--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A terrorist doesn't know what terror is…" description: "\"A terrorist doesn't know what terror is because he simply unknows himself.\" — Jean-Paul Malfatti" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg" --- # A terrorist doesn't know what terror is because he simply… ![“A terrorist doesn't know what terror is because he simply unknows himself.” quote by Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg) > “A terrorist doesn't know what terror is because he simply unknows himself.” [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that a terrorist lacks self-awareness, making his actions contradictory to true terror. **In simple terms:** Terrorists are unaware of their own terror. Key Takeaway Recognize self‑ignorance in violent actions. Themes self‑awareness violence contradiction Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - counter‑terrorism training - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology identity terrorism Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑knowledge affect violent behavior? - Can awareness prevent terror? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex motivations behind terrorism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Know Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-terror-3308077/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Terror Simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror-simply-5433610/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Terrorist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist/) [Terrorist Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist-doesn-2161378/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm not afraid anymore. But I know that the terror exists. I know the kind of terror it is. You can't conceive of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-m-not-afraid-anymore-but-i-know-that-the-terror-exists-i-know-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I know it's a really hard concept to process, but the fact that Govt accuses someone of being a Terrorist doesn't mean they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/i-know-it-s-a-really-hard-concept-to-process-but-the-fact-that-govt/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [The Obama administration is dedicated to increasing terrorism. In fact, he is doing it all over the world. Obama is running the biggest terrorist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-obama-administration-is-dedicated-to-increasing-terrorism-in-fact/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Unfortunately, you are far more likely to be harmed or die prematurely as a direct result of modern society than you are from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/unfortunately-you-are-far-more-likely-to-be-harmed-or-die-prematurely/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [The real targets of terrorism are the rest of us: the billions of us who are not killed but are terrorized because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/the-real-targets-of-terrorism-are-the-rest-of-us-the-billions-of-us/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Terrorists can endanger some of us, but the war on terror endangers us all. How much more can the Constitution be diminished before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/terrorists-can-endanger-some-of-us-but-the-war-on-terror-endangers-us/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [Terrorists have no religion, belief, or race. Having been a target of a number of terrorist attacks myself, I personally empathize with the victims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheikh-hasina/terrorists-have-no-religion-belief-or-race-having-been-a-target-of-a/) [Sheikh Hasina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheikh-hasina/) > [Democracies don't go to war against each other, and by and large they don't sponsor terrorism. They're more likely to respect the environment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/democracies-don-t-go-to-war-against-each-other-and-by-and-large-they/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [In '94, I started writing a novel about an enormous terrorist act that destroyed the United States. The novel takes place twenty years after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/in-94-i-started-writing-a-novel-about-an-enormous-terrorist-act-that/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [True terror is a language and a vision. There is a deep narrative structure to terrorist acts, and they infiltrate and alter consciousness in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/true-terror-is-a-language-and-a-vision-there-is-a-deep-narrative/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [God's irony, that in order to fight and defeat the threat of terrorism, we shall have to be clear about the principle of justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/god-s-irony-that-in-order-to-fight-and-defeat-the-threat-of-terrorism/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Critics have stepped up their attacks on the President for authorizing the National Security Agency to listen to international communications of known al Qaeda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mcclellan/critics-have-stepped-up-their-attacks-on-the-president-for/) [Scott McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mcclellan/) > [I am not a terrorist, but neither am I a pacifist. I am simply a regular guy from the Palestinian street advocating only what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marwan-barghouti/i-am-not-a-terrorist-but-neither-am-i-a-pacifist-i-am-simply-a/) [Marwan Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marwan-barghouti/) > [I've never met anyone who wanted to be a terrorist. They are desperate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/i-ve-never-met-anyone-who-wanted-to-be-a-terrorist-they-are-desperate/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [I have clearly said we faced terrorist enemies who use Islam to justify slaughtering innocent people and we have to stop them and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-clearly-said-we-faced-terrorist-enemies-who-use-islam-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by Jean-Paul Malfatti > [How old is your age?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/how-old-is-your-age/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [What would be of Saturdays if there weren't Sundays?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/what-would-be-of-saturdays-if-there-weren-t-sundays/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Snow rocks but snow shoveling sucks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/snow-rocks-but-snow-shoveling-sucks/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Playing dumb is not for me. If I say that I don't understand it, it means that I don't understand it. Period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/playing-dumb-is-not-for-me-if-i-say-that-i-don-t-understand-it-it/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [I'm not used to paying tithes and I have never been under God's curse on account of that. And, if one day He considers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/i-m-not-used-to-paying-tithes-and-i-have-never-been-under-god-s-curse/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [It's easier for an Italian to gesticulate without talking than to talk without gesticulating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/it-s-easier-for-an-italian-to-gesticulate-without-talking-than-to/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [If you love yourself, fight for yourself!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/if-you-love-yourself-fight-for-yourself/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Being (or feeling as) a poet is also to weep sorrows behind the smile of a pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/being-or-feeling-as-a-poet-is-also-to-weep-sorrows-behind-the-smile/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Life becomes an even harder nut to crack right when you start thinking that living it is such a piece of cake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/life-becomes-an-even-harder-nut-to-crack-right-when-you-start/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Understanding the animals' instinct is much much easier than to understand the human beings' (pseudo) intelligence!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/understanding-the-animals-instinct-is-much-much-easier-than-to/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [This year, neither my boyfriend nor I am excited about Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, we feel as though we were a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/this-year-neither-my-boyfriend-nor-i-am-excited-about-thanksgiving-as/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [To love is to find out that life deserves to be lived and shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/to-love-is-to-find-out-that-life-deserves-to-be-lived-and-shared/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Neither do I love nor hate the hate itself because hating is the only thing haters love, and definitely I'm not one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/neither-do-i-love-nor-hate-the-hate-itself-because-hating-is-the-only/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [I wish I were a big-mouthed cockroach, so that I could lick all the sugar off your sweet kisses before gently and softly biting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/i-wish-i-were-a-big-mouthed-cockroach-so-that-i-could-lick-all-the/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) [Explore all 134 Jean-Paul Malfatti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) ## More Terror quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [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/) > [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Faced with armed men and women and stuck in theater seats while things exploded right outside, the audience tended more toward terror than analysis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-kay/faced-with-armed-men-and-women-and-stuck-in-theater-seats-while/) [Elliott Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-kay/) > [Life is a continuous learning process where mistakes are the terror teathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-continuous-learning-process-where-mistakes-are-the-terror/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dominion is a spy novel, a love story, and also I hope gives some sense of the difficulties faced by dissidents under any totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/dominion-is-a-spy-novel-a-love-story-and-also-i-hope-gives-some-sense/) [C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/) > [The idea of a bowed and terrified liberal minority during McCarthy's 'reign of terror' is poppycock. Then as now, all elite opinion was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-idea-of-a-bowed-and-terrified-liberal-minority-during-mccarthy-s/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [America today is a confused society, caught up in a terror war, a culture war, and a media war, where honesty and professional standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/america-today-is-a-confused-society-caught-up-in-a-terror-war-a/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [It's official: cyber terror is the new yellowcake uranium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-poulsen/it-s-official-cyber-terror-is-the-new-yellowcake-uranium/) [Kevin Poulsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-poulsen/) > [For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/for-fear-of-causing-terror-to-living-beings-mahamati-let-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Well, you know, they use those words so that they can scare people "terror" and "cell."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/well-you-know-they-use-those-words-so-that-they-can-scare-people/) [Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/) [Browse all 2,294 Terror quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A terrorist doesn't know what terror is because he simply unknows himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Paul Malfatti" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is-because-he-simply-unknows/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Terror" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is-because-he-simply-unknows/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1cd/jean-paul-malfatti-3314_terror_a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is_3111118.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A terrorist doesn't know what terror is because he simply unknows himself.” — Jean-Paul Malfatti", "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": "Jean-Paul Malfatti", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A terrorist doesn't know what terror...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is-because-he-simply-unknows/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/a-terrorist-doesn-t-know-what-terror-is-because-he-simply-unknows/#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 } } ] } ```