inquisition is never allowed to see the face of his accuser, or of the witnesses against him, but every method…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/a-prisoner-in-the-inquisition-is-never-allowed-to-see-the-face-of-his/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [Institutional psychiatry is a continuation of the Inquisition. All that has really changed is the vocabulary and the social style. The vocabulary conforms to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/institutional-psychiatry-is-a-continuation-of-the-inquisition-all/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [“pro scienta atque sapienta-Latin- for science and wisdom It's a Darwinian popularity contest. at all times, the question on everyone's mind is, "who's coolest?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/pro-scienta-atque-sapienta-latin-for-science-and-wisdom-it-s-a/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [After the survivor of the Spanish conquest has told his life's story he is convicted by the Inquisition: He posted no brief in defense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-jennings/after-the-survivor-of-the-spanish-conquest-has-told-his-life-s-story/) [Gary Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-jennings/) > [The Christians who engaged in infamous persecutions and shameful inquisitions were not evil men but misguided men. The churchmen who felt they had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-christians-who-engaged-in-infamous-persecutions-and-shameful/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Intolerance has always been one of the cornerstones of Christianity - the glorious heritage of the Inquisition. It's no coincidence that most of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/intolerance-has-always-been-one-of-the-cornerstones-of-christianity/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [If you compare the United States with Europe, my view is that what happened in Europe is that the church became deeply distrusted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/if-you-compare-the-united-states-with-europe-my-view-is-that-what/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [“The important question to ask is why these bodies are allowed to exist. If a country such as Spain allowed a repressive body like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cullen-murphy/the-important-question-to-ask-is-why-these-bodies-are-allowed-to/) Cullen Murphy > [We cannot permit any inquisition either within or without the law or apply any religious test to the holding of office. The mind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/we-cannot-permit-any-inquisition-either-within-or-without-the-law-or/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [“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/) [Browse all 164 Inquisition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquisition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once man loses his faculty of indifference he becomes a potential murderer; once he transforms his idea into a god the consequences are incalculable. 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