--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was only following orders,\" the Mayor…" description: "\"I was only following orders,\" the Mayor mocks. \"The refuge of scoundrels since the dawn of time.\" — Patrick Ness" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg" --- # I was only following orders," the Mayor mocks. "The refuge… ![“I was only following orders," the Mayor mocks. "The refuge of scoundrels since the dawn of time.” quote by Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg) > “I was only following orders," the Mayor mocks. "The refuge of scoundrels since the dawn of time.” [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Blind obedience to authority is mocked as a refuge for the immoral. **In simple terms:** Following orders is a cover for unethical behavior. Key Takeaway Question authority and moral responsibility. Themes authority morality obedience critique Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - Workplace decisions - military orders - political directives Key Concepts Ethical responsibility social conformity power structures Questions to Reflect On - When is following orders justified? - How to discern moral from immoral commands? A Different Perspective Context may justify obedience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) [Following orders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-orders/) [Mayors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mayors/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Scoundrels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scoundrels/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-samuel-johnson/patriotism-is-the-last-refuge-of-scoundrels/) [William Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-samuel-johnson/) > [Religion is all-too-often a refuge for scoundrels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/religion-is-all-too-often-a-refuge-for-scoundrels/) [Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/) > [Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/historically-the-claim-of-consensus-has-been-the-first-refuge-of/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“Bob Hope: You live here? Richard Carlson: Yes. Bob Hope: Well, maybe you know what a zombie is? Richard Carlson: When a person dies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dickey/bob-hope-you-live-here-richard-carlson-yes-bob-hope-well-maybe-you/) Paul Dickey > [We’ve always assumed The Aegis is all-knowing highly trained and organized but it’s nothing but a cult, isn’t it ? The weak and uneducated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/we-ve-always-assumed-the-aegis-is-all-knowing-highly-trained-and/) [Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/) > [I learnt what I am not good at: listening, staying focused, turning up on time, following orders... 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She was only a farmer's daughter, but she was was beautiful, and also smart, as the daughters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/the-prince-had-fallen-in-love-she-was-only-a-farmer-s-daughter-but/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Here is the boy, drowning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/here-is-the-boy-drowning/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“This is it. This is goodbye. A goodbye I wasn't even looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/this-is-it-this-is-goodbye-a-goodbye-i-wasn-t-even-looking-for/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“ But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. 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Two, if you can control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-have-two-maxims-that-i-believe-dear-girl-one-if-you-can-control/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [To live is to fight, to preserve life is to fight everything that man stands for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/to-live-is-to-fight-to-preserve-life-is-to-fight-everything-that-man/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Because he KNEW he was doing wrong. He felt the PAIN of his actions'-- 'But he did not amen them,' shows the Sky. 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/because-he-knew-he-was-doing-wrong-he-felt-the-pain-of-his-actions/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“This was a kingdom. (“What?” Conor said, looking around his backyard. “Here?”) (The monster cocked its head at him curiously. You have not heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/this-was-a-kingdom-what-conor-said-looking-around-his-backyard-here/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [If you ever see a war," she says, not looking up from her clipboard, "you'll learn that war only destroys. No one escapes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/if-you-ever-see-a-war-she-says-not-looking-up-from-her-clipboard-you/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) [Explore all 527 Patrick Ness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) ## More Dawn quotes > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. 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Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [May dawn, as the proverb goes, bring happy tidings coming from her mother night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/may-dawn-as-the-proverb-goes-bring-happy-tidings-coming-from-her/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/slow-buds-the-pink-dawn-like-a-rose-from-out-night-s-gray-and-cloudy/) [Sarah Chauncey Woolsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/) > [“Another dawn flung itself across the river; a belated taxi hurried along the street, its lamps still shining like burning eyes in a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/another-dawn-flung-itself-across-the-river-a-belated-taxi-hurried/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [When there's doom and gloom, don't forget there's darkness before dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/when-there-s-doom-and-gloom-don-t-forget-there-s-darkness-before-dawn/) [Rakesh Jhunjhunwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/) > [I just wanna stay weird till dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozavzi-jason-trespect/i-just-wanna-stay-weird-till-dawn/) Ozavzi Jason Trespect > [After my final Breaking Dawn scene, I felt like I could shoot up into the night sky and every pore of my body would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/after-my-final-breaking-dawn-scene-i-felt-like-i-could-shoot-up-into/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. 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Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-j-beckwith/) [Browse all 1,500 Dawn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was only following orders,\" the Mayor mocks. \"The refuge of scoundrels since the dawn of time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick Ness" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mocks-the-refuge-of-scoundrels/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dawn" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mocks-the-refuge-of-scoundrels/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/patrick-ness-449_dawn_i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mo_1118228.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was only following orders,\" the Mayor mocks. \"The refuge of scoundrels since the dawn of time.” — Patrick Ness", "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": "Patrick Ness", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was only following orders,\" the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mocks-the-refuge-of-scoundrels/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mocks-the-refuge-of-scoundrels/#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 } } ] } ```