--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why?' Said Harry. 'For the big idea…" description: "\"“Why?' Said Harry. 'For the big idea, Oliver. Someone comes up with the big idea - could be religion, could be politics, could be the race you belong t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/stephen-hunt-48252_big-idea_why-said-harry-for-the-big-idea-oliver-s_1213826.jpg" --- # Why?' Said Harry. 'For the big idea, Oliver. Someone comes… ![“Why?' Said Harry. 'For the big idea, Oliver. Someone comes up with the big idea - could be religion, could be politics, could be the race you belong to, or your clan, or philosophy, or economics, or your sex or just how many bleeding guineas you got stashed in the counting house. Doesn't matter…” quote by Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/stephen-hunt-48252_big-idea_why-said-harry-for-the-big-idea-oliver-s_1213826.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/stephen-hunt-48252_big-idea_why-said-harry-for-the-big-idea-oliver-s_1213826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/stephen-hunt-48252_big-idea_why-said-harry-for-the-big-idea-oliver-s_1213826.jpg) > ““Why?' Said Harry. 'For the big idea, Oliver. Someone comes up with the big idea - could be religion, could be politics, could be the race you belong to, or your clan, or philosophy, or economics, or your sex or just how many bleeding guineas you got stashed in the counting house. Doesn't matter, because the big idea is always the same - wouldn't it be good if only EVERYONE was the same as ME -if only everyone else thought and acted and worshipped and looked like me, everything would become a paradise on earth. 'But people are too different, too diverse to fit into one way of acting or thinking or looking. And that's where the trouble starts. That's when they show up at your door to make the ones who don't fit vanish, when, frustrated by the lack of progress and your stupidity and plain wrongness at not appreciating the perfection of the big idea, they start trying to to shave off the imperfections. Using knives and racks and axe-men and camps and Gideon's Collars. When you see a difference in a person and can find only wickedness in it - you and them - the THEM become fair game, not people anymore but obstacles to the greater good, and it's always open season on THEM.”” [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The desire for a single, uniform belief leads to oppression, as differences are seen as obstacles to an imagined perfect order. **In simple terms:** Uniformity is enforced by eliminating those who differ. Key Takeaway Beware of forcing sameness on others. Themes power conformity intolerance Mood critical cautionary somber Type political social When to use this quote - political movements - religious sects - cult dynamics - human rights activism Key Concepts authoritarianism identity politics social control Questions to Reflect On - What benefits arise from embracing differences? - How can societies protect pluralism? A Different Perspective The argument oversimplifies complex identities and ignores the value of diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) [Collectivism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectivism/) [Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communism/) [Fair game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-game/) [Greater good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-good/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Idea Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-oliver-3690104/) [Idea Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-religion-331250/) [Idea Wouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-wouldn-693727/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Open season](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-season/) [Paradise on earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradise-on-earth/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) ## Related quotes > [“After passionately nursing this idea for about an hour, I suddenly had another idea: no I wouldn't. Of course I wouldn't make an entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/after-passionately-nursing-this-idea-for-about-an-hour-i-suddenly-had/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I only read on my phone and the whole "let's see if we can get people to do it" idea seems less "wouldn't it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lowell/i-only-read-on-my-phone-and-the-whole-let-s-see-if-we-can-get-people/) [Nathan Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lowell/) > [“Despite the fact that, the idea of religion has been filled by the human society with all sorts of garbage, and thus been made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/despite-the-fact-that-the-idea-of-religion-has-been-filled-by-the/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [What we need in Europe is to push back against the idea that religion is so farfetched that it's not worth talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-we-need-in-europe-is-to-push-back-against-the-idea-that-religion/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [My idea of religion is we are supposed to bring people together. We are not supposed to judge other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/my-idea-of-religion-is-we-are-supposed-to-bring-people-together-we/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) > [“There is yet another class that, having found that their own religion not only prevents free thinking but that some of its philosophies are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-ali-muhiyaddin/there-is-yet-another-class-that-having-found-that-their-own-religion/) [Mohammed Ali Muhiyaddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-ali-muhiyaddin/) > [We are so accustomed to think of religion as a thing between individual men and God that we can hardly enter into the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/we-are-so-accustomed-to-think-of-religion-as-a-thing-between/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell/the-idea-that-religion-and-politics-don-t-mix-was-invented-by-the/) [Jerry Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell/) > [I find the whole idea of religion overwhelming and frightening and not for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-fern/i-find-the-whole-idea-of-religion-overwhelming-and-frightening-and/) [Cody Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-fern/) > [I could never take the idea of religion very seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-could-never-take-the-idea-of-religion-very-seriously/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [By getting as close to the true idea of religion, of spirituality as it is possible for us to get.. ...we would be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/by-getting-as-close-to-the-true-idea-of-religion-of-spirituality-as/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The patriarchal, the Jewish, and the Christian dispensations, are evidently but the unfolding of one general plan. In the first we see the folded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hopkins/the-patriarchal-the-jewish-and-the-christian-dispensations-are/) [Mark Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hopkins/) > [And perhaps this has to do with what I sense is a turning away from the idea of religion as being about conserving a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pattison/and-perhaps-this-has-to-do-with-what-i-sense-is-a-turning-away-from/) [George Pattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pattison/) > [“He wished he understood where they come from: all the terrorists, religious revolutionists and hate-criminals. Did terrorizing entire communities of people help them sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thisuri-wanniarachchi/he-wished-he-understood-where-they-come-from-all-the-terrorists/) [Thisuri Wanniarachchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thisuri-wanniarachchi/) > [In church I was told that if I so much as smoked a cigarette or tasted alcohol, I’d be damned in hell for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/in-church-i-was-told-that-if-i-so-much-as-smoked-a-cigarette-or/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) ## More by Stephen Hunt > [“The bonds of friendship dwindle with age, Oliver. But a little blackmail lasts forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/the-bonds-of-friendship-dwindle-with-age-oliver-but-a-little/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [“When the kingdom's people had stopped believing in the druids' deities they had not begun believing in nothing, they had begun believing in anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/when-the-kingdom-s-people-had-stopped-believing-in-the-druids-deities/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [All I have left is my anger at the foolishness of the world. The unnecessary cruelties, the pomposity and vanity of people who should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/all-i-have-left-is-my-anger-at-the-foolishness-of-the-world-the/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/if-you-re-not-living-on-the-edge-you-re-taking-up-too-much-space/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [Even a broken clock is right twice a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/even-a-broken-clock-is-right-twice-a-day/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [“There is an ancient saying,' noted Ironflanks, 'originating, I believe, from you fastbloods. The truth will set you free.' 'No, old steamer,' said the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/there-is-an-ancient-saying-noted-ironflanks-originating-i-believe/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [Not many people like him, he's an angry man. He'd go after his own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/not-many-people-like-him-he-s-an-angry-man-he-d-go-after-his-own/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) [Explore all 8 Stephen Hunt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) ## More Big idea quotes > [I am not going to make promises I can't keep. I am not going to talk about big ideas like single-payer and then not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-not-going-to-make-promises-i-can-t-keep-i-am-not-going-to-talk/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I really like Kickstarter because you don't have to be a Medici to fund the arts and sciences or to get behind a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gansky/i-really-like-kickstarter-because-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-medici-to/) [Lisa Gansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gansky/) > [Believe in something larger than yourself... get involved in the big ideas of your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/believe-in-something-larger-than-yourself-get-involved-in-the-big/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [“You want the story of my life? Big ideas, small results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-stanwyck/you-want-the-story-of-my-life-big-ideas-small-results/) [Barbara Stanwyck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-stanwyck/) > [It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/it-takes-a-big-idea-to-attract-the-attention-of-consumers-and-get/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [The only big ideas I've ever had came from daydreaming, but modern life keeps people from daydreaming. Every moment of the day your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maccready/the-only-big-ideas-i-ve-ever-had-came-from-daydreaming-but-modern/) [Paul MacCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maccready/) > [You will never win fame and fortune unless you invent big ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/you-will-never-win-fame-and-fortune-unless-you-invent-big-ideas/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-laugh-at-me-because-i-use-big-words-but-if-you-have-big-ideas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the big ideas for getting us onto a lower carbon trajectory involve a lot of people doing a lot of work, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/all-the-big-ideas-for-getting-us-onto-a-lower-carbon-trajectory/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I've never been shy about big ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-x-suarez/i-ve-never-been-shy-about-big-ideas/) [Francis X. Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-x-suarez/) > [“The path to success involves two parts. Part One is all about imagination and dreaming up a big idea. Part Two is all about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-clark/the-path-to-success-involves-two-parts-part-one-is-all-about/) [Clay Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-clark/) > [You never know when some small thing will lead to a big idea. Travel is very inspirational - but it's in the ordinary that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/you-never-know-when-some-small-thing-will-lead-to-a-big-idea-travel/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [The job of the leader is to get the big ideas right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/the-job-of-the-leader-is-to-get-the-big-ideas-right/) [David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/) > [“There is a current perception is that science has overtaken Philosophy and in effect rendered Philosophy irrelevant. Science, when sufficiently abstracted, approaches Philosophy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-golway/there-is-a-current-perception-is-that-science-has-overtaken/) [Tom Golway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-golway/) > [I always tell people that revelling in big ideas for me is kind of like an antidote to existential angst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/i-always-tell-people-that-revelling-in-big-ideas-for-me-is-kind-of/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) [Browse all 254 Big idea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-idea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why?' Said Harry. 'For the big idea, Oliver. Someone comes up with the big idea - could be religion, could be politics, could be the race you belong to, or your clan, or philosophy, or economics, or your sex or just how many bleeding guineas you got stashed in the counting house. Doesn't matter, because the big idea is always the same - wouldn't it be good if only EVERYONE was the same as ME -if only everyone else thought and acted and worshipped and looked like me, everything would become a paradise on earth. 'But people are too different, too diverse to fit into one way of acting or thinking or looking. And that's where the trouble starts. That's when they show up at your door to make the ones who don't fit vanish, when, frustrated by the lack of progress and your stupidity and plain wrongness at not appreciating the perfection of the big idea, they start trying to to shave off the imperfections. Using knives and racks and axe-men and camps and Gideon's Collars. 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