---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no point going to a country which…"
description: "\"There's no point going to a country which is torturing people to ask them to stop if they can point out that the United States is doing it too. It enor..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/salman-rushdie-153_argument_there-s-no-point-going-to-a-country-whic_2106815.jpg"
---

#  There's no point going to a country which is torturing…

![“There's no point going to a country which is torturing people to ask them to stop if they can point out that the United States is doing it too. It enormously weakens the argument. Back in the early days of the Bush administration, PEN made a decision that we would try and make human rights issues…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/salman-rushdie-153_argument_there-s-no-point-going-to-a-country-whic_2106815.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/salman-rushdie-153_argument_there-s-no-point-going-to-a-country-whic_2106815.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bf/salman-rushdie-153_argument_there-s-no-point-going-to-a-country-whic_2106815.jpg)

> “There's no point going to a country which is torturing people to ask them to stop if they can point out that the United States is doing it too. It enormously weakens the argument. Back in the early days of the Bush administration, PEN made a decision that we would try and make human rights issues and civil rights issues in this country part of the priority, and not just international issues, which had more or less been the priority up until then.”

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## About This Quote

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

Criticizes hypocrisy when condemning foreign abuses while similar actions occur domestically, weakening moral authority.

**In simple terms:** Pointing out double standards weakens arguments.

Key Takeaway

Avoid hypocrisy in advocacy.

Themes

human rights political hypocrisy morality

Mood

critical reflective

Type

political ethical

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- activism
- media commentary
- diplomatic negotiations

Key Concepts

ethical consistency international law public discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- How can advocates maintain consistency?
- What steps can reconcile domestic and foreign policy?

A Different Perspective

Addressing domestic issues may reduce credibility of foreign criticism.

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