--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These death sentences are cruel and…" description: "\"These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.\" — Potter Stewart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png" --- # These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same… ![“These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.” quote by Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png) > “These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.” [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capital punishment is inherently cruel and unusual, comparable to the randomness of a lightning strike. **In simple terms:** Death penalty is as shocking and unfair as lightning. Key Takeaway Question the morality of capital punishment. Themes justice ethics human rights Mood critical serious Type legal ethical When to use this quote - court rulings - policy debates - human rights advocacy - public opinion Key Concepts Cruelty legal standards randomness Questions to Reflect On - Is any punishment ever truly just? - How does randomness affect our sense of fairness? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex legal and moral issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) [Cruel Unusual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-unusual-1554008/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-sentence/) [Death Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-sentences-1713626/) [Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning/) [Lightning Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning-cruel-1713628/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Sentences Cruel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences-cruel-1713624/) [Unusual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unusual/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [We are all Ahmaud Arbery. Everyday activities should not end in death sentences. We must hold people responsible for their actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-gotti/we-are-all-ahmaud-arbery-everyday-activities-should-not-end-in-death/) [Yo Gotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-gotti/) > [“Two death sentences? Really? I mean, you look very well, considering.” Crane grinned at him. “One was in absentia. One wasn’t, and I spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-charles/two-death-sentences-really-i-mean-you-look-very-well-considering-3/) [K.J. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-charles/) > [“Two death sentences? Really? I mean, you look very well, considering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-charles/two-death-sentences-really-i-mean-you-look-very-well-considering-2/) [K.J. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-charles/) > [“Two death sentences? Really? I mean, you look very well, considering.” Crane grinned. “One was in absentia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-charles/two-death-sentences-really-i-mean-you-look-very-well-considering/) [K.J. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-charles/) > [Capital punishment is neither cruel nor unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-knowles/capital-punishment-is-neither-cruel-nor-unusual/) [Michael J. Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-knowles/) > [I am dying a thousand cruel and unusual deaths as fifty pairs of eyes take me in, size me up like something that should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-am-dying-a-thousand-cruel-and-unusual-deaths-as-fifty-pairs-of-eyes/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [It's absolutely clear that whatever cruel and unusual punishments may - may mean with regard to future things, such as death by injection or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/it-s-absolutely-clear-that-whatever-cruel-and-unusual-punishments-may/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [“And finally, your punishment WILL be cruel and unusual (no TV or IPad for a week, etc…)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ziegler/and-finally-your-punishment-will-be-cruel-and-unusual-no-tv-or-ipad/) [Jon Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ziegler/) > [“The Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment,” I told him when he stepped down from the podium. “What?” he innocently asked. “Getting you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/the-constitution-bans-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-i-told-him-when-he/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [Society's mores have changed, and what used to be thought not to be cruel and unusual now is thought to be cruel and unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/society-s-mores-have-changed-and-what-used-to-be-thought-not-to-be/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [“Gates got up, but not fast or jerkily, with the same slowness that had always characterized him. He wiped the sweat off his palms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/gates-got-up-but-not-fast-or-jerkily-with-the-same-slowness-that-had/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [When we started, I was delivering meals to people in Atlanta. We were a direct-care organization. And it was - people needed meals, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/when-we-started-i-was-delivering-meals-to-people-in-atlanta-we-were-a/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [To hell with your cancer. I've been living with cancer for the better part of a year. Right from the start, it's a death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-white/to-hell-with-your-cancer-i-ve-been-living-with-cancer-for-the-better/) [Walter White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-white/) > [Hot boys young boys, still on fire. What's a death sentence cause we all gotta die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/hot-boys-young-boys-still-on-fire-what-s-a-death-sentence-cause-we/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [The people I have no feeling for are professional killers. But I count that man no worse than a governor who won't commute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-lee-bailey/the-people-i-have-no-feeling-for-are-professional-killers-but-i-count/) [F. Lee Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-lee-bailey/) ## More by Potter Stewart > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The Court today holds the Congress may say that some of the poor are too poor even to go bankrupt. I cannot agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-court-today-holds-the-congress-may-say-that-some-of-the-poor-are/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [In fact, a fundamental interdependence exists between the personal right to liberty and the personal right to property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/in-fact-a-fundamental-interdependence-exists-between-the-personal/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [To force a lawyer on a defendant can only lead him to believe that the law contrives against him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/to-force-a-lawyer-on-a-defendant-can-only-lead-him-to-believe-that/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Fairness is what justice really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/fairness-is-what-justice-really-is/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [It must always be remembered that what the Constitution forbids is not all searches and seizures, but unreasonable searches and seizures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/it-must-always-be-remembered-that-what-the-constitution-forbids-is/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [We are concerned here only with the imposition of capital punishment for the crime of murder, and when a life has been taken deliberately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-are-concerned-here-only-with-the-imposition-of-capital-punishment/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The dichotomy between personal liberties and property rights is a false one. Property does not have rights. People have rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-dichotomy-between-personal-liberties-and-property-rights-is-a/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The 4th Amendment and the personal rights it secures have a long history. At the very core stands the right of a man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-4th-amendment-and-the-personal-rights-it-secures-have-a-long/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [“For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/for-when-everything-is-classified-then-nothing-is-classified-and-the/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/censorship-reflects-a-society-s-lack-of-confidence-in-itself-it-is-a/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [ The equal protection standard of the constitution has one clear and central meaning - it absolutely prohibits invidious \[repugnant\] discrimination by government...Under our Constitution,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-equal-protection-standard-of-the-constitution-has-one-clear-and/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/ethics-is-knowing-the-difference-between-what-you-have-a-right-to-do/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [We dedicated ourselves to a powerful idea - organic law rather than naked power. There seems to be universal acceptance of that idea in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/we-dedicated-ourselves-to-a-powerful-idea-organic-law-rather-than/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [The First Amendment guarantees liberty of human expression in order to preserve in our Nation what Mr. Justice Holmes called a "free trade in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-first-amendment-guarantees-liberty-of-human-expression-in-order/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) [Explore all 28 Potter Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) [Keith Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thompson/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) [Katie D. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-d-anderson/) > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and unusual.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Potter Stewart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/042/potter-stewart-22133_cruel_these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unus_953295.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These death sentences are cruel and unusual in the same way that being struck by lightning is cruel and…” — Potter Stewart", "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": "Potter Stewart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "These death sentences are cruel and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/these-death-sentences-are-cruel-and-unusual-in-the-same-way-that/#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 } } ] } ```