--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never wound a foe when you can kill him" description: "\"“Never wound a foe when you can kill him”\" — George R R Martin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg" --- # Never wound a foe when you can kill him ![“Never wound a foe when you can kill him” quote by George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg) > ““Never wound a foe when you can kill him”” [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing non‑lethal options preserves future possibilities and moral high ground. **In simple terms:** Avoid killing when you can neutralize a foe. Key Takeaway Prefer restraint over lethal force. Themes conflict ethics strategy Mood strategic thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - military negotiations - personal disputes - law enforcement Key Concepts non‑lethal tactics morality long‑term planning Questions to Reflect On - What are the risks of restraint? - When is lethal force justified? A Different Perspective Non‑lethal choices may be ineffective against dangerous threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foe Kill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foe-kill-3466629/) [Kill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill/) [Wound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wound/) [Wound Foe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wound-foe-5070369/) ## Related quotes > [“Never wound a foe when you can kill him. Dead men don’t claim vengeance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him-dead-men-don-t-claim-vengeance/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Thanks, but that's not going to fix anything. It's like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-hunter/thanks-but-that-s-not-going-to-fix-anything-it-s-like-putting-a-band/) [C.C. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-hunter/) > [We can rarely tell others what we really think about them--not just because it would so wound them, but also because it would so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/we-can-rarely-tell-others-what-we-really-think-about-them-not-just/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [Who said that time heals all wounds? It would be better to say that time heals everything - except wounds. With time, the hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-marker/who-said-that-time-heals-all-wounds-it-would-be-better-to-say-that/) [Chris Marker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-marker/) > [“Our wound is serious, but the Physician is all-powerful. Does it seem to you so small a mercy that, while you were living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine-of-hippo/our-wound-is-serious-but-the-physician-is-all-powerful-does-it-seem/) [Saint Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine-of-hippo/) > [“Every wound is a word.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-wound-is-a-word/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I wanted her note to say that I was a red hole dug out of the guts of her, a seeping wound that hadn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshilyn-jackson/i-wanted-her-note-to-say-that-i-was-a-red-hole-dug-out-of-the-guts-of/) [Joshilyn Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshilyn-jackson/) > [“Within wounds there is valor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/within-wounds-there-is-valor/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Some wounds are too deep to heal, or too deep to heal quickly. 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Well, pretty soon you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-camp/when-you-have-an-open-wound-it-s-festering-and-hurting-constantly/) [Jeremy Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-camp/) > [“The WOUND of LOVE In our wound-ships and romances, we make something of others that they are not, we make them what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/the-wound-of-love-in-our-wound-ships-and-romances-we-make-something/) [Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/) > [“I hid my wound under my clothes. Nobody could see it, including myself, and I completely forgot about it. Then I met someone who,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franco-santoro/i-hid-my-wound-under-my-clothes-nobody-could-see-it-including-myself/) [Franco Santoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franco-santoro/) > [STAB WOUND!! You will see blood, BUT lovesickness you will see only tear from your eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stab-wound-you-will-see-blood-but-lovesickness-you-will-see-only-tear/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) ## More by George R R Martin > [“She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/she-liked-the-sharp-salty-smell-of-the-air-and-the-vastness-of/) [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) > [“Lord Tywin Lannister did not, in the end, shit gold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/lord-tywin-lannister-did-not-in-the-end-shit-gold/) [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) > [“Even the finest of jugglers cannot keep a hundred balls in the air forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/even-the-finest-of-jugglers-cannot-keep-a-hundred-balls-in-the-air/) [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) > [“Be careful when you seek to destroy another. For it is your soul that will be consumed and you are the one who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/be-careful-when-you-seek-to-destroy-another-for-it-is-your-soul-that/) [George R R Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) > [“A man who reads lives a thousands lives. A man who doesn't read live one life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/a-man-who-reads-lives-a-thousands-lives-a-man-who-doesn-t-read-live/) [George r r martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) [Explore all 6 George R R Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/) ## More Kill quotes > [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“If you’ve bullshitted me, angel, I’m going to kill you.” The other male rolled his eyes. “I’m already dead, idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/if-you-ve-bullshitted-me-angel-i-m-going-to-kill-you-the-other-male/) [J.R. 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Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“I’m going to kill Mr. Mysterious for this. Kill that crazy motherfucker. Why does he have to live on the edge all the time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-huss/i-m-going-to-kill-mr-mysterious-for-this-kill-that-crazy-motherfucker/) [J.A. Huss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-huss/) > [“Be that as it may, we do need you in particular to complete this assignment. (Syd) What is it with you government assholes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/be-that-as-it-may-we-do-need-you-in-particular-to-complete-this/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I'm only one kill away from Command Assassin. Be a damn shame for that kill to be you" (Darion)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-only-one-kill-away-from-command-assassin-be-a-damn-shame-for-that/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Well, let's say you heard a fight in the boys' bathroom, and you broke it up. What would you do naturally if you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/well-let-s-say-you-heard-a-fight-in-the-boys-bathroom-and-you-broke/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I imagine that in a closed, hermetic society like the mob, where everybody knows each other, it must be really, really unpleasant to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dominik/i-imagine-that-in-a-closed-hermetic-society-like-the-mob-where/) [Andrew Dominik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dominik/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Fuck, Princess. You kill me. Every damn time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/fuck-princess-you-kill-me-every-damn-time/) [Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/) [Browse all 3,038 Kill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Never wound a foe when you can kill him”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George R R Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kill" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/george-r-r-martin-3-56530_kill_never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him_628494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never wound a foe when you can kill him” — George R R Martin", "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": "George R R Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-3/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Never wound a foe when you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-3/never-wound-a-foe-when-you-can-kill-him/#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 } } ] } ```