---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But your ’mest is in there doing Evil…"
description: "\"“But your ’mest is in there doing Evil Earth knows what, and I’m basically asking you if it’s okay to kill her, because that’s about where I am right n..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png"
---

#  But your ’mest is in there doing Evil Earth knows what…

![“But your ’mest is in there doing Evil Earth knows what, and I’m basically asking you if it’s okay to kill her, because that’s about where I am right now.” quote by N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png)

> ““But your ’mest is in there doing Evil Earth knows what, and I’m basically asking you if it’s okay to kill her, because that’s about where I am right now.””

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

## 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 moral permissibility of killing amid chaotic circumstances.

**In simple terms:** They wonder if killing is okay now.

Key Takeaway

Consider ethical consequences before action.

Themes

morality desperation conflict

Mood

tense urgent

Type

ethical dramatic

When to use this quote

- war zone
- personal crisis
- decision making

Key Concepts

ethical dilemmas powerlessness

Questions to Reflect On

- What moral framework guides you in crisis?
- Is killing ever justified for survival?

A Different Perspective

The context may justify extreme measures, complicating morality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/)

## Related quotes

> [“It’s okay to kill a man if someone else deems him unfit to live. What I really want to say is who the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/it-s-okay-to-kill-a-man-if-someone-else-deems-him-unfit-to-live-what/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [“Because some people are so stupid to believe there are thick neon lines separating good and evil. That it's easy to make that kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/because-some-people-are-so-stupid-to-believe-there-are-thick-neon/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [Sometimes people want to have full conversations really early in the morning and its okay to kill those people :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/sometimes-people-want-to-have-full-conversations-really-early-in-the/)

[Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/)

> [“On the sea he wished to meet it, if meet it he must. He was not sure why this was, yet he had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/on-the-sea-he-wished-to-meet-it-if-meet-it-he-must-he-was-not-sure/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [If there was no moral evil upon earth, there would be no physical evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/if-there-was-no-moral-evil-upon-earth-there-would-be-no-physical-evil/)

[Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/)

> [Is there evil but on earth? Or pain in every people sphere? Well, be grateful for the sounding watchword "Evolution" here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/is-there-evil-but-on-earth-or-pain-in-every-people-sphere-well-be/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [“Much less evil would be done on earth if evil could not be done in the name of good. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/much-less-evil-would-be-done-on-earth-if-evil-could-not-be-done-in/)

[Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/)

> [With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/with-or-without-religion-you-would-have-good-people-doing-good-things/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [“Get your hand off of her before I bury a bullet in your head" Warner's eyes close very slowly. He steps away very slowly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/get-your-hand-off-of-her-before-i-bury-a-bullet-in-your-head-warner-s/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [“Would you kill someone to have the right of disposal over fifty million kroner for six years?” “Depends on who I had to kill,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/would-you-kill-someone-to-have-the-right-of-disposal-over-fifty/)

[Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/)

> [Do.Right.And.Kill.Everything. Do.Right.And.Kill.Everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/do-right-and-kill-everything-do-right-and-kill-everything/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“War is when people kill one another, right? Why would they do that?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsukumizu/war-is-when-people-kill-one-another-right-why-would-they-do-that/)

[Tsukumizu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsukumizu/)

> [“i ought to kill you right now and do the whole wide world a service”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-band-perrry/i-ought-to-kill-you-right-now-and-do-the-whole-wide-world-a-service/)

[The Band Perrry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-band-perrry/)

> [Few people ever kill for the right reasons, June. Most do it for the wrong reasons. I just hope you never have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/few-people-ever-kill-for-the-right-reasons-june-most-do-it-for-the/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

> [“Then why do the gods even let me live? It would be safer to kill me.” “You’re right.” “Thanks a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/then-why-do-the-gods-even-let-me-live-it-would-be-safer-to-kill-me/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

## More by N.K. Jemisin

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [You are Insignificant. One of millions, neither special nor unique. I did not ask for this ignominy, and I resent the comparison. Fine. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-are-insignificant-one-of-millions-neither-special-nor-unique-i/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“She feels closer than ever to her father in this moment of utter broken rage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/she-feels-closer-than-ever-to-her-father-in-this-moment-of-utter/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“When a comm builds atop a fault line, do you blame its walls when they inevitably crush the people inside? No; you blame whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/when-a-comm-builds-atop-a-fault-line-do-you-blame-its-walls-when-they/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“I don’t know how I feel about a canon anymore ... The sheer volume of books that exist out there means that a canon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/i-don-t-know-how-i-feel-about-a-canon-anymore-the-sheer-volume-of/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ “\[...\] the kind of healer who knows that sometimes one must inflict terrible agony - rebreak a bone, carve off a limb, kill the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/the-kind-of-healer-who-knows-that-sometimes-one-must-inflict-terrible/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [So here is why I write what I do: We all have futures. We all have pasts. We all have stories. And we all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/so-here-is-why-i-write-what-i-do-we-all-have-futures-we-all-have/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“How can we prepare for the future if we won’t acknowledge the past?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/how-can-we-prepare-for-the-future-if-we-won-t-acknowledge-the-past/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“You waver, because you don’t really want to know … but you haven’t been a coward for some years now. So you steel yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-waver-because-you-don-t-really-want-to-know-but-you-haven-t-been/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“What can orogeny do against something like that? Keep her breathing, maybe. But breathing doesn't always mean living, and maybe... maybe genocide doesn't always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/what-can-orogeny-do-against-something-like-that-keep-her-breathing/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“What the rust do you matter? Who cares about you? Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Once, you did have people who cared about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/what-the-rust-do-you-matter-who-cares-about-you-well-that-s-the-thing/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“Let me say only that these vehicles float a few inches off the ground. No animals draw them. No steam or chemical fuels them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/let-me-say-only-that-these-vehicles-float-a-few-inches-off-the-ground/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [We can never be gods, after all--but we can become something less than human with frightening ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/we-can-never-be-gods-after-all-but-we-can-become-something-less-than/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“(This is not a digression.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/this-is-not-a-digression/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [“He's not a parasite if she needs him, too, and if she gives what he will not take. (One day soon, she will learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/he-s-not-a-parasite-if-she-needs-him-too-and-if-she-gives-what-he/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

[Explore all 225 N.K. Jemisin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

## More Evil quotes

> [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [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/)

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/)

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

> [ Evil cannot be "treated" -- nor should it be. Evil has to \[be\] confronted and destroyed and it matters not why the evil is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/evil-cannot-be-treated-nor-should-it-be-evil-has-to-be-confronted-and/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

James Nayler

> [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [“Water is so friendly when you have it on your palms, but so evil when they have you on theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/water-is-so-friendly-when-you-have-it-on-your-palms-but-so-evil-when/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [THE ART OF PEACE is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-art-of-peace-is-not-easy-it-is-a-fight-to-the-finish-the-slaying/)

[Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/)

[Browse all 11,163 Evil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But your ’mest is in there doing Evil Earth knows what, and I’m basically asking you if it’s okay to kill her, because that’s about where I am right now.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "N.K. Jemisin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-earth-knows-what-and-i-m/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-earth-knows-what-and-i-m/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/n-k-jemisin-1466_evil_but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-ear_2386199.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But your ’mest is in there doing Evil Earth knows what, and I’m basically asking you if it’s okay to kill…” — N.K. Jemisin",
                "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": "N.K. Jemisin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But your ’mest is in there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-earth-knows-what-and-i-m/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/but-your-mest-is-in-there-doing-evil-earth-knows-what-and-i-m/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
