--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These were dangerous thoughts, he knew…" description: "\"“These were dangerous thoughts, he knew. They were the kind that crept up on a Watchman when the chase was over and it was just you and him, facing one..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg" --- # These were dangerous thoughts, he knew. They were the kind… ![“These were dangerous thoughts, he knew. They were the kind that crept up on a Watchman when the chase was over and it was just you and him, facing one another in that breathless little pinch between the crime and the punishment. And maybe a Watchman had seen civilization with the skin ripped off…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg) > ““These were dangerous thoughts, he knew. They were the kind that crept up on a Watchman when the chase was over and it was just you and him, facing one another in that breathless little pinch between the crime and the punishment. And maybe a Watchman had seen civilization with the skin ripped off one time too many and stopped acting like a Watchman and started acting like a normal human being and realized that the click of the crossbow or the sweep of the sword would make all the world so clean. And you couldn’t think like that, even about vampires. Even though they’d take the lives of other people because little lives don’t matter and what the hell can we take away from them? And, too, you couldn’t think like that because they gave you a sword and a badge and that turned you into something else and that had to mean there were some thoughts you couldn’t think. Only crimes could take place in darkness. Punishment had to be done in the light. That was the job of a good Watchman, Carrot always said. To light a candle in the dark.”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A Watchman reflects on the moral conflict between duty and humanity, recognizing that violence and authority can corrupt noble intentions. **In simple terms:** Duty can clash with personal conscience. Key Takeaway Balance duty with empathy. Themes ethics authority humanity conflict morality power Mood reflective tense Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - law enforcement - military service - personal decision making - ethical leadership Key Concepts Moral dilemma watchman archetype civilization violence responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Can authority be exercised without losing humanity? - How do we reconcile duty with personal morals? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on duty may suppress critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Terry-pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terry-pratchett/) ## Related quotes > [As you get older, you have to fix your insides, because your face naturally gets a little crabby-looking, so if you're thinking mean thoughts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-thompson/as-you-get-older-you-have-to-fix-your-insides-because-your-face/) [Lea Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-thompson/) > [She was doing that thing some people do when they act nice and chipper and interested, while just below the surface they’re thinking really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-von-ziegesar/she-was-doing-that-thing-some-people-do-when-they-act-nice-and/) [Cecily von Ziegesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-von-ziegesar/) > [“He had died for his beliefs; chief among them was the very Hugglestonian one that bravery could replace armour, and that Klatchians would turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-had-died-for-his-beliefs-chief-among-them-was-the-very/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Have - have you got an appointment?' he said. 'I don't know,' said Carrot. 'Have we got an appointment?' 'I've got an iron ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/have-have-you-got-an-appointment-he-said-i-don-t-know-said-carrot/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“My Lord... what is Death like?" called the old man tremulously. "When I have investigated it fully, I will let you know," came the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/my-lord-what-is-death-like-called-the-old-man-tremulously-when-i-have/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Are you staying with us? It could be dangerous,' said William, realizing that he was saying this to a vampire iconographer who undied every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/are-you-staying-with-us-it-could-be-dangerous-said-william-realizing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Dies ist nicht Ankh. Das erkenne ich an Einzelheiten wie zum Beispiel den zitternden roten Schatten und Schreien in der Ferne." Rincewind seufzte. "In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/dies-ist-nicht-ankh-das-erkenne-ich-an-einzelheiten-wie-zum-beispiel/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Wolves hate werewolves.' 'What? That can't be right! When she's wolf-shaped she's just like a wolf!' 'So? When she's human-shaped she's just like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/wolves-hate-werewolves-what-that-can-t-be-right-when-she-s-wolf/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“That --ing zombie is going to end up on the end of a couple of --ing handy and versatile kebab skewers,' said Mr Tulip.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/that-ing-zombie-is-going-to-end-up-on-the-end-of-a-couple-of-ing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“That just goes to show that you never know, although what it is we never know I suspect we'll never know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/that-just-goes-to-show-that-you-never-know-although-what-it-is-we/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“No matter how fast light travels it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/no-matter-how-fast-light-travels-it-finds-the-darkness-has-always-got/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But too much reading had taken its toll. William found that he now thought of prayer as a sophisticated way of pleading with thunderstorms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-too-much-reading-had-taken-its-toll-william-found-that-he-now/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You know it’s going to be Mary the Maid, or someone like her, and there’s going to be two men and she will end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-know-it-s-going-to-be-mary-the-maid-or-someone-like-her-and-there/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You can't be loony and rich. You've got to be eccentric if you're rich.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-be-loony-and-rich-you-ve-got-to-be-eccentric-if-you-re-rich/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Anger was a weapon to be honed and treasured and used only at the moment yielding most premium.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/anger-was-a-weapon-to-be-honed-and-treasured-and-used-only-at-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) Avis Bohlen [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“These were dangerous thoughts, he knew. They were the kind that crept up on a Watchman when the chase was over and it was just you and him, facing one another in that breathless little pinch between the crime and the punishment. And maybe a Watchman had seen civilization with the skin ripped off one time too many and stopped acting like a Watchman and started acting like a normal human being and realized that the click of the crossbow or the sweep of the sword would make all the world so clean. And you couldn’t think like that, even about vampires. Even though they’d take the lives of other people because little lives don’t matter and what the hell can we take away from them? And, too, you couldn’t think like that because they gave you a sword and a badge and that turned you into something else and that had to mean there were some thoughts you couldn’t think. Only crimes could take place in darkness. Punishment had to be done in the light. That was the job of a good Watchman, Carrot always said. To light a candle in the dark.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-they-were-the-kind-that-crept/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-they-were-the-kind-that-crept/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/terry-pratchett-19_crime_these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-th_791439.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These were dangerous thoughts, he knew. They were the kind that crept up on a Watchman when the chase was…” — Terry Pratchett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“These were dangerous thoughts, he knew....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-they-were-the-kind-that-crept/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/these-were-dangerous-thoughts-he-knew-they-were-the-kind-that-crept/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```