--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Terror is a powerful means of policy and…" description: "\"“Terror is a powerful means of policy and one would have to be a hypocrite not to understand this.”\" — Leon Trotsky" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg" --- # Terror is a powerful means of policy and one would have to… ![“Terror is a powerful means of policy and one would have to be a hypocrite not to understand this.” quote by Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg) > ““Terror is a powerful means of policy and one would have to be a hypocrite not to understand this.”” [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Terror is an effective political tool, but acknowledging it reveals moral compromise. **In simple terms:** Terror works but is morally troubling. Key Takeaway Question the use of fear in politics. Themes politics morality power Mood critical reflective Type political ethical When to use this quote - revolutionary movements - authoritarian regimes - policy debates Key Concepts Ethical paradox statecraft Questions to Reflect On - Is terror ever justified for political ends? - How does fear shape public consent? A Different Perspective Reliance on terror can erode legitimacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authoritarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarianism/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Hypocrite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrite/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Totalitarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarianism/) ## Related quotes > [“To this day, I believe the unity of the world's countries in the fight against terror is more powerful than the fight itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-delong/to-this-day-i-believe-the-unity-of-the-world-s-countries-in-the-fight/) Michael DeLong > [“Open confession of dictatorship is far less dangerous than sham democracy. One can defend oneself against the former; the latter is like a creeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/open-confession-of-dictatorship-is-far-less-dangerous-than-sham/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“Equality of condition, though it is certainly a basic requirement for justice, is nevertheless among the greatest and most uncertain ventures of modern mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/equality-of-condition-though-it-is-certainly-a-basic-requirement-for/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“Looking into the mirror I ask myself: "You live in a house equipped with air conditioning. You eat tasty food. You utilize convenient transportation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marinella-venanzi/looking-into-the-mirror-i-ask-myself-you-live-in-a-house-equipped/) Marinella Venanzi > [ “Every time I do an interview people ask similar questions, such as "What is the most significant story that you have revealed?" \[…\] There… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/every-time-i-do-an-interview-people-ask-similar-questions-such-as/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Stalin perceived the world in stark black and white. In the same way, he divided people, nations, actions, and ideas into only two absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stalin-perceived-the-world-in-stark-black-and-white-in-the-same-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-victor-debs/in-every-age-it-has-been-the-tyrant-the-oppressor-and-the-exploiter/) Eugene Victor Debs > [I categorically deny that. The American left today as I know it - and believe me, I am very familiar with the American left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-categorically-deny-that-the-american-left-today-as-i-know-it-and/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [“Sooner or later, all talk among foreigners in Pyongyang turns to one imponderable subject. Do the locals really believe what they are told, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/sooner-or-later-all-talk-among-foreigners-in-pyongyang-turns-to-one/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“As observers of totalitarianism such as Victor Klemperer noticed, truth dies in four modes, all of which we have just witnessed. The first mode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/as-observers-of-totalitarianism-such-as-victor-klemperer-noticed/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“It was sometimes feebly argued, as the political and military war against this enemy ran into difficulties, that it was 'a war without end.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-sometimes-feebly-argued-as-the-political-and-military-war/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Rule by decree has conspicuous advantages for the domination of far-flung territories with heterogeneous populations and for a policy of oppression. Its efficiency is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/rule-by-decree-has-conspicuous-advantages-for-the-domination-of-far/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) ## More by Leon Trotsky > [The dialectic is neither fiction nor mysticism, but a science of the forms of our thinking insofar as it is not limited to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-dialectic-is-neither-fiction-nor-mysticism-but-a-science-of-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [ \[Joseph\] Stalin closes the exposition of these \[Leon Trotsky\] ideas with the words, "Such are in general the characteristic features of \[Vladimir\] Lenin's conception… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/joseph-stalin-closes-the-exposition-of-these-leon-trotsky-ideas-with/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [The creative union of the conscious with the unconscious is what one usually calls 'inspiration.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-creative-union-of-the-conscious-with-the-unconscious-is-what-one/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [Religions are illogical primitive ignorance. There is nothing as ridiculous and tragic as a religious government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/religions-are-illogical-primitive-ignorance-there-is-nothing-as/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [“As a battle cry against feudalism, the demand for democracy had a progressive character. As time went on, however, the metaphysics of natural law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/as-a-battle-cry-against-feudalism-the-demand-for-democracy-had-a/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [All the parties of capitalist society, all its moralists and all its sycophants will perish beneath the debris of the impending catastrophe. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/all-the-parties-of-capitalist-society-all-its-moralists-and-all-its/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [What shall we call an "immediate possibility"? In 1923 the situation in Germany was profoundly revolutionary, but what was lacking for a victorious revolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/what-shall-we-call-an-immediate-possibility-in-1923-the-situation-in/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [The history of a revolution is for us first of all a history of the forcible entrance of the masses into the realm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-history-of-a-revolution-is-for-us-first-of-all-a-history-of-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [I wrote a study about this question, The Lessons of October, which served as a pretext for my elimination from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/i-wrote-a-study-about-this-question-the-lessons-of-october-which/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [A program of "disarmament," while imperialist antagonisms survive, is the most pernicious of fictions. Even if it were realized by way of general agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/a-program-of-disarmament-while-imperialist-antagonisms-survive-is-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [ In Stalin each \[Soviet bureaucrat\] easily finds himself. But Stalin also finds in each one a small part of his own spirit. Stalin is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/in-stalin-each-soviet-bureaucrat-easily-finds-himself-but-stalin-also/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [As long as I breathe I hope. As long as I breathe I shall fight for the future, that radiant future, in which man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/as-long-as-i-breathe-i-hope-as-long-as-i-breathe-i-shall-fight-for/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [If we had had more time for discussion we should probably have made a great many more mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/if-we-had-had-more-time-for-discussion-we-should-probably-have-made-a/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [Is it possible to fulfill this task, is it possible to achieve the definite victory of Socialism in one country without the combined efforts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/is-it-possible-to-fulfill-this-task-is-it-possible-to-achieve-the/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [The motive force of history is truth and not lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/the-motive-force-of-history-is-truth-and-not-lies/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) [Explore all 161 Leon Trotsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) ## More Authoritarianism quotes > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [The libertarian can have no truck with 'left' or 'right' because he regrets any form of authoritarianism - the use of police force to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/the-libertarian-can-have-no-truck-with-left-or-right-because-he/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [A noble person stands up as though a theater curtain rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-noble-person-stands-up-as-though-a-theater-curtain-rises/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“Democracy can exist only in the countries where people are brave! Coward nations always live under the authoritarian regimes!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/democracy-can-exist-only-in-the-countries-where-people-are-brave/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I have been called arrogant myself in my time, and hope to earn the title again, but to claim that I am privy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-have-been-called-arrogant-myself-in-my-time-and-hope-to-earn-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We have power... Our power isn’t in a political system, or a religious system, or in an economic system, or in a military system;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/we-have-power-our-power-isn-t-in-a-political-system-or-a-religious/) [John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/) > [The practical reason for freedom is that freedom seems to be the only condition under which any kind of substantial moral fiber can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/the-practical-reason-for-freedom-is-that-freedom-seems-to-be-the-only/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [It has been well over half a century and I'm glad to say we have taken the right path from authoritarianism to democracy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-shui-bian/it-has-been-well-over-half-a-century-and-i-m-glad-to-say-we-have/) [Chen Shui-bian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-shui-bian/) > [Subconsciously it is possible to act, consciously it is possible to decide and overconsciously to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/subconsciously-it-is-possible-to-act-consciously-it-is-possible-to/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [We must nevertheless present all possible interpretations for each observation, so that competing theories can be formulated and defended. In science, as elsewhere, intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-reeves/we-must-nevertheless-present-all-possible-interpretations-for-each/) Hubert Reeves [Browse all 233 Authoritarianism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarianism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Terror is a powerful means of policy and one would have to be a hypocrite not to understand this.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leon Trotsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and-one-would-have-to-be-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authoritarianism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and-one-would-have-to-be-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/387/leon-trotsky-2558_authoritarianism_terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and_2256355.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Terror is a powerful means of policy and one would have to be a hypocrite not to understand this.” — Leon Trotsky", "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": "Leon Trotsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Terror is a powerful means of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and-one-would-have-to-be-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/terror-is-a-powerful-means-of-policy-and-one-would-have-to-be-a/#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 } } ] } ```