--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had always thought that the 'good,' and…" description: "\"I had always thought that the 'good,' and the 'bad' and the 'violent' did not exist in any absolute, essential sense. It seemed to me interesting to de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg" --- # I had always thought that the 'good,' and the 'bad' and… ![“I had always thought that the 'good,' and the 'bad' and the 'violent' did not exist in any absolute, essential sense. It seemed to me interesting to demystify these adjectives in the setting of a Western. An assassin can display a sublime altruism while a good man can kill with total indifference.” quote by Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg) > “I had always thought that the 'good,' and the 'bad' and the 'violent' did not exist in any absolute, essential sense. It seemed to me interesting to demystify these adjectives in the setting of a Western. An assassin can display a sublime altruism while a good man can kill with total indifference.” [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral labels are fluid; even villains can act altruistically and heroes can be indifferent. **In simple terms:** Good and bad are not absolute. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about morality. Themes morality relativism character philosophy Mood thought‑provoking philosophical analytical Type reflection thematic When to use this quote - literature analysis - film criticism - psychology - ethical debates Key Concepts ethical ambiguity human nature narrative complexity Questions to Reflect On - Can morality ever be truly objective? - How do stories influence our moral perceptions? A Different Perspective It may ignore cultural contexts that shape moral judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Adjectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adjectives/) [Altruism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altruism/) [Assassins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassins/) [Bad Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-violent-5291258/) [Display](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/display/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Setting Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting-western-5291256/) [Settings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settings/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) [Violent Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent-did-5291259/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western Assassin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-assassin-5291257/) [Westerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/westerns/) ## Related quotes > [To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words… Whoever writes English is involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/to-write-or-even-speak-english-is-not-a-science-but-an-art-there-are/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [anything being perceived as being superior takes the noun. And everything that isn't, that's judged to be inferior, requires an adjective. So there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/anything-being-perceived-as-being-superior-takes-the-noun-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/) [Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/) > [I have been called 'Bongshell' the day I stepped into showbiz. So, any adjective coming my way, I take it positively. Sometimes it's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/i-have-been-called-bongshell-the-day-i-stepped-into-showbiz-so-any/) [Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/) > [Purity of action guided Janis's behavior. If she was going to be good, she was very, very good. If she was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/purity-of-action-guided-janis-s-behavior-if-she-was-going-to-be-good/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-notice-that-you-use-plain-simple-language-short-words-and-brief/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [The mind that thought of light, heavy, grey, yellow, still, swift, also conceived of magic that would make heavy things light and able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-mind-that-thought-of-light-heavy-grey-yellow-still-swift-also/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-will-give-you-my-definition-of-a-nation-and-you-can-add-the/) [Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/but-what-is-memory-if-not-the-language-of-feeling-a-dictionary-of/) [Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [In my opinion, using different kinds of epithets and adjectives in connection with the word democracy is a sign of mere hypocrisy, to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/in-my-opinion-using-different-kinds-of-epithets-and-adjectives-in/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [In the history of the concept of number has been adjective (three cows, three monads) and noun (three, pure and simple), and now ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mazur/in-the-history-of-the-concept-of-number-has-been-adjective-three-cows/) [Barry Mazur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mazur/) > [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [The only sort of descriptive adjective or catch phrase for my music would be 'eclectic.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/the-only-sort-of-descriptive-adjective-or-catch-phrase-for-my-music/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) ## More by Sergio Leone > [Virginia Woolf was one example. She was called the "Lover of 100 Gangsters."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/virginia-woolf-was-one-example-she-was-called-the-lover-of-100/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [ I don't enter into particulars with \[Ennio Morricone\]. I give him the feeling and the suggestions of the characters. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-don-t-enter-into-particulars-with-ennio-morricone-i-give-him-the/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [It is clear that the vehicle of the western was a very interesting vehicle for me to contraband some of my ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/it-is-clear-that-the-vehicle-of-the-western-was-a-very-interesting/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [Especially in gangster films, with the gangster's moll - she would always be more or less of an object. And I'm not convinced of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/especially-in-gangster-films-with-the-gangster-s-moll-she-would/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [When you manage to express something with a look and the music instead of saying it with words or having the character speak, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/when-you-manage-to-express-something-with-a-look-and-the-music/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [My mother was an actress. My father was an actor and a director. I am the son of filmmakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/my-mother-was-an-actress-my-father-was-an-actor-and-a-director-i-am/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [It's a little hard to avoid putting both war and politics in, in that they both come into the activity, but on their own.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/it-s-a-little-hard-to-avoid-putting-both-war-and-politics-in-in-that/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [ My films are often characterized by the lack of women present in them, except for this last one \[Once Upon a Time in America\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/my-films-are-often-characterized-by-the-lack-of-women-present-in-them/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [I always fish out antique ideas, very old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-always-fish-out-antique-ideas-very-old-ideas/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [I don't want to do a war film per se. Nor do I want to do a political film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-don-t-want-to-do-a-war-film-per-se-nor-do-i-want-to-do-a-political/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [I'm not saying that the Americans had the same impact as the Jesuits, but I do see them as a very specialized populace, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-m-not-saying-that-the-americans-had-the-same-impact-as-the-jesuits/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [The world is in America. In Italy is only Italy. France is full of France. Germany is full of Germany. In a continent that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/the-world-is-in-america-in-italy-is-only-italy-france-is-full-of/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [What I do is give Ennio Morricone suggestions and describe to him my characters, and then, quite often, he'll possibly write five themes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/what-i-do-is-give-ennio-morricone-suggestions-and-describe-to-him-my/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [ I didn't want \[actress\] just to be a woman standing at the window, waving hello and goodbye to men as they came and went… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-didn-t-want-actress-just-to-be-a-woman-standing-at-the-window/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [Sometimes, I even recite the role to the actor if it's not clear. And I beg them not to imitate me, because I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/sometimes-i-even-recite-the-role-to-the-actor-if-it-s-not-clear-and-i/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) [Explore all 94 Sergio Leone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) ## More Absolutes quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) [Christy Nockels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-nockels/) > [Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huangbo-xiyun/the-nature-of-the-absolute-is-neither-perceptible-nor-imperceptible/) [Huangbo Xiyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huangbo-xiyun/) > [Joining a company is an act that calls for absolute loyalty in big matters and little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/joining-a-company-is-an-act-that-calls-for-absolute-loyalty-in-big/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [In fine, a life of good or evil, the hope of Heaven or the despair of Hell, Faustus stands as a reminder that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fine-a-life-of-good-or-evil-the-hope-of-heaven-or-the-despair-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 2,016 Absolutes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had always thought that the 'good,' and the 'bad' and the 'violent' did not exist in any absolute, essential sense. It seemed to me interesting to demystify these adjectives in the setting of a Western. An assassin can display a sublime altruism while a good man can kill with total indifference.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sergio Leone" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-the-bad-and-the-violent-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absolutes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-the-bad-and-the-violent-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c22/sergio-leone-7185_absolutes_i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-t_3087137.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had always thought that the 'good,' and the 'bad' and the 'violent' did not exist in any absolute…” — Sergio Leone", "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": "Sergio Leone", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had always thought that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-the-bad-and-the-violent-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-had-always-thought-that-the-good-and-the-bad-and-the-violent-did/#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 } } ] } ```