--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think, if you're going to kill a man…" description: "\"“I think, if you're going to kill a man, do it. Don't write him a letter about it. Don't bluster and threaten and put him on his guard.”\" — Hilary Mantel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/hilary-mantel-440_thomas-cromwell_i-think-if-you-re-going-to-kill-a-man-do_826707.jpg" --- # I think, if you're going to kill a man, do it. Don't write… ![“I think, if you're going to kill a man, do it. Don't write him a letter about it. Don't bluster and threaten and put him on his guard.” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/hilary-mantel-440_thomas-cromwell_i-think-if-you-re-going-to-kill-a-man-do_826707.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/hilary-mantel-440_thomas-cromwell_i-think-if-you-re-going-to-kill-a-man-do_826707.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/627/hilary-mantel-440_thomas-cromwell_i-think-if-you-re-going-to-kill-a-man-do_826707.jpg) > ““I think, if you're going to kill a man, do it. Don't write him a letter about it. Don't bluster and threaten and put him on his guard.”” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A ruthless approach to conflict, urging decisive action without lingering remorse. **In simple terms:** Act decisively, avoid over‑thinking. Key Takeaway Take bold steps, don’t dwell on justification. Themes conflict decisiveness morality Mood grim serious Type cautionary realistic When to use this quote - war - business negotiations - personal confrontations Key Concepts power dynamics ethical pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - When is decisive action justified? - How does avoiding reflection affect relationships? A Different Perspective Such cold logic can erode empathy and trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bluster Threaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bluster-threaten-521794/) [Going Kill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-kill/) [Kill Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-man/) [Thomas-cromwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thomas-cromwell-190557/) [Threaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threaten/) [Threaten Guard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threaten-guard-521793/) [Threats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threats/) ## Related quotes > [“I picked up a snake once. In Italy." "Why did you do that?" "For a bet." "Was it poisonous?" "We didn't know. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-picked-up-a-snake-once-in-italy-why-did-you-do-that-for-a-bet-was/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He knows different now. It's the living that chase the dead. The long bones and skulls are tumbled from their shrouds, and words like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-knows-different-now-it-s-the-living-that-chase-the-dead-the-long/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“When the cardinal came to a closed door he would flatter it--oh beautiful yielding door! Then he would try tricking it open. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-the-cardinal-came-to-a-closed-door-he-would-flatter-it-oh/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“So now get up.' Felled, dazed, silent, he has fallen; knocked full length on the cobbles of the yard. His head turns sideways; his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/so-now-get-up-felled-dazed-silent-he-has-fallen-knocked-full-length/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Every time you go to see Hamlet you don't expect it to have a happy ending...you're still enthralled. (Interview BBC Radio 4 Today 17 October 2012.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/every-time-you-go-to-see-hamlet-you-don-t-expect-it-to-have-a-happy/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“In the forest you may find yourself lost, without companions. You may come to a river which is not on a map. You may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/in-the-forest-you-may-find-yourself-lost-without-companions-you-may/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I know you are here to kill me. Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/i-know-you-are-here-to-kill-me-shoot-coward-you-are-only-going-to/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [“If you are going to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-s-churchill/if-you-are-going-to-kill-a-man-it-costs-nothing-to-be-polite/) [Winston S. Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-s-churchill/) > [“Those who fail the king do not die in their beds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-lynne/those-who-fail-the-king-do-not-die-in-their-beds/) [V.E. Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-lynne/) > [“This man was no pampered gentleman, born to a life of softness. No, this man was a brawler, a scrapper, a street fighter. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-lynne/this-man-was-no-pampered-gentleman-born-to-a-life-of-softness-no-this/) [V.E. Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-lynne/) > [You'd better not kill me, man, I've got shit to do tomorrow!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-wayans/you-d-better-not-kill-me-man-i-ve-got-shit-to-do-tomorrow/) [Damon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-wayans/) > [“You cannot kill a man who is already dead. Instead, you actually immortalize him by continuing to speak his name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-l-rucker/you-cannot-kill-a-man-who-is-already-dead-instead-you-actually/) [Brandon L. Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-l-rucker/) > [“He was a Marine, for heaven's sake! He knew how to kill a man with his bare hands. He'd been shot and stabbed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-falkenrath/he-was-a-marine-for-heaven-s-sake-he-knew-how-to-kill-a-man-with-his/) [Barbara Falkenrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-falkenrath/) > [Men with purple hearts carry silver guns and they will kill a man for what his father has done. But what my father did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/men-with-purple-hearts-carry-silver-guns-and-they-will-kill-a-man-for/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [It cost about 75 cents to kill a man in Ceasar's time. The price rose to about $3,000 per man during the Napoleonic wars;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-bone/it-cost-about-75-cents-to-kill-a-man-in-ceasar-s-time-the-price-rose/) [Homer Bone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-bone/) ## More by Hilary Mantel > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) [Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More Thomas-cromwell quotes > [“Every time you go to see Hamlet you don't expect it to have a happy ending...you're still enthralled. (Interview BBC Radio 4 Today 17 October 2012.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/every-time-you-go-to-see-hamlet-you-don-t-expect-it-to-have-a-happy/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“This man was no pampered gentleman, born to a life of softness. No, this man was a brawler, a scrapper, a street fighter. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-lynne/this-man-was-no-pampered-gentleman-born-to-a-life-of-softness-no-this/) [V.E. Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-lynne/) > [“In the forest you may find yourself lost, without companions. You may come to a river which is not on a map. You may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/in-the-forest-you-may-find-yourself-lost-without-companions-you-may/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Those who fail the king do not die in their beds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-lynne/those-who-fail-the-king-do-not-die-in-their-beds/) [V.E. Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-lynne/) > [“So now get up.' Felled, dazed, silent, he has fallen; knocked full length on the cobbles of the yard. His head turns sideways; his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/so-now-get-up-felled-dazed-silent-he-has-fallen-knocked-full-length/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“When the cardinal came to a closed door he would flatter it--oh beautiful yielding door! Then he would try tricking it open. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-the-cardinal-came-to-a-closed-door-he-would-flatter-it-oh/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He knows different now. It's the living that chase the dead. The long bones and skulls are tumbled from their shrouds, and words like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-knows-different-now-it-s-the-living-that-chase-the-dead-the-long/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“I picked up a snake once. In Italy." "Why did you do that?" "For a bet." "Was it poisonous?" "We didn't know. 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