--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He felt at once betrayed and betrayer…" description: "\"“He felt at once betrayed and betrayer, deceived and deceiver. He was a criminal forced into crime, an unwilling whore.”\" — Peter Benchley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/peter-benchley-10002_betrayal_he-felt-at-once-betrayed-and-betrayer-de_191025.jpg" --- # He felt at once betrayed and betrayer, deceived and… ![“He felt at once betrayed and betrayer, deceived and deceiver. He was a criminal forced into crime, an unwilling whore.” quote by Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/peter-benchley-10002_betrayal_he-felt-at-once-betrayed-and-betrayer-de_191025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/peter-benchley-10002_betrayal_he-felt-at-once-betrayed-and-betrayer-de_191025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b0/peter-benchley-10002_betrayal_he-felt-at-once-betrayed-and-betrayer-de_191025.jpg) > ““He felt at once betrayed and betrayer, deceived and deceiver. He was a criminal forced into crime, an unwilling whore.”” [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can be both victim and perpetrator, forced into wrongdoing against their will. **In simple terms:** Victim‑perpetrator conflict. Key Takeaway Recognize inner contradictions. Themes morality identity coercion Mood conflicted intense Type literary psychological When to use this quote - law enforcement - social work - activism - self‑reflection Key Concepts ethical dilemmas psychology power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile betrayal and responsibility? - When is forced crime justifiable? A Different Perspective Might excuse harmful actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Felt Betrayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-betrayed/) [Jaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jaws/) ## Related quotes > [“The fish might well have disappeared already, but Brody wasn't willing to gamble lives on the possibility: the odds might be good, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-fish-might-well-have-disappeared-already-but-brody-wasn-t-willing/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Brody felt a shimmy of fear skitter up his back. He was a very poor swimmer, and the prospect of being on top of—let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/brody-felt-a-shimmy-of-fear-skitter-up-his-back-he-was-a-very-poor/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“I'm sorry that you are hurting. It’s because of me that you are even here in the first place. I offered to get those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-hahn/i-m-sorry-that-you-are-hurting-it-s-because-of-me-that-you-are-even/) [Chanda Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-hahn/) > [“Life's full of chances to hurt yourself or someone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/life-s-full-of-chances-to-hurt-yourself-or-someone-else/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [I hope that 'Jaws' will have brought sharks into the public interest at a time when we desperately need to reevaluate our care for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/i-hope-that-jaws-will-have-brought-sharks-into-the-public-interest-at/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [There was a minor burst of macho nuttiness after 'Jaws' came out, in which people would go off in shark tournaments and come back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/there-was-a-minor-burst-of-macho-nuttiness-after-jaws-came-out-in/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [No, the shark in an updated JAWS could not be the villain; it would have to be written as the victim, for, worldwide, sharks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/no-the-shark-in-an-updated-jaws-could-not-be-the-villain-it-would/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters, and I think that is the key to it right there. It is monsters; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/in-a-deeply-tribal-sense-we-love-our-monsters-and-i-think-that-is-the/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Since writing JAWS, I've been lucky enough to do close to forty television shows about wildlife in the oceans, and yes, I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/since-writing-jaws-i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-do-close-to-forty/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Any weapon's only as good as the man using it, and a good man can make a good weapon out of most anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/any-weapon-s-only-as-good-as-the-man-using-it-and-a-good-man-can-make/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Memory is a great betrayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/memory-is-a-great-betrayer/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [How can someone live with their own conscience when you reward a domestic terrorist with continued safety and betray the family of fallen police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/how-can-someone-live-with-their-own-conscience-when-you-reward-a/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [Law of the jungle. The betrayee gets to eat the betrayer. --Dante Pontis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/law-of-the-jungle-the-betrayee-gets-to-eat-the-betrayer-dante-pontis/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Betrayer. That was what they called him. That was how they would remember him. If they were lucky enough to survive and remember anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-king/betrayer-that-was-what-they-called-him-that-was-how-they-would/) [William King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-king/) > [It's very hard to talk about Palestine to Jewish people - they see me as a betrayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/it-s-very-hard-to-talk-about-palestine-to-jewish-people-they-see-me/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) ## More by Peter Benchley > [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Without sharks, you take away the apex predator of the ocean, and you destroy the entire food chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/without-sharks-you-take-away-the-apex-predator-of-the-ocean-and-you/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Since writing JAWS, I've been lucky enough to do close to forty television shows about wildlife in the oceans, and yes, I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/since-writing-jaws-i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-do-close-to-forty/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Intellectually, they knew a great deal. Practically, they chose to know almost nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/intellectually-they-knew-a-great-deal-practically-they-chose-to-know/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Come up fish. Come to Quint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/come-up-fish-come-to-quint/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Oceanography is a terrific career because gradually we seem to be coming around to realize that we had better become as acquainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/oceanography-is-a-terrific-career-because-gradually-we-seem-to-be/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The great fish moved silently through the night water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-great-fish-moved-silently-through-the-night-water/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Sharks have everything a scientist dreams of. They're beautiful―God, how beautiful they are! They're like an impossibly perfect piece of machinery. They're as graceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/sharks-have-everything-a-scientist-dreams-of-they-re-beautiful-god/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters, and I think that is the key to it right there. It is monsters; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/in-a-deeply-tribal-sense-we-love-our-monsters-and-i-think-that-is-the/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [There was a minor burst of macho nuttiness after 'Jaws' came out, in which people would go off in shark tournaments and come back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/there-was-a-minor-burst-of-macho-nuttiness-after-jaws-came-out-in/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The fish was an enemy. It had come upon the community and killed two men, a woman, and a child. The people of Amity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-fish-was-an-enemy-it-had-come-upon-the-community-and-killed-two/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“A man dies, girl, he isn't any more, least not down here. Respect and all that crap doesn't deserve the dead; it just makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/a-man-dies-girl-he-isn-t-any-more-least-not-down-here-respect-and-all/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The past always seems better when you look back on it than it did at the time. And the present never looks as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-past-always-seems-better-when-you-look-back-on-it-than-it-did-at/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“The past always seems better when you look back on it than it did at the time. And the present never looks as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-past-always-seems-better-when-you-look-back-on-it-than-it-did-at-2/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Twenty-five years ago nobody knew much about white sharks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/twenty-five-years-ago-nobody-knew-much-about-white-sharks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) [Explore all 64 Peter Benchley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) ## More Betrayal quotes > [“That's the catch about betrayal, of course: that it feels good, that there's something immensely pleasurable about moving from a complicated relationship which involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-s-the-catch-about-betrayal-of-course-that-it-feels-good-that/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As they say in New York, Get over it and, if you can't get over it, Get over talking about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/as-they-say-in-new-york-get-over-it-and-if-you-can-t-get-over-it-get/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/he-returned-her-gaze-yearning-for-sentimental-solace-love-which/) [A. H. Septimius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-septimius/) > [I was always here for you,you knew you could count on me and trust me blindly, and you knew that I would never tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayssus/i-was-always-here-for-you-you-knew-you-could-count-on-me-and-trust-me/) [Michael Hayssus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayssus/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Betrayal and love are not mutually exclusive." (Mordred)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-mercer/betrayal-and-love-are-not-mutually-exclusive-mordred/) [Aldous Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-mercer/) > [Love comes exactly... To those who still hope, even though they've been disappointed. To those who still believe, even though they've been betrayed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizhan/love-comes-exactly-to-those-who-still-hope-even-though-they-ve-been/) [Mizhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizhan/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Betrayal is a serious thing in this world,you know what else is serious? Being lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina/betrayal-is-a-serious-thing-in-this-world-you-know-what-else-is/) [Sabrina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) [Browse all 2,050 Betrayal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He felt at once betrayed and betrayer, deceived and deceiver. 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