--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thus it is, when the moral restraints of…" description: "\"“Thus it is, when the moral restraints of religion and tradition, hierarchy and precedent, are removed, the power to suspend or unleash catastrophic ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg" --- # Thus it is, when the moral restraints of religion and… ![“Thus it is, when the moral restraints of religion and tradition, hierarchy and precedent, are removed, the power to suspend or unleash catastrophic events does not devolve on the impersonal benevolence of the masses but falls into the hands of men who are isolated by the very totality of their…” quote by Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg) > ““Thus it is, when the moral restraints of religion and tradition, hierarchy and precedent, are removed, the power to suspend or unleash catastrophic events does not devolve on the impersonal benevolence of the masses but falls into the hands of men who are isolated by the very totality of their evil natures.”” [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When moral and social constraints disappear, catastrophic power shifts from collective goodwill to isolated evil individuals. **In simple terms:** Without morals, power goes to evil people. Key Takeaway Beware concentration of unchecked power. Themes ethics power evil society Mood cautious critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political leadership - corporate governance - media influence - technological control Key Concepts totalitarianism psychology morality Questions to Reflect On - Who holds power when norms collapse? - How can societies prevent evil individuals from gaining control? A Different Perspective Even with constraints, power can be abused by those with malicious intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Hierarchy Precedent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hierarchy-precedent-4088436/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Men Isolated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-isolated-4088435/) [Modern times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-times/) [Moral Restraints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-restraints-344094/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Precedent Removed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precedent-removed-4088434/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Restraints Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restraints-religion-690646/) ## Related quotes > [These days its not just that the line between right and wrong has been made unclear, today Christians are being asked by our culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/these-days-its-not-just-that-the-line-between-right-and-wrong-has/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“To act on behalf of a group seems to free people of many of the moral restraints which control their behaviour as individuals within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-hayek/to-act-on-behalf-of-a-group-seems-to-free-people-of-many-of-the-moral/) [Friedrich Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-hayek/) > [We hear many persuasive voices demanding freedom from restrictions, particularly from moral restraints. However, we learn from the history of the earth that any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/we-hear-many-persuasive-voices-demanding-freedom-from-restrictions/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [In the final forms of moral disengagement, wrongdoers treat adversaries as subhuman animalistic, demonic beings. Expunging any sense of shared humanity eliminates moral restraints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/in-the-final-forms-of-moral-disengagement-wrongdoers-treat/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [Moral result can only be produced by moral restraints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/moral-result-can-only-be-produced-by-moral-restraints/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Science is a magnificent force, but it is not a teacher of morals. It can perfect machinery, but it adds no moral restraints to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/science-is-a-magnificent-force-but-it-is-not-a-teacher-of-morals-it/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [I think we are trying to run the space age with horse and buggy moral and spiritual equipment. Technology you see has no morals;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-we-are-trying-to-run-the-space-age-with-horse-and-buggy-moral/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“One critical factor in this dilemma is the fact that ministers are profoundly pressed to conform to acceptable contemporary standards. The person who comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/one-critical-factor-in-this-dilemma-is-the-fact-that-ministers-are/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [I'll never forget when I was running, when I was knocking on doors for my first office as I served as a Cleveland city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/i-ll-never-forget-when-i-was-running-when-i-was-knocking-on-doors-for/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [Vampires as creatures have evolved over time as different vampire bloodlines have hit different populations of humans. Every once in a while the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-snyder/vampires-as-creatures-have-evolved-over-time-as-different-vampire/) [Scott Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-snyder/) > [“In short, a strong royal advisor class insists on stopping and thinking. And it tries, I think with growing success in modern times, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-n-aron/in-short-a-strong-royal-advisor-class-insists-on-stopping-and/) [Elaine N. Aron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-n-aron/) > [Love in modern times has been the tailor's best friend. Every suitor of the nineteenth century spends more than his spare cash on personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-augustus-henry-sala/love-in-modern-times-has-been-the-tailor-s-best-friend-every-suitor/) [George Augustus Henry Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-augustus-henry-sala/) > [I've had to make time to really explore all the amazing things that are out and try to understand the history of how fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jackson/i-ve-had-to-make-time-to-really-explore-all-the-amazing-things-that/) [Christopher Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jackson/) > [“A joke’s funny, right? That wasn’t. It’s perfectly okay for a woman to have a sexual appetite, to take the lead now and then.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shani-struthers/a-joke-s-funny-right-that-wasn-t-it-s-perfectly-okay-for-a-woman-to/) [Shani Struthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shani-struthers/) > [When you stroll through Munich it can happen that you suddenly stand in front of an old house, an idyllically-dreaming church that smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/when-you-stroll-through-munich-it-can-happen-that-you-suddenly-stand/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) ## More by Paul Johnson > [“Partly by accident, partly by instinct, partly by deliberate contrivance, he was the first intellectual systematically to exploit the guilt of the privileged. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/partly-by-accident-partly-by-instinct-partly-by-deliberate/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [ “The Salem \[witch\] trials…can be seen as an example of the propensity of the American people to be convulsed by spasms of self-righteous rage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-salem-witch-trials-can-be-seen-as-an-example-of-the-propensity-of/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“Much of Sartre’s time in the 1960s was spent travelling in China and the Third World, a term invented by the geographer Alfred Sauvy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/much-of-sartre-s-time-in-the-1960s-was-spent-travelling-in-china-and/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [ “He \[Augustine\] admitted: 'I am the sort of man who writes because he has made progress, and who makes progress by writing.' ” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/he-augustine-admitted-i-am-the-sort-of-man-who-writes-because-he-has/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [The most intimidating world leader was Lyndon Johnson, who became U.S. President when John Kennedy was assassinated. He exulted in this power and liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-most-intimidating-world-leader-was-lyndon-johnson-who-became-u-s/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Democracy has many enemies, and the terrorist is only one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/democracy-has-many-enemies-and-the-terrorist-is-only-one-of-them/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“Marx wrote about finance and industry all his life but he only knew two people connected with financial and industrial processes. One was his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/marx-wrote-about-finance-and-industry-all-his-life-but-he-only-knew/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“When we are dealing with concepts like freedom and equality, it is essential to use words accurately and in good faith. So the eighth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/when-we-are-dealing-with-concepts-like-freedom-and-equality-it-is/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Margaret Thatcher had more impact on the world than any woman ruler since Catherine the Great of Russia. Not only did she turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/margaret-thatcher-had-more-impact-on-the-world-than-any-woman-ruler/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Wisdom lies not in possessing knowledge - which quickly becomes outdated - but in perpetually seeking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/wisdom-lies-not-in-possessing-knowledge-which-quickly-becomes/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [The planet Earth, though not threatened with destruction by man-made global warming, is by no means indestructible. There are many unpredictable events within our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-planet-earth-though-not-threatened-with-destruction-by-man-made/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“As Khrushchev put it, “He prodded the capitalist world with the tip of his bayonet.” He himself put it, “If I see a door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/as-khrushchev-put-it-he-prodded-the-capitalist-world-with-the-tip-of/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“We must never forget that the settlement of what is now the United States was only part of a larger enterprise. And this was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/we-must-never-forget-that-the-settlement-of-what-is-now-the-united/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Where the quest for knowledge is relatively, and now almost absolutely, unrestrained, the public benefit will be great, especially where the certainty of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/where-the-quest-for-knowledge-is-relatively-and-now-almost-absolutely/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [If anti-Semitism is a variety of racism, it is a most peculiar variety, with many unique characteristics. In my view as a historian, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/if-anti-semitism-is-a-variety-of-racism-it-is-a-most-peculiar-variety/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) [Explore all 109 Paul Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Thus it is, when the moral restraints of religion and tradition, hierarchy and precedent, are removed, the power to suspend or unleash catastrophic events does not devolve on the impersonal benevolence of the masses but falls into the hands of men who are isolated by the very totality of their evil natures.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of-religion-and-tradition/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of-religion-and-tradition/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/paul-johnson-4585_character_thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of_2084337.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Thus it is, when the moral restraints of religion and tradition, hierarchy and precedent, are removed, the…” — Paul Johnson", "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": "Paul Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Thus it is, when the moral...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of-religion-and-tradition/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/thus-it-is-when-the-moral-restraints-of-religion-and-tradition/#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 } } ] } ```