Capital punishment Quote by Victor Hugo
““Plea Against the Death Penalty Look, examine, reflect. You hold capital punishment up as an example. Why? Because of what it teaches. And just what is it that you wish to teach by means of this example? That thou shalt not kill. And how do you teach that "thou shalt not kill"? By killing. I have examined the death penalty under each of its two aspects: as a direct action, and as an indirect one. What does it come down to? Nothing but something horrible and useless, nothing but a way of shedding blood that is called a crime when an individual commits it, but is (sadly) called "justice" when society brings it about. Make no mistake, you lawmakers and judges, in the eyes of God as in those of conscience, what is a crime when individuals do it is no less an offense when society commits the deed.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: “Plea Against the Death Penalty”, 1848, France
The speaker argues that state‑sanctioned killing contradicts the moral command “thou shalt not kill”, exposing capital punishment as hypocritical and ineffective.
In simple terms: Killing by the state violates the same rule it claims to uphold.
Key Takeaway
Reject killing as a form of justice.
Themes
ethics
law
human rights
justice
hypocrisy
Mood
critical
reflective
somber
Type
argumentative
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- courtrooms
- legislative debates
- human rights advocacy
- public policy discussions
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
state violence
legal ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- Is state violence ever justified?
- How can societies enforce law without killing?
A Different Perspective
The argument may overlook deterrence arguments or victims’ desire for retribution.
![“The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold.” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b85/marquis-de-sade-1964_capital-punishment_the-law-which-attempts-a-man-s-life-capi_99486.jpg)
![“[T]here are some human rights that are so deep that we can't negotiate them away. I mean people do heinous, terrible things. But there are basic human rights I believe that every human being has. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations says it for me. And it says there are…” quote by Sister Helen Prejean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5c4/sister-helen-prejean-94083_an-eye-for-an-eye_t-here-are-some-human-rights-that-are-so_222080.jpg)
