---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Years ago, when James Bulger was…"
description: "\"Years ago, when James Bulger was murdered, every newspaper front page was talking about evil. At that point, having suppressed it for years, I remember..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png"
---

#  Years ago, when James Bulger was murdered, every newspaper…

![“Years ago, when James Bulger was murdered, every newspaper front page was talking about evil. At that point, having suppressed it for years, I remembered when I was four or five, I tried to kill my own brother.” quote by Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png)

> “Years ago, when James Bulger was murdered, every newspaper front page was talking about evil. At that point, having suppressed it for years, I remembered when I was four or five, I tried to kill my own brother.”

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Personal recollection of childhood aggression highlights how early violent impulses can resurface when confronting societal evil.

**In simple terms:** Early violence can echo later.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on past impulses to understand present reactions.

Themes

violence memory self-awareness

Mood

reflective somber

Type

introspective philosophical

When to use this quote

- crime reporting
- personal therapy
- social commentary
- media analysis

Key Concepts

psychology moral reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this reveal about human nature?
- How can we address early aggression?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on personal guilt may distract from systemic causes of violence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Fronts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fronts/) [Kill Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-brother-257310/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembered/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Talking Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-evil-3931565/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/)

## Related quotes

> [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [The combination of an out-of-control tabloid press and a readership that thrills to the destruction of the England head coach is something no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-barnes/the-combination-of-an-out-of-control-tabloid-press-and-a-readership/)

[Simon Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-barnes/)

> [You should never pick up a newspaper when you're feeling good, because every newspaper has a special department, called the Bummer Desk, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/you-should-never-pick-up-a-newspaper-when-you-re-feeling-good-because/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [On a fading summer evening, late in the last hours of his old life, Peter Jaxon-son of Demetrius and Prudence Jaxon, First Family; descendent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/on-a-fading-summer-evening-late-in-the-last-hours-of-his-old-life/)

[Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/)

> [“Do I need to go for a stroll? (Sin) Nay. I’m merely trying to kill your brother. (Maggie)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/do-i-need-to-go-for-a-stroll-sin-nay-i-m-merely-trying-to-kill-your/)

[Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/)

> [I can kill for a brother bt cant die for a brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saycekudda/i-can-kill-for-a-brother-bt-cant-die-for-a-brother/)

[Saycekudda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saycekudda/)

> [What does it take to get you to the point where you have to kill your brother? It's biblical, it's huge. It's so personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-estevez/what-does-it-take-to-get-you-to-the-point-where-you-have-to-kill-your/)

[Emilio Estevez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-estevez/)

> [“After my name day feast, I’m going to raise a host and kill your brother myself. That’s what I’ll give you, Lady Sansa. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/after-my-name-day-feast-i-m-going-to-raise-a-host-and-kill-your/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [“What of the hunting, hunter bold? Brother, the watch was long and cold. What of the quarry ye went to kill? Brother, he crops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/what-of-the-hunting-hunter-bold-brother-the-watch-was-long-and-cold/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [“ How I Would Like to Kill My Brother, Version Sixteen By Olivia Bevelstoke No. really, what was the point? She could hardly top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/how-i-would-like-to-kill-my-brother-version-sixteen-by-olivia/)

[Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/)

> [Countries manufacture bombs and guns to kill your brother for something that he hasn't even done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bad-religion/countries-manufacture-bombs-and-guns-to-kill-your-brother-for/)

[Bad Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bad-religion/)

> [“Briec removed his clothes and slipped into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her waist and snuggling her from behind. “Izzy?” “That’s just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-aiken/briec-removed-his-clothes-and-slipped-into-bed-with-her-wrapping-his/)

[G.A. Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-a-aiken/)

> [“...you can't put nothing past these southern boys. They just sit around waiting for somebody to kill their brother so they can get started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-bell/you-can-t-put-nothing-past-these-southern-boys-they-just-sit-around/)

[Alden Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-bell/)

## More by Tilda Swinton

> [I think there's a dishonorable tradition in Hollywood to give the idea, particularly to children, that evil characters are dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-think-there-s-a-dishonorable-tradition-in-hollywood-to-give-the/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [ The Ancient One, as you know, is the master, is the Sorcerer Supreme, and \[Doctor\] Strange comes to learn how to heal himself and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/the-ancient-one-as-you-know-is-the-master-is-the-sorcerer-supreme-and/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [I'll tell you one thing, and this is banal to say because it just makes it sound like it's all planned, and nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-ll-tell-you-one-thing-and-this-is-banal-to-say-because-it-just/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [I remember noticing, when I had my babies, how much I liked them, and not just loved them, but I was really into them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-remember-noticing-when-i-had-my-babies-how-much-i-liked-them-and/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [I follow my nose. It’s as simple as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-follow-my-nose-it-s-as-simple-as-that/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [It may be unfair of me but I do feel I know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/it-may-be-unfair-of-me-but-i-do-feel-i-know-it/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [What very often happens when people make films about rich people, the camera is quite mesmerised by the opulence and quite theatrical in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/what-very-often-happens-when-people-make-films-about-rich-people-the/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [I wasn't around when Nic was playing Donald. I was around with Charlie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-wasn-t-around-when-nic-was-playing-donald-i-was-around-with-charlie/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [I never quite understand the way society decides who is beautiful and who is not. But an open face and a capacity for kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-never-quite-understand-the-way-society-decides-who-is-beautiful-and/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [Even beyond sexuality, I'm generally interested in identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/even-beyond-sexuality-i-m-generally-interested-in-identity/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [When I'm in northern Italy, I walk about feeling slightly less of a freak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/when-i-m-in-northern-italy-i-walk-about-feeling-slightly-less-of-a/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [Nic's Charlie is something very particular. You can't really put them together. It's a phantasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/nic-s-charlie-is-something-very-particular-you-can-t-really-put-them/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [In The Deep End, you have a woman who looks like a J. Crew mother who can manage it all. Then we begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/in-the-deep-end-you-have-a-woman-who-looks-like-a-j-crew-mother-who/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [I live a soldier's life when I'm working. That's how it feels to me, except I've got a slightly greater chance of survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-live-a-soldier-s-life-when-i-m-working-that-s-how-it-feels-to-me/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [ \[My work\] just develops and develops, and I'm very nicely served by the universe: just as I'm ready to take the conversation further with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/my-work-just-develops-and-develops-and-i-m-very-nicely-served-by-the/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

[Explore all 111 Tilda Swinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

## More Brother quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/)

[James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/)

> [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/)

[Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/)

[Spencer Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-moody/)

> [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/)

[Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/)

> [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/)

[Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/)

[George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/)

[Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Years ago, when James Bulger was murdered, every newspaper front page was talking about evil. At that point, having suppressed it for years, I remembered when I was four or five, I tried to kill my own brother.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tilda Swinton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered-every-newspaper-front-page/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered-every-newspaper-front-page/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/tilda-swinton-4434_brother_years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered_450334.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Years ago, when James Bulger was murdered, every newspaper front page was talking about evil. At that point…” — Tilda Swinton",
                "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": "Tilda Swinton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Years ago, when James Bulger was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered-every-newspaper-front-page/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/years-ago-when-james-bulger-was-murdered-every-newspaper-front-page/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
