--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I knew the way these guys operated; I'd…" description: "\"“I knew the way these guys operated; I'd seen it over and over again. They had a need to manipulate and dominate their prey. They wanted to be able to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg" --- # I knew the way these guys operated; I'd seen it over and… ![“I knew the way these guys operated; I'd seen it over and over again. They had a need to manipulate and dominate their prey. They wanted to be able to decide whether or not their victim should live or die, or how the victim should die. They'd keep me alive as long as my body would hold out…” quote by John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg) > ““I knew the way these guys operated; I'd seen it over and over again. They had a need to manipulate and dominate their prey. They wanted to be able to decide whether or not their victim should live or die, or how the victim should die. They'd keep me alive as long as my body would hold out, reviving me when I passed out or was close to death, always inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible. Some of them could go on for days like that. They wanted to show me they were in total control, that I was completely at their mercy. The more I cried out, the more I begged for relief, the more I would fuel and energize their dark fantasies. If I would plead for my life or regress or call out for my mommy or daddy, that would really get them off.”” [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a torturer who seeks total control, inflicting extreme pain to dominate and manipulate the victim’s suffering. **In simple terms:** A torturer uses extreme pain to assert total control over a victim. Key Takeaway Beware of power abused through cruelty. Themes psychology violence control sadism survival abuse Mood disturbing somber Type psychological ethical When to use this quote - analysis of abusive behavior - law enforcement training Key Concepts Power dynamics human rights interrogation tactics Questions to Reflect On - What drives individuals to seek total control? - How can victims resist psychological domination? A Different Perspective Such cruelty can be self‑reinforcing and destructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Close to death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-to-death/) [Live or die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-or-die/) [Pain and suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-and-suffering/) ## Related quotes > [“And whatever she suffered, he will suffer so much worse, so much worse. However loudly she cried, and begged him to stop, her murderer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/and-whatever-she-suffered-he-will-suffer-so-much-worse-so-much-worse/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“I've mentored several times over the years," Mags continues. "In the early Games, I didn't ask the tributes what they wanted because the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-ve-mentored-several-times-over-the-years-mags-continues-in-the/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“Life has been bestowed upon us freely. NEVER! and I repeat NEVER…... at any one time allow anyone to make you plead for it!!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akuku-mach-pep/life-has-been-bestowed-upon-us-freely-never-and-i-repeat-never-at-any/) [Akuku Mach Pep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akuku-mach-pep/) > [We musn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something that young people don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-musn-t-forget-old-people-with-their-rotten-bodies-old-people-who/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“... we absolutely mustn't forget it. We mustn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-absolutely-mustn-t-forget-it-we-mustn-t-forget-old-people-with/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Is it not strange how quickly one can become detached from everything? How empty life appears when one is close to death!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/is-it-not-strange-how-quickly-one-can-become-detached-from-everything/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [There is nothing compared to the feeling of losing life. The moment when you are close to death is nothing but a profound experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/there-is-nothing-compared-to-the-feeling-of-losing-life-the-moment/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [You know when you read that someone has to leave a show or a tour because they had 'nervous exhaustion'? Well, I had one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/you-know-when-you-read-that-someone-has-to-leave-a-show-or-a-tour/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I became entirely given over to extreme dread. The fear was so powerful that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate... 'Whitley' ceased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-became-entirely-given-over-to-extreme-dread-the-fear-was-so/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [In Mexico, you're close to death all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/in-mexico-you-re-close-to-death-all-the-time/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I came so close to death in the search of love...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-came-so-close-to-death-in-the-search-of-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For the first time in a long time I thought about Maman. I felt as if I understood why at the end of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/for-the-first-time-in-a-long-time-i-thought-about-maman-i-felt-as-if/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“I had never been so close to death before. For a long time, as I lay there trying to clear my mind, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-brink/i-had-never-been-so-close-to-death-before-for-a-long-time-as-i-lay/) [Andre Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-brink/) > [“A great melancholy was hanging in the air, giving their love a more languid, more tender feeling. It was like the love one feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/a-great-melancholy-was-hanging-in-the-air-giving-their-love-a-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“There is lucidity inspired by the nearness of the grave:to be close to death is to see clearly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-lucidity-inspired-by-the-nearness-of-the-grave-to-be-close/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) ## More by John E. Douglas > [“Serial murder may, in fact, be a much older phenomenon than we realize. The stories and legends that have filtered down about witches and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/serial-murder-may-in-fact-be-a-much-older-phenomenon-than-we-realize/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“Manipulation. Domination. Control. These are the three watchwords of violent serial offenders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/manipulation-domination-control-these-are-the-three-watchwords-of/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“One of the first things every trainee is taught is that an FBI agent only shoots to kill. The thinking that went into this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/one-of-the-first-things-every-trainee-is-taught-is-that-an-fbi-agent/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“Traditionally, most murders and violent crimes were relatively easy for law enforcement officials to comprehend. They resulted from critically exaggerated manifestations of feelings we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/traditionally-most-murders-and-violent-crimes-were-relatively-easy/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“It all comes down to this: Whenever theory supersedes evidence, and prejudice deposes rationalism, there can be no real justice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/it-all-comes-down-to-this-whenever-theory-supersedes-evidence-and/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“of Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 classic “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” may have been history’s first behavioral profiler.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/of-edgar-allan-poe-s-1841-classic-the-murders-in-the-rue-morgue-may/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“from the Adairsville PD. What you’ve got to do is imply that you understand the subject, understand what was going through his mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/from-the-adairsville-pd-what-you-ve-got-to-do-is-imply-that-you/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“By studying as many crimes as we could, and through talking to the experts—the perpetrators themselves—we have learned to interpret those clues in much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/by-studying-as-many-crimes-as-we-could-and-through-talking-to-the/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“So much of what a law enforcement officer does is difficult to share with anyone, even a spouse. When you spend your days looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/so-much-of-what-a-law-enforcement-officer-does-is-difficult-to-share/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“Even though their crimes were completely different, the one thing the maladjusted genius Ted Kaczynski and the sadistic but banal underachiever Dennis Rader shared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/even-though-their-crimes-were-completely-different-the-one-thing-the/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“If a bank robber tapes over the lens of a surveillance camera, that’s MO. If he feels a need to tear his clothes off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/if-a-bank-robber-tapes-over-the-lens-of-a-surveillance-camera-that-s/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“I've come out many times publicly in support of the death penalty. I've stated that I'd be more than willing personally to pull the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/i-ve-come-out-many-times-publicly-in-support-of-the-death-penalty-i/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“The problem with offering up the top guy, in addition to encouraging other desperate little people to try the same thing, is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/the-problem-with-offering-up-the-top-guy-in-addition-to-encouraging/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“Behavior reflects personality. The best indicator of future violence is past violence. To understand the "artist," you must study his "art." The crime must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/behavior-reflects-personality-the-best-indicator-of-future-violence/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) > [“As with everything else in my life, I decided that if we were all going to get through this in one piece, I’d better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/as-with-everything-else-in-my-life-i-decided-that-if-we-were-all/) [John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) [Explore all 37 John E. Douglas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/) ## More Close to death quotes > [“There is lucidity inspired by the nearness of the grave:to be close to death is to see clearly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-lucidity-inspired-by-the-nearness-of-the-grave-to-be-close/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“A great melancholy was hanging in the air, giving their love a more languid, more tender feeling. It was like the love one feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/a-great-melancholy-was-hanging-in-the-air-giving-their-love-a-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“I had never been so close to death before. For a long time, as I lay there trying to clear my mind, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-brink/i-had-never-been-so-close-to-death-before-for-a-long-time-as-i-lay/) [Andre Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-brink/) > [For the first time in a long time I thought about Maman. I felt as if I understood why at the end of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/for-the-first-time-in-a-long-time-i-thought-about-maman-i-felt-as-if/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I came so close to death in the search of love...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-came-so-close-to-death-in-the-search-of-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In Mexico, you're close to death all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/in-mexico-you-re-close-to-death-all-the-time/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [I became entirely given over to extreme dread. The fear was so powerful that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate... 'Whitley' ceased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-became-entirely-given-over-to-extreme-dread-the-fear-was-so/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [You know when you read that someone has to leave a show or a tour because they had 'nervous exhaustion'? Well, I had one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/you-know-when-you-read-that-someone-has-to-leave-a-show-or-a-tour/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [There is nothing compared to the feeling of losing life. The moment when you are close to death is nothing but a profound experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/there-is-nothing-compared-to-the-feeling-of-losing-life-the-moment/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [“Is it not strange how quickly one can become detached from everything? How empty life appears when one is close to death!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/is-it-not-strange-how-quickly-one-can-become-detached-from-everything/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“... we absolutely mustn't forget it. We mustn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-absolutely-mustn-t-forget-it-we-mustn-t-forget-old-people-with/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [We musn't forget old people with their rotten bodies, old people who are so close to death, something that young people don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-musn-t-forget-old-people-with-their-rotten-bodies-old-people-who/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [What the meat industry figured out is that you don't need healthy animals to make a profit. Sick animals are more profitable... Factory farms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/what-the-meat-industry-figured-out-is-that-you-don-t-need-healthy/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Is it life threatening?” they asked. They said it slightly sotto voce, but you could hear the thirst for sensation right through it: when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-koch/is-it-life-threatening-they-asked-they-said-it-slightly-sotto-voce/) [Herman Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-koch/) > [People always speak beautifully when they are in love or close to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/people-always-speak-beautifully-when-they-are-in-love-or-close-to/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) [Browse all 51 Close to death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-to-death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I knew the way these guys operated; I'd seen it over and over again. They had a need to manipulate and dominate their prey. They wanted to be able to decide whether or not their victim should live or die, or how the victim should die. They'd keep me alive as long as my body would hold out, reviving me when I passed out or was close to death, always inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible. Some of them could go on for days like that. They wanted to show me they were in total control, that I was completely at their mercy. The more I cried out, the more I begged for relief, the more I would fuel and energize their dark fantasies. If I would plead for my life or regress or call out for my mommy or daddy, that would really get them off.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John E. Douglas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-seen-it-over-and-over-again/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Close to death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-seen-it-over-and-over-again/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bd/john-e-douglas-17408_close-to-death_i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-s_1121057.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I knew the way these guys operated; I'd seen it over and over again. They had a need to manipulate and…” — John E. Douglas", "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": "John E. Douglas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I knew the way these guys...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-seen-it-over-and-over-again/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/i-knew-the-way-these-guys-operated-i-d-seen-it-over-and-over-again/#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 } } ] } ```