---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have a duty to warn on an individual…"
description: "\"We have a duty to warn on an individual basis if we are treating someone who may be dangerous to herself or to others - a duty to warn people who are i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg"
---

#  We have a duty to warn on an individual basis if we are…

![“We have a duty to warn on an individual basis if we are treating someone who may be dangerous to herself or to others - a duty to warn people who are in danger from that person. We feel it's our duty to warn the country about the danger of this president. If we think we have learned something…” quote by Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg)

> “We have a duty to warn on an individual basis if we are treating someone who may be dangerous to herself or to others - a duty to warn people who are in danger from that person. We feel it's our duty to warn the country about the danger of this president. If we think we have learned something about Donald Trump and his psychology that is dangerous to the country, yes, we have an obligation to say so.”

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Professionals must alert individuals and society when a person poses a serious risk, especially if that risk could affect national safety.

**In simple terms:** Warn when someone is dangerous to self or others, including leaders.

Key Takeaway

Speak up about dangerous behavior.

Themes

ethics responsibility public safety

Mood

concerned serious

Type

ethical political

When to use this quote

- clinical practice
- government policy
- media reporting

Key Concepts

duty to warn risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we verify threats before warning?
- When should privacy yield to safety?

A Different Perspective

Balancing free speech with potential panic can be tricky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [It's your duty to fly the airplane. If you get killed in it, you don't know anything about it anyway. Duty is paramount. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/it-s-your-duty-to-fly-the-airplane-if-you-get-killed-in-it-you-don-t/)

[Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/)

> [We thought it was our duty to go and warn people of the consequences of their sins, and I understood that to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-phelps-roper/we-thought-it-was-our-duty-to-go-and-warn-people-of-the-consequences/)

[Megan Phelps-Roper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-phelps-roper/)

> ['It is my duty to warn you that it will be used against you,' cried the Inspector, with the magnificent fair play of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-my-duty-to-warn-you-that-it-will-be-used-against-you-cried-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Obviously when you come into competition with other schools and you become aware of anything that concerns you, you have an obligation to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-bielema/obviously-when-you-come-into-competition-with-other-schools-and-you/)

[Bret Bielema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-bielema/)

> [I never felt an obligation to say every single terrible thing that happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lindhout/i-never-felt-an-obligation-to-say-every-single-terrible-thing-that/)

[Amanda Lindhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lindhout/)

> [There are things that need to be said... and I think it's my obligation to say them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-clementine/there-are-things-that-need-to-be-said-and-i-think-it-s-my-obligation/)

[Benjamin Clementine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-clementine/)

> [“But sometimes you have to speak because you feel the moral obligation to say something, not because you have the 'scientific' certainty that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/but-sometimes-you-have-to-speak-because-you-feel-the-moral-obligation/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [I would describe myself as outspoken. Not political. Outspoken about what I want to say. There are things that need to be said... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-clementine/i-would-describe-myself-as-outspoken-not-political-outspoken-about/)

[Benjamin Clementine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-clementine/)

> [Love and hatred don't take turns; they exist side by side at the same time. And one's duty, one's obligation every day, is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/love-and-hatred-don-t-take-turns-they-exist-side-by-side-at-the-same/)

[Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/)

> [We all have a moral obligation to leave this world a better place than the world that we've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcilrath/we-all-have-a-moral-obligation-to-leave-this-world-a-better-place/)

[Tim McIlrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcilrath/)

> [When God put everybody here, I don't think that he had a master plan of a pecking order. That's not what you see in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-feldman/when-god-put-everybody-here-i-don-t-think-that-he-had-a-master-plan/)

[Corey Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-feldman/)

> [We thought that, perhaps," said I, hesitating, "it is right to begin with the obligations of home, sir; and that, perhaps, while those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/we-thought-that-perhaps-said-i-hesitating-it-is-right-to-begin-with/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/but-what-do-we-mean-by-the-american-revolution-do-we-mean-the/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [Be sure to do your duty today, and let God Take care of the outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-sure-to-do-your-duty-today-and-let-god-take-care-of-the-outcome/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## More by Robert Jay Lifton

> [As a kid I was fascinated with sports, and I loved sports more than anything else. The first books I read were about sports,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/as-a-kid-i-was-fascinated-with-sports-and-i-loved-sports-more-than/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [There's more and more recognition that a carbon economy is dangerous to us economically. And there is increasing recognition that renewable fuels have economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/there-s-more-and-more-recognition-that-a-carbon-economy-is-dangerous/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [I struggled with each of these studies and I was uncertain about what they meant, and often confused, and then I tried to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/i-struggled-with-each-of-these-studies-and-i-was-uncertain-about-what/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [And I was troubled by the heavy-handed prose of so much psychoanalytic writing, which seemed drowned in its own concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/and-i-was-troubled-by-the-heavy-handed-prose-of-so-much/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [Donald Trump gives the impression that he would like to govern by decree. He has that impulse in him and he wants to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/donald-trump-gives-the-impression-that-he-would-like-to-govern-by/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [There are people who believe that there should be a standard psychiatric examination for every presidential candidate and for every president. But these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/there-are-people-who-believe-that-there-should-be-a-standard/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [One reason that I embarked on a study of Nazi doctors was that in this personal journey, I had the feeling increasingly that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/one-reason-that-i-embarked-on-a-study-of-nazi-doctors-was-that-in/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [“The ditties blend Japanese popular culture themes of saccharine, childlike goodness and viciously detached sadism, which Aum drew upon as it tapped the barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/the-ditties-blend-japanese-popular-culture-themes-of-saccharine/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [The scientists who made the atomic bomb are, in my sense, people with a tragic destiny. You know, there was the US race with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/the-scientists-who-made-the-atomic-bomb-are-in-my-sense-people-with-a/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [“Psychologically, nothing is darker or more menacing, or harder to accept, than the participation of physicians in mass murder. However technicized or commercial the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/psychologically-nothing-is-darker-or-more-menacing-or-harder-to/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [That is, we are bombarded by all kinds of images and influences and we have to fend some of them off if we're to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/that-is-we-are-bombarded-by-all-kinds-of-images-and-influences-and-we/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [Donald Trump doesn't have clear contact with reality, though I'm not sure it qualifies as a bona fide delusion. He needs things to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/donald-trump-doesn-t-have-clear-contact-with-reality-though-i-m-not/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/the-language-of-the-totalist-environment-is-characterized-by-the/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [People with what we call mental illness can indeed serve well, and people who have no discernible mental illness - and that may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/people-with-what-we-call-mental-illness-can-indeed-serve-well-and/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

> [There is a movement of more people recognizing global warming as a danger, recognizing the human contribution to global warming, recognizing the necessity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/there-is-a-movement-of-more-people-recognizing-global-warming-as-a/)

[Robert Jay Lifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

[Explore all 48 Robert Jay Lifton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/)

## More Country quotes

> [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/)

[Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/)

[Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/)

[Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/)

[Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/)

> [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/)

[Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/)

[Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We have a duty to warn on an individual basis if we are treating someone who may be dangerous to herself or to others - a duty to warn people who are in danger from that person. We feel it's our duty to warn the country about the danger of this president. If we think we have learned something about Donald Trump and his psychology that is dangerous to the country, yes, we have an obligation to say so.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Jay Lifton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual-basis-if-we-are-treating/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Country"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual-basis-if-we-are-treating/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/robert-jay-lifton-13917_country_we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual_604831.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We have a duty to warn on an individual basis if we are treating someone who may be dangerous to herself or…” — Robert Jay Lifton",
                "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": "Robert Jay Lifton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jay-lifton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We have a duty to warn...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual-basis-if-we-are-treating/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jay-lifton/we-have-a-duty-to-warn-on-an-individual-basis-if-we-are-treating/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
