--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's not what justice is,\" the colonel…" description: "\"“That's not what justice is,\" the colonel jeered, and began pounding the table again with his big fat hand. \"That's what Karl Marx is. I'll tell you wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/joseph-heller-601_justice_that-s-not-what-justice-is-the-colonel-j_854407.png" --- # That's not what justice is," the colonel jeered, and began… ![“That's not what justice is," the colonel jeered, and began pounding the table again with his big fat hand. "That's what Karl Marx is. I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship…” quote by Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/joseph-heller-601_justice_that-s-not-what-justice-is-the-colonel-j_854407.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/joseph-heller-601_justice_that-s-not-what-justice-is-the-colonel-j_854407.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/joseph-heller-601_justice_that-s-not-what-justice-is-the-colonel-j_854407.png) > ““That's not what justice is," the colonel jeered, and began pounding the table again with his big fat hand. "That's what Karl Marx is. I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is when we've all got to be tough enough and rough enough to fight Billy Petrolle. From the hip. Get it?”” [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Justice is depicted as brutal, arbitrary, and violent, reflecting the absurdity of war and authority. **In simple terms:** Justice is harsh and chaotic. Key Takeaway Recognize the absurdity in violent definitions of justice. Themes war justice absurdity authority violence Mood dark ironic critical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - military tribunals - political rhetoric - media propaganda - personal vendettas Key Concepts moral relativism power dynamics psychological trauma Questions to Reflect On - What does true justice look like? - Can violence ever be justified as justice? A Different Perspective Justice can be twisted to justify cruelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) ## Related quotes > [I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/i-ll-tell-you-what-justice-is-justice-is-a-knee-in-the-gut-from-the/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/justice-is-a-knee-in-the-gut-from-the-floor-on-the-chin-at-night/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [Let me tell you what justice is. Justice is the law. 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Justice or might, we must choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/to-withdraw-ourselves-from-the-law-of-the-strong-we-have-found/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Who thinks the law has anything to do with justice? It's what we have because we can't have justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcilvanney/who-thinks-the-law-has-anything-to-do-with-justice-it-s-what-we-have/) [William McIlvanney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcilvanney/) > [Men are always invoking justice; yet it is justice which should make them tremble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/men-are-always-invoking-justice-yet-it-is-justice-which-should-make/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) ## More by Joseph Heller > [“Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. 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