Army Quote by Robert Anton Wilson
“Taking somebody's money without permission is stealing, unless you work for the IRS; then it's taxation. Killing people en masse is homicidal mania, unless you work for the Army; then it's National Defense. Spying on your neighbors is invasion of privacy, unless you work for the FBI; then it's National Security. Running a whorehouse makes you a pimp and poisoning people makes you a murderer, unless you work for the CIA; then it's counter-intelligence.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, 1975
Moral judgments shift when authority labels actions, revealing how language frames ethics.
In simple terms: Authority changes how we label actions.
Key Takeaway
Question authority and consider context.
Themes
ethics
authority
language
relativism
Mood
skeptical
critical
ironic
Type
philosophical
satirical
When to use this quote
- political debate
- legal analysis
- media commentary
- personal decision making
Key Concepts
social constructivism
power dynamics
normative ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- Who decides what is moral?
- How does language shape our ethical views?
A Different Perspective
Labels can obscure underlying harm regardless of authority.
![“I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect [Donald Trump], or then-president [Barack Obama]. But it's - I'm very clear. I voted for the change that put the Army Field Manual in place as a member of Congress. I understand that law very, very quickly and am also deeply aware…” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/761/james-mattis-9515_army_i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-th_3990.jpg)
