--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have to lock up people, without trial…" description: "\"We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg" --- # We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are… ![“We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins.” quote by Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg) > “We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins.” [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates preemptive detention of perceived threats to protect national stability, emphasizing security over civil liberties. **In simple terms:** Supports detaining dangerous groups before trial to safeguard the country. Key Takeaway Balance security with due process. Themes security authoritarianism civil liberties political ideology Mood serious political Type political ethical When to use this quote - government policy - counterterrorism - political repression Key Concepts state power human rights law enforcement Questions to Reflect On - Is preemptive detention justified? - How to protect rights while ensuring security? A Different Perspective Risk of abuse and loss of freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists/) [Communists Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communists-language-2065597/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Extremist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremist/) [Extremists Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremists-don-2065598/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lock People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lock-people-2061753/) [Lock up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lock-up/) [Locks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locks/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Trial Communists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trial-communists-2065596/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [So we are being systematically trained to fear this false 'rising crime' tide. This is all part of a system to lock up more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/so-we-are-being-systematically-trained-to-fear-this-false-rising/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [You're living with these characters for years and years, you need to have a lock on who they are as people, what they like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/you-re-living-with-these-characters-for-years-and-years-you-need-to/) [Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/) > [It's very disconcerting to have a camera shoved in your face. It's really discombobulating. If you're the least bit nervous you forget what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-bee/it-s-very-disconcerting-to-have-a-camera-shoved-in-your-face-it-s/) [Samantha Bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-bee/) > [We need more extreme movies in Sweden.Personal projects that are necessarily made for a bigger audience. I think it creates a creative lock-up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noomi-rapace/we-need-more-extreme-movies-in-sweden-personal-projects-that-are/) [Noomi Rapace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noomi-rapace/) > [One night she hid the pink cotton scarf from her raincoat in the pillowcase when the nurse came around to lock up her drawers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/one-night-she-hid-the-pink-cotton-scarf-from-her-raincoat-in-the/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [When I do comedy, my brain sort of locks up in the infinite possibilities. That's where I get sort of lost. I think, "Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/when-i-do-comedy-my-brain-sort-of-locks-up-in-the-infinite/) [Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/) > [The Waters are Nature's storehouse in which she locks up her wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/the-waters-are-nature-s-storehouse-in-which-she-locks-up-her-wonders/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [When President Clinton starts talking about what is moral, as he did when recommending a national law banning human cloning, it's time for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/when-president-clinton-starts-talking-about-what-is-moral-as-he-did/) [Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/) > [But I have learned a thing or two; I know as sure as fate, when we lock up our lives for wealth, the gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-carleton/but-i-have-learned-a-thing-or-two-i-know-as-sure-as-fate-when-we-lock/) [Will Carleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-carleton/) > [As far as the hate, it makes me laugh. Everybody is a critic. Every critic I've ever had, they weren't wrestlers. Every wrestler I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-reigns/as-far-as-the-hate-it-makes-me-laugh-everybody-is-a-critic-every/) [Roman Reigns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-reigns/) > [If you want a language that tries to lock up all the sharp objects and fire-making implements, use Pascal or Ada: the Nerf languages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-fahlman/if-you-want-a-language-that-tries-to-lock-up-all-the-sharp-objects/) [Scott Fahlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-fahlman/) > [Although I consider myself pretty liberal, I'm not against punishment. There's nothing wrong with punishing someone who has done something wrong. Or with public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskos/although-i-consider-myself-pretty-liberal-i-m-not-against-punishment/) [Peter Moskos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskos/) > [But you must still know to respect other people's faith.' 'Why? We don't respect any other delusion. We lock up people who believe they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arditti/but-you-must-still-know-to-respect-other-people-s-faith-why-we-don-t/) [Michael Arditti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arditti/) > [Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/lock-up-your-libraries-if-you-like-but-there-is-no-gate-no-lock-no/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“It is better to lock up your heart with a merciless padlock, than to fall in love with someone who doesn't know what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-better-to-lock-up-your-heart-with-a-merciless-padlock-than-to/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Lee Kuan Yew > [“You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government. You get that alternative and you'll never put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-know-the-cure-for-all-this-talk-is-really-a-good-dose-of/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I'm not saying that everything I did was right, but everything I did was for an honourable purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-m-not-saying-that-everything-i-did-was-right-but-everything-i-did/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/if-for-instance-you-put-in-a-malay-officer-who-s-very-religious-and/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister...She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/supposing-catherine-lim-was-writing-about-me-and-not-the-prime/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [You marry a non-graduate, then you are going to worry if your son or daughter is going to make it to the university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/you-marry-a-non-graduate-then-you-are-going-to-worry-if-your-son-or/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [That was the year the British decided to get out and sell everything. So I immediately held an election. I knew the people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/that-was-the-year-the-british-decided-to-get-out-and-sell-everything/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [A leader without the vision, to strive to improve things, is no good. Then you will just stay put, you won't progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/a-leader-without-the-vision-to-strive-to-improve-things-is-no-good/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [India is scared of the competition... because Chinese goods will go into India and compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/india-is-scared-of-the-competition-because-chinese-goods-will-go-into/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I was a product of the times, the war, the occupation, the reoccupation, my 4 years in Britain, admiring but at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-was-a-product-of-the-times-the-war-the-occupation-the-reoccupation/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Three women were brought to the Singapore General Hospital, each in the same condition and needing a blood transfusion. The first, a Southeast Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/three-women-were-brought-to-the-singapore-general-hospital-each-in/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [What I fear is complacency. When things always become better, people tend to want more for less work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/what-i-fear-is-complacency-when-things-always-become-better-people/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I have said this on many a previous occasion: that had the mix in Singapore been different, had it been 75% Indians, 15% Malays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-have-said-this-on-many-a-previous-occasion-that-had-the-mix-in/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [I have decided that we shall make and build and never give way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/i-have-decided-that-we-shall-make-and-build-and-never-give-way/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Nine holes of golf will take you one-and-a-half, two hours. I run in 20 minutes, I feel better off. So the cost benefit made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/nine-holes-of-golf-will-take-you-one-and-a-half-two-hours-i-run-in-20/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) [Explore all 119 Lee Kuan Yew quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) ## More Communist quotes > [ Corruption could lead to the collapse of the Party \[Communist Party of China\] and the downfall of the state \[People's Republic of China\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xi-jinping/corruption-could-lead-to-the-collapse-of-the-party-communist-party-of/) [Xi Jinping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xi-jinping/) > [If the director's a communist, whatever, he's a communist. All I care is that he directs. For the actor, the same thing. All you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/if-the-director-s-a-communist-whatever-he-s-a-communist-all-i-care-is/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) > [What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hani/what-we-need-in-south-africa-is-for-egos-to-be-suppressed-in-favour/) [Chris Hani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hani/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The ultimate goal of the whole policy of peaceful co-existence was to make progress on the basic goal laid down by Lenin of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-whole-policy-of-peaceful-co-existence-was-to/) [Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/) > [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [ That's why we had Louis C.K. portray the harder line Communist, to accuse \[Dalton\] Trumbo of being a hypocrite. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/that-s-why-we-had-louis-c-k-portray-the-harder-line-communist-to/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/) [Davis McCaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-mccaughey/) > [My father, Charles Seeger, got me into the Communist movement. He backed out around '38. I drifted out in the 50's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/my-father-charles-seeger-got-me-into-the-communist-movement-he-backed/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [We must protect each other against the attacks of those self-appointed watchdogs of patriotism now abroad in the land who irresponsibly pin red labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-henry-hildebrand/we-must-protect-each-other-against-the-attacks-of-those-self/) [Joel Henry Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-henry-hildebrand/) > [This time we'll hate, alright - but we'll hate the enemy - the vicious gang of colored scum attackers and Jewish-Communist traitors - rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lincoln-rockwell/this-time-we-ll-hate-alright-but-we-ll-hate-the-enemy-the-vicious/) [George Lincoln Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lincoln-rockwell/) > [Fidel Castro outlasted U.S. presidents determined to overthrow him, survived the collapse of the communist bloc that sustained him and outlived many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-gjelten/fidel-castro-outlasted-u-s-presidents-determined-to-overthrow-him/) [Tom Gjelten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-gjelten/) > [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) [Browse all 1,048 Communist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don’t do that, the country would be in ruins.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee Kuan Yew" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial-whether-they-are-communists/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial-whether-they-are-communists/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/lee-kuan-yew-3939_communist_we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial_995376.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language…” — Lee Kuan Yew", "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": "Lee Kuan Yew", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have to lock up people,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial-whether-they-are-communists/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/we-have-to-lock-up-people-without-trial-whether-they-are-communists/#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 } } ] } ```