--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, I think we ought to let him hang…" description: "\"Well, I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.\" — John Ehrlichman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png" --- # Well, I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him… ![“Well, I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.” quote by John Ehrlichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png) > “Well, I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.” [John Ehrlichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deliberate suffering can be used as a punitive measure, but it raises moral concerns. **In simple terms:** Punishment can be cruel. Key Takeaway Avoid cruel tactics. Themes ethics power punishment politics Mood critical serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - law enforcement - political dissent - corporate discipline Key Concepts authoritarianism human rights political strategy Questions to Reflect On - Is cruelty ever justified for political ends? - What are humane alternatives to punishment? A Different Perspective Such tactics can backfire and erode legitimacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hang Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hang-let-1465847/) [Let Hang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-hang-860828/) [Let Twist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-twist-1979764/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Sarcastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcastic/) [Slowly Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slowly-wind-1979762/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Twist Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twist-slowly-1979763/) [Twists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twists/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [I think we ought to let him hang there, let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-there-let-him-twist-slowly-slowly-in/) [John Ehrlichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/) > [“Let the story settle inside you. Let it move and twist around until you see what it has to say to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-callahan-henry/let-the-story-settle-inside-you-let-it-move-and-twist-around-until/) [Patti Callahan Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-callahan-henry/) > [Few people, very few, have a treasure, and if you do you must hang onto it. You must not let yourself be waylaid, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/few-people-very-few-have-a-treasure-and-if-you-do-you-must-hang-onto/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Sometimes, we hang on, even if we should let go, because sometimes, the right things dont always give us the best feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-gaufo/sometimes-we-hang-on-even-if-we-should-let-go-because-sometimes-the/) [Marco Gaufo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-gaufo/) > [If they want to hang me, let them. And on the scaffold I will shout Freedom for the working class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/if-they-want-to-hang-me-let-them-and-on-the-scaffold-i-will-shout/) [Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/) > [“Few people, very few, have a treasure, and if you do you must hang on to it. You must not let yourself be waylaid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/few-people-very-few-have-a-treasure-and-if-you-do-you-must-hang-on-to/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I'll just strut in my birthday suit and let everything hang loose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/i-ll-just-strut-in-my-birthday-suit-and-let-everything-hang-loose/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [You have to let it all hang out, let go of the ideas that were more comfortable and embrace some of the sadness in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-peyroux/you-have-to-let-it-all-hang-out-let-go-of-the-ideas-that-were-more/) [Madeleine Peyroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-peyroux/) > [“What are you grinning for?' he asked the figure on the next branch. I CAN'T HELP IT, said Death. NOW WOULD YOU BE SO…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-are-you-grinning-for-he-asked-the-figure-on-the-next-branch-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I think sometimes if you let it all hang out, it makes you a target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naturi-naughton/i-think-sometimes-if-you-let-it-all-hang-out-it-makes-you-a-target/) [Naturi Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naturi-naughton/) > [“Let her hang me: he that is well hanged in this world needs to fear no colours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-her-hang-me-he-that-is-well-hanged-in-this-world-needs-to-fear-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Let's hang ourselves immediately!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/let-s-hang-ourselves-immediately/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [That's something I do each and every day, come in and compete, just let it hang loose, and throw it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devlin-hodges/that-s-something-i-do-each-and-every-day-come-in-and-compete-just-let/) [Devlin Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devlin-hodges/) > [… Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate. Time falls away, but these small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/our-lives-are-made-in-these-small-hours-these-little-wonders-these/) [Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/) > [When it comes to dating, Im straightforward and traditional with a twist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-pasqualino/when-it-comes-to-dating-im-straightforward-and-traditional-with-a/) [Luke Pasqualino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-pasqualino/) ## More by John Ehrlichman > [Look, we understood we couldn't make it illegal to be young or poor or black in the United States, but we could criminalize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/look-we-understood-we-couldn-t-make-it-illegal-to-be-young-or-poor-or/) [John Ehrlichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/) > [I think we ought to let him hang there, let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-there-let-him-twist-slowly-slowly-in/) [John Ehrlichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/) > [ \[T\]he Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar Left, and black people. You understand what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/t-he-nixon-campaign-in-1968-and-the-nixon-white-house-after-that-had/) [John Ehrlichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/) [Explore all 4 John Ehrlichman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/) ## More Ought quotes > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Economists think about what people ought to do. Psychologists watch what they actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/economists-think-about-what-people-ought-to-do-psychologists-watch/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [The Ten Commandments don't tell you what you ought to do: They only put ideas into your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bibesco/the-ten-commandments-don-t-tell-you-what-you-ought-to-do-they-only/) [Elizabeth Bibesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bibesco/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [We ought to observe that practice which is the hardest of all-especially for young physicians-we ought to throw in no medicine at all-to abstain-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-of-roanoke/we-ought-to-observe-that-practice-which-is-the-hardest-of-all/) [John Randolph of Roanoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph-of-roanoke/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The first thing you ought to do is verify what I present. Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to be proud of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/there-are-a-great-many-colored-people-who-are-ashamed-of-the-cake/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [Force ought to follow justice and not to precede.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-coke/force-ought-to-follow-justice-and-not-to-precede/) [Edward Coke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-coke/) > [We must allow the Bible to say what is says, not what we think it ought to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/we-must-allow-the-bible-to-say-what-is-says-not-what-we-think-it/) [Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/) [Browse all 3,519 Ought quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Ehrlichman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-there-let-him-twist-slowly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ought" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-there-let-him-twist-slowly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/john-ehrlichman-73725_ought_well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-th_1984973.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, I think we ought to let him hang there. Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.” — John Ehrlichman", "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 Ehrlichman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ehrlichman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Well, I think we ought to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-there-let-him-twist-slowly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ehrlichman/well-i-think-we-ought-to-let-him-hang-there-let-him-twist-slowly/#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 } } ] } ```