Another man Quote by Terry Pratchett
““Something Vimes had learned as a young guard drifted up from memory. If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat. They'll watch you squirm . They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar. So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, 1989
When facing a captor, hope they are evil because evil thrives on fear and cruelty, while a good person would act swiftly and without cruelty.
In simple terms: Hope the captor is evil, because good people act quickly and kindly.
Key Takeaway
Expect swift, humane treatment from good people.
Themes
fear
power
morality
justice
hope
Mood
tense
reflective
cautious
Type
philosophical
advice
narrative
When to use this quote
- hostage situations
- interrogations
- conflict resolution
- law enforcement
- personal safety
Key Concepts
evil
good
human nature
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you assess a captor's intentions?
- What actions signal genuine compassion?
A Different Perspective
Evil captors may manipulate hope, making it unreliable.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
