Killers Quote by Vladimir Nabokov
““Nowadays you have to be a scientist if you want to be a killer. No, no, I was neither. Ladies and gentleman of the jury, the majority of sex offenders that hanker for some throbbing, sweet-moaning, physical but not necessarily coital, relation with a girl-child, are innocuous, inadequate, passive, timid strangers who merely ask the community to allow them to pursue their practically harmless, so-called aberrant behavior, their little hot wet private acts of sexual deviation without the police and society cracking down upon them. We are not sex fiends! We do not rape as good soldiers do. We are unhappy, mild, dog-eyed gentlemen, sufficiently well integrated to control our urge in the presence of adults, but ready to give years and years of life for one chance to touch a nymphet. Emphatically, no killers are we. Poets never kill.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
The narrator absurdly minimizes heinous sexual crimes, exposing twisted rationalizations and denial.
In simple terms: Denial of horrific crimes.
Key Takeaway
Recognize dangerous rationalizations.
Themes
morality
denial
sexual violence
justice
Mood
disturbing
analytical
Type
satirical
critical
When to use this quote
- legal system
- psychology
- education
- media analysis
Key Concepts
cognitive dissonance
psychopathology
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- What mechanisms allow people to justify evil?
- How does language shape perception of crime?
A Different Perspective
The satire may obscure the severity of the offenses.
![“...under no circumstances would he [Humbert Humbert] have interfered with the innocence of a child, if there was the least risk of a row.” quote by Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/vladimir-nabokov-198_children_under-no-circumstances-would-he-humbert_16228.jpg)
