--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course it was a terrible thing, and…" description: "\"Of course it was a terrible thing, and the world would be a much better place without someone in it who could do that, but did that mean we had to miss..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/jeff-lindsay-1259_better-place_of-course-it-was-a-terrible-thing-and-th_2185136.png" --- # Of course it was a terrible thing, and the world would be… ![“Of course it was a terrible thing, and the world would be a much better place without someone in it who could do that, but did that mean we had to miss lunch?” quote by Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/jeff-lindsay-1259_better-place_of-course-it-was-a-terrible-thing-and-th_2185136.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/jeff-lindsay-1259_better-place_of-course-it-was-a-terrible-thing-and-th_2185136.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c4/jeff-lindsay-1259_better-place_of-course-it-was-a-terrible-thing-and-th_2185136.png) > “Of course it was a terrible thing, and the world would be a much better place without someone in it who could do that, but did that mean we had to miss lunch?” [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A terrible person’s actions can seem justified if they prevent greater harm, yet mundane needs persist. **In simple terms:** Even bad people have ordinary needs. Key Takeaway Balance duty with daily life. Themes morality conflict humanity Mood conflicted thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - family meals - emergency decisions - personal crises Key Concepts ethical dilemmas personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Do we ignore small comforts for larger goals? - How do we justify harming others for perceived greater good? A Different Perspective Even villains have basic needs that must be met. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-place/) [Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunch/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Miss Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miss-lunch-4736950/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Place Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place-did-2752903/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-thing/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-better/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [I never expected to find love here in the first place, or to find myself. And I did both because of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-expected-to-find-love-here-in-the-first-place-or-to-find/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Growing up in the place I did I never was aware of any other option but to question everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/growing-up-in-the-place-i-did-i-never-was-aware-of-any-other-option/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I never wanted to get out of a place as much as I did to get out of the presidency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/i-never-wanted-to-get-out-of-a-place-as-much-as-i-did-to-get-out-of/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [The best moments in your life aren't based on the place or what you did..but Who you are with when you did it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-moments-in-your-life-aren-t-based-on-the-place-or-what-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you never trusted me in the first place, then why did you tell me everything..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica/if-you-never-trusted-me-in-the-first-place-then-why-did-you-tell-me/) [Monica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica/) > [“I know my place. I always did. I just never knew how to get there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-taylor/i-know-my-place-i-always-did-i-just-never-knew-how-to-get-there/) [Luke Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-taylor/) > [I didn't even matter in the first place, did I?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-didn-t-even-matter-in-the-first-place-did-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What a terrible thing life can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/what-a-terrible-thing-life-can-be/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [This generation I'm a member of, we're sort of infected by this idea that you had to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/this-generation-i-m-a-member-of-we-re-sort-of-infected-by-this-idea/) [Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/) > [At the end of my life, I want to say that I made the world a better place because I raised good children, loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/at-the-end-of-my-life-i-want-to-say-that-i-made-the-world-a-better/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [There's nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/there-s-nothing-more-dangerous-than-someone-who-wants-to-make-the/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [“Pets make the world a better place to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-lyons/pets-make-the-world-a-better-place-to-live/) [Susan Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-lyons/) > [It gives me such hope that each one of us can contribute to make this world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/it-gives-me-such-hope-that-each-one-of-us-can-contribute-to-make-this/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [“The world is indeed a better place when there is love, friendship, acceptance and hope. Powered by these you can indeed overcome anything including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/the-world-is-indeed-a-better-place-when-there-is-love-friendship/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [It is our job to make a difference and leave the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karol-g/it-is-our-job-to-make-a-difference-and-leave-the-world-a-better-place/) [Karol G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karol-g/) ## More by Jeff Lindsay > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“Rather than see me or have me touch it again, it died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/rather-than-see-me-or-have-me-touch-it-again-it-died/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“We don't get to pick our kin. The best we can hope for is to survive them...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/we-don-t-get-to-pick-our-kin-the-best-we-can-hope-for-is-to-survive/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I was never more alive than when the Dark Passenger was driving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-was-never-more-alive-than-when-the-dark-passenger-was-driving/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I had killed our careful relationship by driving my tongue through its heart and pushing it off a cliff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-killed-our-careful-relationship-by-driving-my-tongue-through/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I had become a perfect fake human, saying the stupid and pointless things that humans say to each other all day long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-had-become-a-perfect-fake-human-saying-the-stupid-and-pointless/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“Deborah led me away from it and over to the far end of the room. “Dexter,” she said, “promise me you didn’t kill this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/deborah-led-me-away-from-it-and-over-to-the-far-end-of-the-room/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Detective, I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/detective-i-don-t-know-where-the-boyfriend-is-really-i-said-and-it/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“I came, I saw, I blew chunks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-came-i-saw-i-blew-chunks/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [And what did you do last night, Dexter? Oh, I played with my dolls while a friend chopped up my sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/and-what-did-you-do-last-night-dexter-oh-i-played-with-my-dolls-while/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [In that tremendous flash of freedom, on my way to do The Thing for the first time, sanctioned by Almighty Harry, I receded, faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/in-that-tremendous-flash-of-freedom-on-my-way-to-do-the-thing-for-the/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“It would be much too difficult for anyone to get in and out of this area, especially if they were carrying questionable loads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-would-be-much-too-difficult-for-anyone-to-get-in-and-out-of-this/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“I spent the rest of the workday on routine paperwork, snarling at misplaced files and seething at the stupidity of everyone else's report writing--when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-spent-the-rest-of-the-workday-on-routine-paperwork-snarling-at/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [After a long moment I closed the freezer door. I wanted to lie down and press my cheek against the cool linoleum. Instead I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/after-a-long-moment-i-closed-the-freezer-door-i-wanted-to-lie-down/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I mean, really: what kind of person could possibly dislike me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/i-mean-really-what-kind-of-person-could-possibly-dislike-me/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) [Explore all 258 Jeff Lindsay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) ## More Better place quotes > [Angela Merkel has been focused on the right things. 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Powered by these you can indeed overcome anything including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/the-world-is-indeed-a-better-place-when-there-is-love-friendship/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [I think I just want to leave my mark in some way. I hope I leave the world a better place than it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/i-think-i-just-want-to-leave-my-mark-in-some-way-i-hope-i-leave-the/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [Art is not necessary at all. 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