Bad idea Quote by Tamora Pierce
““That night, the Raka conspirators had plenty of news to report, particularly Ochobu. Aly had not known that the mages of the Chain had been laboring to eliminate any mages who had worked magic on the Crown’s behalf. So far they had killed seven of the most powerful. Chelaol would call this count of the dead another ‘good start,’ Aly thought grimly. This crude business of counting up lives taken struck her as a bad idea. It took the horror from death. When Ochobu named four mages on Lombyn who had had been killed in the streets of their towns, it had been about numbers, not lives. Maybe this is how you become a Rittevon, she thought. You get used to the dead being described as numbers, not fathers or daughters or grandparents. She turned to Dove when Ochobu finished, 'don’t ever be like this,' she urged. 'don’t think that it doesn’t matter if you only hear of murder as a number. If you keep it at a distance.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Circle Opens – Tris's Book, 1997
The protagonist sees how reducing human lives to statistics desensitizes people, making tragedy feel abstract and less impactful.
In simple terms: Seeing deaths as numbers dulls empathy.
Key Takeaway
Remember each number represents a person.
Themes
empathy
dehumanization
war
morality
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
cautionary
When to use this quote
- military reporting
- media coverage of casualties
- policy making
- personal coping with loss
Key Concepts
psychology
ethical perception
numercialization of death
Questions to Reflect On
- How does counting victims affect our response?
- Can we balance data with humanity?
A Different Perspective
Numbers alone cannot convey the full weight of loss.
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