--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have to keep law and order and it means…" description: "\"I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.\" — Idi Amin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg" --- # I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to… ![“I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.” quote by Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg) > “I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.” [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He justifies preemptive killing to maintain order and protect himself. **In simple terms:** He kills enemies first to stay safe. Key Takeaway Question the morality of preemptive violence for security. Themes power violence law order self‑preservation Mood ominous authoritarian Type political ethical When to use this quote - politics - military - human rights Key Concepts authoritarianism ethical dilemma state control Questions to Reflect On - Is preemptive killing ever justified? - What alternatives exist for maintaining order? A Different Perspective Violence may breed more resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law and order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-and-order/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) ## Related quotes > [In any country there must be people who have to die. They are the Sacrifices any nation has to make to achieve law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/in-any-country-there-must-be-people-who-have-to-die-they-are-the/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [I've got the Mark of Cain," said Simon. "That means nothing can kill me, right?" "You can kill yourself," Magnus said, somewhat unhelpfully. "As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-ve-got-the-mark-of-cain-said-simon-that-means-nothing-can-kill-me/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Revenge is never what you think it's going to be. There's no pleasure and glory, and when it's done your grief remains. Once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/revenge-is-never-what-you-think-it-s-going-to-be-there-s-no-pleasure/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [Your enemies can kill you, but only your friends can hurt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/your-enemies-can-kill-you-but-only-your-friends-can-hurt-you/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends will kill you with kindness. Either way you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/enemies-will-kill-you-with-a-knife-in-the-back-friends-will-kill-you/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“When you were trying to enforce law and order, it was difficult to explain that the rules did not actually apply to you personally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/when-you-were-trying-to-enforce-law-and-order-it-was-difficult-to/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [I was always attracted to the type of cinema hero as an adolescent growing up in Ireland. Robert Mitchum springs to mind. Later on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-was-always-attracted-to-the-type-of-cinema-hero-as-an-adolescent/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Modi has always been very particular about law and order. He believes in fairness and justice, and encouraged us to simply work as per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-shah/modi-has-always-been-very-particular-about-law-and-order-he-believes/) [Amit Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-shah/) > [Do you see law and order? There is nothing but disorder, and instead of law there is the illusion of security. It is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mumia-abu-jamal/do-you-see-law-and-order-there-is-nothing-but-disorder-and-instead-of/) [Mumia Abu-Jamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mumia-abu-jamal/) > [Due to enhanced freedom to police, the law and order situation in the state has improved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-jayalalithaa/due-to-enhanced-freedom-to-police-the-law-and-order-situation-in-the/) [J. Jayalalithaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-jayalalithaa/) > [It's a sad day in this country when you can't talk about law and order unless they want to call you a racist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wallace/it-s-a-sad-day-in-this-country-when-you-can-t-talk-about-law-and/) [George Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wallace/) > [Law and order is the first and topmost priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajnath-singh/law-and-order-is-the-first-and-topmost-priority/) [Rajnath Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajnath-singh/) > [It's the duty of any government: where there is disregard of the law, that law and order must be instituted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmerson-mnangagwa/it-s-the-duty-of-any-government-where-there-is-disregard-of-the-law/) [Emmerson Mnangagwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmerson-mnangagwa/) > [A man's respect for law and order exists in precise relationship to the size of his paycheck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-respect-for-law-and-order-exists-in-precise-relationship-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Law and order comes from having respect for one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/law-and-order-comes-from-having-respect-for-one-another/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) ## More by Idi Amin > [It's not for me. I tried human flesh and it's too salty for my taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/it-s-not-for-me-i-tried-human-flesh-and-it-s-too-salty-for-my-taste/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [I do not want to be controlled by any superpower. I myself consider myself the most powerful figure in the world, and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-do-not-want-to-be-controlled-by-any-superpower-i-myself-consider/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/there-is-freedom-of-speech-but-i-cannot-guarantee-freedom-after-speech/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [Although some people felt Adolf Hitler was bad, he was a great man and a real conqueror whose name would never be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/although-some-people-felt-adolf-hitler-was-bad-he-was-a-great-man-and/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [My mission is to lead the country out of a bad situation of corruption, depression and slavery. After I rid the country of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/my-mission-is-to-lead-the-country-out-of-a-bad-situation-of/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [I want to be remembered as a great athlete. As a boxing champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-want-to-be-remembered-as-a-great-athlete-as-a-boxing-champion/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [In any country there must be people who have to die. They are the Sacrifices any nation has to make to achieve law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/in-any-country-there-must-be-people-who-have-to-die-they-are-the/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [I propose getting rid of conventional armaments and replacing them with reasonably priced hydrogen bombs that will be distributed equally throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-propose-getting-rid-of-conventional-armaments-and-replacing-them/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [“The only legitimate antidote for self-doubt and the shameful weakness it breeds is joyful self-acceptance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/the-only-legitimate-antidote-for-self-doubt-and-the-shameful-weakness/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/his-excellency-president-for-life-field-marshal-al-hadji-doctor-idi/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [Germany is the place where when Hitler was the prime minister and supreme commander, he burned over six million Jews. This is because Hitler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/germany-is-the-place-where-when-hitler-was-the-prime-minister-and/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [I'm a good Muslim and I'm only interested in Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-m-a-good-muslim-and-i-m-only-interested-in-islam/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [Politics is like boxing — you try to knock out your opponents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/politics-is-like-boxing-you-try-to-knock-out-your-opponents/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [If we knew the meaning to everything that is happening to us, then there would be no meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/if-we-knew-the-meaning-to-everything-that-is-happening-to-us-then/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [The problem with me is that I am fifty or one hundred years ahead of my time. My speed is very fast. Some ministers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/the-problem-with-me-is-that-i-am-fifty-or-one-hundred-years-ahead-of/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) [Explore all 23 Idi Amin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) ## More Enemy quotes > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [“Never let your Enemies become your Advocates.” by A. K. Hasan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-hasan/never-let-your-enemies-become-your-advocates-by-a-k-hasan/) A.K. Hasan > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) [Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Idi Amin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-means-that-i-have-to-kill-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-means-that-i-have-to-kill-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/386/idi-amin-25070_enemy_i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-mean_3002586.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.” — Idi Amin", "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": "Idi Amin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have to keep law and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-means-that-i-have-to-kill-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-means-that-i-have-to-kill-my/#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 } } ] } ```