---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is kidnapping kidnappers still…"
description: "\"“Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?\" Miles mused. \"Yes,\" said Roic, unhelpfully. \"Not that NewEgypt is likely to bring charges.\" \"Naw, they'd d..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg"
---

#  Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?" Miles mused…

![“Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?&quot; Miles mused. &quot;Yes,&quot; said Roic, unhelpfully. &quot;Not that NewEgypt is likely to bring charges.&quot; &quot;Naw, they'd do something else.&quot; &quot;I am reminded. I could have Suze freeze and store them for us, I suppose. Technically.&quot; Roic gave him the Look. &quot;If push came to…” quote by Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg)

> ““Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?" Miles mused. "Yes," said Roic, unhelpfully. "Not that NewEgypt is likely to bring charges." "Naw, they'd do something else." "I am reminded. I could have Suze freeze and store them for us, I suppose. Technically." Roic gave him the Look. "If push came to shove. As a Kibou-daini problem-solving technique, there seems to be precedent." Roic said nothing, firmly.””

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A character questions whether a criminal act remains a crime if the perpetrator is also a victim, highlighting moral ambiguity.

**In simple terms:** Is a kidnapping still kidnapping if the kidnapper is also kidnapped?

Key Takeaway

Question the consistency of moral labels.

Themes

morality paradox law

Mood

thought‑provoking conflicted

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- legal debates
- fictional dilemmas
- ethical training
- role‑play games

Key Concepts

ethical relativism justice role‑reversal

Questions to Reflect On

- Can a crime be justified by circumstance?
- What defines a victim versus a perpetrator?

A Different Perspective

The line between victim and perpetrator can blur, making judgments complex.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Kidnappers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidnappers/) [Kidnappers Kidnapping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidnappers-kidnapping-3420220/) [Kidnapping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidnapping/) [Kidnapping Kidnappers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidnapping-kidnappers-3420219/) [Kidnapping Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidnapping-miles-3420218/)

## Related quotes

> [How a kidnapping ends depends to a large degree on who the kidnappers are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuliana-sgrena/how-a-kidnapping-ends-depends-to-a-large-degree-on-who-the-kidnappers/)

[Giuliana Sgrena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuliana-sgrena/)

> [The vile blackmail by a band of criminal kidnappers must not be given the dignity of a political response. Italy is and must remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-rutelli/the-vile-blackmail-by-a-band-of-criminal-kidnappers-must-not-be-given/)

[Francesco Rutelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-rutelli/)

> [Your ex asking to be friends after a break up is like... Kidnappers asking you to keep in touch after letting you go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-ex-asking-to-be-friends-after-a-break-up-is-like-kidnappers/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I give you my word that, until I started to tramp the place with this child, I never had a notion that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/i-give-you-my-word-that-until-i-started-to-tramp-the-place-with-this/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [Your Ex asking to be friends after breaking up is like Kidnappers asking to keep in touch after letting you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky/your-ex-asking-to-be-friends-after-breaking-up-is-like-kidnappers/)

[Vicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky/)

> [One thing I can't stand is late kidnappers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tork/one-thing-i-can-t-stand-is-late-kidnappers/)

[Peter Tork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tork/)

> [“There had been no kidnapped boys swabbing the decks and earning pats on the head from white kidnappers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/there-had-been-no-kidnapped-boys-swabbing-the-decks-and-earning-pats/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [If abortion is murder then, are condoms kidnappers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muz-mafuwane/if-abortion-is-murder-then-are-condoms-kidnappers/)

[Muz Mafuwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muz-mafuwane/)

> [Sarah, honey, I hardly think kidnappers are going to take the time to buy a memento of their stay. I could be wrong, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/sarah-honey-i-hardly-think-kidnappers-are-going-to-take-the-time-to/)

[Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/)

> [“Our society needs criminals like Wolfgang Priklopil in order to give a face to the evil that lives within and to split it off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-kampusch/our-society-needs-criminals-like-wolfgang-priklopil-in-order-to-give/)

[Natascha Kampusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-kampusch/)

> [I've been told not to tour down in Mexico. I am too well-known now. The kidnappers may think that my publisher will pay a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-alberto-urrea/i-ve-been-told-not-to-tour-down-in-mexico-i-am-too-well-known-now-the/)

[Luis Alberto Urrea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-alberto-urrea/)

> [It was a slow understanding that my kidnappers really are a product of their environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lindhout/it-was-a-slow-understanding-that-my-kidnappers-really-are-a-product/)

[Amanda Lindhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lindhout/)

> [“Dex was the boy who’d tackled the kidnappers so she could try to get away. He’d suffered in silence as they burned him over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-messenger/dex-was-the-boy-who-d-tackled-the-kidnappers-so-she-could-try-to-get/)

[Shannon Messenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-messenger/)

> [When I was a kid I got no respect. The time I was kidnapped, and the kidnappers sent my parents a note they said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-no-respect-the-time-i-was-kidnapped-and-the/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [“Just her luck to be abducted by kidnappers who could think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/just-her-luck-to-be-abducted-by-kidnappers-who-could-think/)

[Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/)

## More by Lois McMaster Bujold

> [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Never do yourself, what you can con professionals into doing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/never-do-yourself-what-you-can-con-professionals-into-doing-for-you/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“It reminded him of that definition of his father's. A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/it-reminded-him-of-that-definition-of-his-father-s-a-weapon-is-a/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“I was imagining the most bizarre things befalling you.” “Did they include a six-hundred-pound ice bear and a pirate poet?” “No…” “Then they weren’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-was-imagining-the-most-bizarre-things-befalling-you-did-they/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [There is a sad disconnectedness that overcomes a library when its owner is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/there-is-a-sad-disconnectedness-that-overcomes-a-library-when-its/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“No, amusing me only, I wonder if they realize how they are used?" "Not a bit. They think they are the emperors of creation."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/no-amusing-me-only-i-wonder-if-they-realize-how-they-are-used-not-a/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“You bastards are on the top of Imperial Lord Auditor Miles Vorkosigan's very own shit list now, you bet. But under what name? Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/you-bastards-are-on-the-top-of-imperial-lord-auditor-miles-vorkosigan/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“Anyway, if the Cetagandans really wanted to assassinate you, they'd hardly do it here. They'd slip something subtle under your skin that wouldn't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/anyway-if-the-cetagandans-really-wanted-to-assassinate-you-they-d/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Endure pain, find joy, and make your own meaning, because the universe certainly isn't going to supply it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/endure-pain-find-joy-and-make-your-own-meaning-because-the-universe/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [Your Reverence, I do not hate any man in this world enough to inflict the results of my prayers upon him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/your-reverence-i-do-not-hate-any-man-in-this-world-enough-to-inflict/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“I always thought my parents could fix anything. Now it's my turn. Dear God, how did this happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-always-thought-my-parents-could-fix-anything-now-it-s-my-turn-dear/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“I think it is not so much the growth of virtue, as simply the replacement of prior vices with an addiction to one’s god.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/i-think-it-is-not-so-much-the-growth-of-virtue-as-simply-the/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/the-dead-cannot-cry-out-for-justice-it-is-a-duty-of-the-living-to-do/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

> [“Gardens were meant to be seen, smelled, walked through, grubbed in. A hundred objective measurements didn't sum the worth of a garden; only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/gardens-were-meant-to-be-seen-smelled-walked-through-grubbed-in-a/)

[Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

[Explore all 392 Lois McMaster Bujold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/)

## More Kidnappers quotes

> [How a kidnapping ends depends to a large degree on who the kidnappers are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuliana-sgrena/how-a-kidnapping-ends-depends-to-a-large-degree-on-who-the-kidnappers/)

[Giuliana Sgrena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuliana-sgrena/)

> [When I was a kid I got no respect. The time I was kidnapped, and the kidnappers sent my parents a note they said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-no-respect-the-time-i-was-kidnapped-and-the/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [“Dex was the boy who’d tackled the kidnappers so she could try to get away. He’d suffered in silence as they burned him over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-messenger/dex-was-the-boy-who-d-tackled-the-kidnappers-so-she-could-try-to-get/)

[Shannon Messenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-messenger/)

> [It was a slow understanding that my kidnappers really are a product of their environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lindhout/it-was-a-slow-understanding-that-my-kidnappers-really-are-a-product/)

[Amanda Lindhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lindhout/)

> [I've been told not to tour down in Mexico. I am too well-known now. The kidnappers may think that my publisher will pay a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-alberto-urrea/i-ve-been-told-not-to-tour-down-in-mexico-i-am-too-well-known-now-the/)

[Luis Alberto Urrea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-alberto-urrea/)

> [“Our society needs criminals like Wolfgang Priklopil in order to give a face to the evil that lives within and to split it off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-kampusch/our-society-needs-criminals-like-wolfgang-priklopil-in-order-to-give/)

[Natascha Kampusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-kampusch/)

> [Sarah, honey, I hardly think kidnappers are going to take the time to buy a memento of their stay. I could be wrong, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/sarah-honey-i-hardly-think-kidnappers-are-going-to-take-the-time-to/)

[Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/)

> [If abortion is murder then, are condoms kidnappers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muz-mafuwane/if-abortion-is-murder-then-are-condoms-kidnappers/)

[Muz Mafuwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muz-mafuwane/)

> [“There had been no kidnapped boys swabbing the decks and earning pats on the head from white kidnappers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/there-had-been-no-kidnapped-boys-swabbing-the-decks-and-earning-pats/)

[Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/)

> [One thing I can't stand is late kidnappers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tork/one-thing-i-can-t-stand-is-late-kidnappers/)

[Peter Tork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tork/)

> [Your Ex asking to be friends after breaking up is like Kidnappers asking to keep in touch after letting you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky/your-ex-asking-to-be-friends-after-breaking-up-is-like-kidnappers/)

[Vicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky/)

> [“I give you my word that, until I started to tramp the place with this child, I never had a notion that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/i-give-you-my-word-that-until-i-started-to-tramp-the-place-with-this/)

[P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/)

> [Your ex asking to be friends after a break up is like... Kidnappers asking you to keep in touch after letting you go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-ex-asking-to-be-friends-after-a-break-up-is-like-kidnappers/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The vile blackmail by a band of criminal kidnappers must not be given the dignity of a political response. Italy is and must remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesco-rutelli/the-vile-blackmail-by-a-band-of-criminal-kidnappers-must-not-be-given/)

[Francesco Rutelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesco-rutelli/)

> [“Just her luck to be abducted by kidnappers who could think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/just-her-luck-to-be-abducted-by-kidnappers-who-could-think/)

[Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/)

[Browse all 16 Kidnappers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidnappers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?\" Miles mused. \"Yes,\" said Roic, unhelpfully. \"Not that NewEgypt is likely to bring charges.\" \"Naw, they'd do something else.\" \"I am reminded. I could have Suze freeze and store them for us, I suppose. Technically.\" Roic gave him the Look. \"If push came to shove. As a Kibou-daini problem-solving technique, there seems to be precedent.\" Roic said nothing, firmly.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lois McMaster Bujold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnapping-miles-mused-yes-said-roic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Kidnappers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnapping-miles-mused-yes-said-roic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/lois-mcmaster-bujold-716_quote_is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnappin_1174704.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?\" Miles mused. \"Yes,\" said Roic, unhelpfully. \"Not that NewEgypt…” — Lois McMaster Bujold",
                "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": "Lois McMaster Bujold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Is kidnapping kidnappers still kidnapping?\" Miles...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnapping-miles-mused-yes-said-roic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/is-kidnapping-kidnappers-still-kidnapping-miles-mused-yes-said-roic/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
