--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The death penalty is reserved for people…" description: "\"The death penalty is reserved for people who do not\" — Paul Simon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png" --- # The death penalty is reserved for people who do not ![“The death penalty is reserved for people who do not” quote by Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png) > “The death penalty is reserved for people who do not” [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The death penalty is applied to those who are deemed beyond redemption or too dangerous to keep alive. **In simple terms:** Capital punishment targets the irredeemable. Key Takeaway Consider alternatives to lethal punishment. Themes justice ethics punishment Mood serious reflective Type ethical political When to use this quote - criminal sentencing - policy debate - human rights advocacy Key Concepts retributive justice human rights Questions to Reflect On - Is the death penalty truly just? - What alternatives exist? A Different Perspective Capital punishment may not deter crime and can be misapplied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death penalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-penalty/) [Judgement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgement/) [Penalties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penalties/) [Penalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penalty/) [Penalty Reserved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penalty-reserved-5879090/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reserved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reserved/) [Reserved People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reserved-people-2335620/) ## Related quotes > [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/) [V. R. Krishna Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-r-krishna-iyer/) > [The death penalty is being applied in the United States as a fatal lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-jagger/the-death-penalty-is-being-applied-in-the-united-states-as-a-fatal/) [Bianca Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-jagger/) > [I can't talk politics with my cousin because he's such a hypocrite. He's against the death penalty and he hanged himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-can-t-talk-politics-with-my-cousin-because-he-s-such-a-hypocrite-he/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The death penalty experiment has failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-a-blackmun/the-death-penalty-experiment-has-failed/) [Harry A. Blackmun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-a-blackmun/) > [It should be clear that the death penalty does just the opposite of promoting decency and respect for life. It dehumanizes people and promotes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-morrison/it-should-be-clear-that-the-death-penalty-does-just-the-opposite-of/) [John Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-morrison/) > [May the death penalty, an unworthy punishment still used in some countries, be abolished throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/may-the-death-penalty-an-unworthy-punishment-still-used-in-some/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [There's a War Crimes Act in the United States passed by a Republican Congress in 1996, which says that grave breaches of the Geneva…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-a-war-crimes-act-in-the-united-states-passed-by-a-republican/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Eliminating the death penalty...will not hinder the prosecutorial capacity to seek, or the court's ability to impose, 'life without parole' sentences for serious, heinous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-harshbarger/eliminating-the-death-penalty-will-not-hinder-the-prosecutorial/) [Scott Harshbarger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-harshbarger/) > [I regard the death penalty as a savage and immoral institution that undermines the moral and legal foundations of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-sakharov/i-regard-the-death-penalty-as-a-savage-and-immoral-institution-that/) [Andrei Sakharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-sakharov/) > [no study has brought out any solid evidence that the death penalty deters crime. In fact, Amnesty reports that 'the murder rate in states…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette-bosco/no-study-has-brought-out-any-solid-evidence-that-the-death-penalty/) [Antoinette Bosco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoinette-bosco/) > [The penalty of death is the only one that makes an injustice absolutely irreparable; from which it follows that the existence of the death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-de-caritat-marquis-de-condorcet/the-penalty-of-death-is-the-only-one-that-makes-an-injustice/) [Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-de-caritat-marquis-de-condorcet/) > [The system is not perfect. Until it's perfect, let's do away with the death penalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/the-system-is-not-perfect-until-it-s-perfect-let-s-do-away-with-the/) [Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/) > [As governor, I came to believe that the death penalty would be a just punishment for certain, especially heinous crimes, such as the murder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/as-governor-i-came-to-believe-that-the-death-penalty-would-be-a-just/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [I support the death penalty and will continue to do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/i-support-the-death-penalty-and-will-continue-to-do-that/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I have come to think that capital punishment should be abolished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/i-have-come-to-think-that-capital-punishment-should-be-abolished/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) ## More by Paul Simon > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Medicine is magical and magical is art, the boy in the bubble, and the baby with the baboon heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/medicine-is-magical-and-magical-is-art-the-boy-in-the-bubble-and-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/two-times-two-is-twenty-two-four-times-four-is-forty-four-when/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [...what threatens us today in the world of computers and other invasions of privacy is not a national ID card but a number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/what-threatens-us-today-in-the-world-of-computers-and-other-invasions/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Life I love you, all is groovy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/life-i-love-you-all-is-groovy/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I would be willing to do almost anything to make Art happy. I care about our friendship. The only thing I won't do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-would-be-willing-to-do-almost-anything-to-make-art-happy-i-care/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I don't very often think I've done a good job. I don't like the majority of what I do. I shouldn't say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-don-t-very-often-think-i-ve-done-a-good-job-i-don-t-like-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I rate each album as better than the last one. That's how I see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-rate-each-album-as-better-than-the-last-one-that-s-how-i-see-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [ I don't think \[Dylan and the Beatles\] influenced me a lot. I think it was inevitable; they were so powerful that you couldn't really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-don-t-think-dylan-and-the-beatles-influenced-me-a-lot-i-think-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/the-words-of-the-prophets-are-written-on-the-subway-walls-and/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I'm not in it for the money. I like music. I love to write music. I can't imagine myself not playing or singing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-m-not-in-it-for-the-money-i-like-music-i-love-to-write-music-i-can/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [No one dare disturb the sound of silence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/no-one-dare-disturb-the-sound-of-silence/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [A fundamental requirement, overriding any other for this job, is an understanding of deafness-what it is and how it affects the educational experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-fundamental-requirement-overriding-any-other-for-this-job-is-an/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) [Explore all 214 Paul Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The death penalty is reserved for people who do not", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Simon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people-who-do-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people-who-do-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/paul-simon-1703_death_the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people_1565026.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The death penalty is reserved for people who do not” — Paul Simon", "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 Simon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The death penalty is reserved for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people-who-do-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/the-death-penalty-is-reserved-for-people-who-do-not/#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 } } ] } ```