Killer Quote by Steven Erikson
““There had been a local with them, to witness the veracity of the night’s work. In the aftermath, as he stood in the doorway and stared down at the three corpses, he’d lifted his head and met Crokus’s eyes. Whatever he saw in them had drained the blood from the man’s face. By morning Crokus had acquired a new name. Cutter. At first he had rejected it. The local had misread all that had been revealed behind the Daru’s eyes that night. Nothing fierce. The barrier of shock, fast crumbling to self-condemnation. Murdering killers was still murder, the act like the closing of shackles between them all, joining a line of infinite length, one killer to the next, a procession from which there was no escape.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Malazan Book of the Fallen, 2000s
A warrior confronts the horror of killing, realizing that each act of murder binds him to an endless chain of violence, reshaping his identity.
In simple terms: Killing links you to a never‑ending cycle of violence.
Key Takeaway
Consider the moral weight of violent actions.
Themes
war
identity
violence
identity
psychology
transformation
Mood
grim
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- battlefields
- post‑combat reflection
- justice systems
- personal trauma
Key Concepts
moral responsibility
psychological impact
identity formation
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this perspective affect your view of conflict?
- Can one break the cycle of violence?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may romanticize violence.
