---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have done terrible things, you…"
description: "\"If you have done terrible things, you must endure terrible things; for thus the sacred light of injustice shines bright.\" — Sophocles"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png"
---

#  If you have done terrible things, you must endure terrible…

![“If you have done terrible things, you must endure terrible things; for thus the sacred light of injustice shines bright.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png)

> “If you have done terrible things, you must endure terrible things; for thus the sacred light of injustice shines bright.”

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

## About This Quote

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

Wrongdoing invites suffering; injustice highlights the stark contrast between moral darkness and the illuminating power of truth.

**In simple terms:** Bad actions bring harsh consequences, revealing truth.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the link between deeds and outcomes.

Themes

justice retribution morality consequence truth

Mood

reflective somber thoughtful

Type

philosophical dramatic

When to use this quote

- legal judgments
- personal accountability
- social activism
- education on ethics

Key Concepts

ethical philosophy tragic drama moral law

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “sacred light” symbolize?
- Can suffering be a path to insight?

A Different Perspective

May ignore systemic factors that affect justice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Endure Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure-terrible-2305542/) [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [Injustice Shines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice-shines-2305540/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-injustice-2305541/) [Red light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-light/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Things Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-endure-2274708/)

## Related quotes

> [But I think it's important that things endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-day/but-i-think-it-s-important-that-things-endure/)

[Robin Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-day/)

> [“Those mountains had been there since before I was born, and they'd still be there when I was gone. They'd stayed standing through every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-knox/those-mountains-had-been-there-since-before-i-was-born-and-they-d/)

[Joseph Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-knox/)

> [The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/the-spirit-the-will-to-win-and-the-will-to-excel-are-the-things-that/)

[Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/)

> [If you get good things, you must endure the tough times also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randhir-kapoor/if-you-get-good-things-you-must-endure-the-tough-times-also/)

[Randhir Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randhir-kapoor/)

> [Each of us, if we would grow, must be committed to excellence. The championships, the money, the color; all of these things linger only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/each-of-us-if-we-would-grow-must-be-committed-to-excellence-the/)

[Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/)

> [I've stopped racing to get to the red light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-chandler/i-ve-stopped-racing-to-get-to-the-red-light/)

[Kyle Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-chandler/)

> [We're all trying to get to the same island — whether you swim, fly, surf, or skydive, it doesn't matter. What matters is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/we-re-all-trying-to-get-to-the-same-island-whether-you-swim-fly-surf-2/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [“Christmas always used to get me down. There was something oppressive about all those twinkling colored lights. "Are you happy?" "Do you fit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chica-umino/christmas-always-used-to-get-me-down-there-was-something-oppressive/)

[Chica Umino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chica-umino/)

> [We’re all trying to get to the same island, whether you swim, fly, surf, or skydive in, it doesn’t matter. What matters is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/we-re-all-trying-to-get-to-the-same-island-whether-you-swim-fly-surf/)

[Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/)

> [One song Glory One song Before I go Glory One song to leave behind Find one song One last refrain Glory From the pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rent/one-song-glory-one-song-before-i-go-glory-one-song-to-leave-behind/)

[Rent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rent/)

> [“Just as with sound waves, light waves emitted by a moving source show the Doppler effect. What we observe instead of the sound pitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/just-as-with-sound-waves-light-waves-emitted-by-a-moving-source-show/)

[Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/)

> [“Colored lights blink on and off, racing across the green boughs. Their reflections dance across exquisite glass globes and splinter into shards against tinsel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/colored-lights-blink-on-and-off-racing-across-the-green-boughs-their/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [Suppose you were working at your job one day, and you made a little mistake. Then all of a sudden a red light went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-plante/suppose-you-were-working-at-your-job-one-day-and-you-made-a-little/)

[Jacques Plante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-plante/)

> [That awkward moment when you stop at a red light and look over to someone staring at you..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-you-stop-at-a-red-light-and-look-over-to/)

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

> [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/)

[Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/)

## More by Sophocles

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“But life takes sudden twists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-life-takes-sudden-twists/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-god-hates-utterly-the-bray-of-bragging-tongues/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-have-nothing-but-contempt-for-the-kind-of-governor-who-is-afraid/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“Not from Hades' black and universal lake can you lift him. Not by groaning, not by prayers. Yet you run yourself out in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/not-from-hades-black-and-universal-lake-can-you-lift-him-not-by/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [A fearful man is always hearing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fearful-man-is-always-hearing-things/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [There is a point at which even justice does injury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/there-is-a-point-at-which-even-justice-does-injury/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

[Explore all 621 Sophocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

## More Done quotes

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/)

[Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/)

> [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

[Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you have done terrible things, you must endure terrible things; for thus the sacred light of injustice shines bright.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sophocles"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-must-endure-terrible-things-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Done"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-must-endure-terrible-things-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6e/sophocles-370_done_if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-mus_226899.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you have done terrible things, you must endure terrible things; for thus the sacred light of injustice…” — Sophocles",
                "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": "Sophocles",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you have done terrible things,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-must-endure-terrible-things-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-you-have-done-terrible-things-you-must-endure-terrible-things-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
