--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs…" description: "\"Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. More..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/stanley-milgram-22480_action_ordinary-people-simply-doing-their-jobs_3105092.jpg" --- # Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any… ![“Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental…” quote by Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/stanley-milgram-22480_action_ordinary-people-simply-doing-their-jobs_3105092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/stanley-milgram-22480_action_ordinary-people-simply-doing-their-jobs_3105092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9f/stanley-milgram-22480_action_ordinary-people-simply-doing-their-jobs_3105092.jpg) > “Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority.” [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary individuals can unwittingly support harmful systems, especially when authority pressures conflict with morality. **In simple terms:** People may aid harm under authority. Key Takeaway Question authority and uphold ethics. Themes morality authority obedience Mood serious thoughtful Type ethical reflective When to use this quote - workplace decisions - military orders - bureaucratic actions Key Concepts social psychology ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - When have you faced moral conflict at work? - What supports help you oppose unjust orders? A Different Perspective Resistance requires resources and personal risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Hostility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostility/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Ordinary people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ## Related quotes > [Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/ordinary-people-simply-doing-their-jobs-and-without-any-particular/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/relatively-few-people-have-the-resources-needed-to-resist-authority/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [Enlightenment is a destructive process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/enlightenment-is-a-destructive-process/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [“We Americans seem to derive a great deal of pleasure out of punishing those who fail to measure up to our standards of morality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/we-americans-seem-to-derive-a-great-deal-of-pleasure-out-of-punishing/) [Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/) > [The moral absolutes rest upon God's character. 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