---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It would have been reasonable for Hayward…"
description: "\"“It would have been reasonable for Hayward to stand aside and watch with a smile while the barbarians slaughtered one another. It looked as though men ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg"
---

#  It would have been reasonable for Hayward to stand aside…

![“It would have been reasonable for Hayward to stand aside and watch with a smile while the barbarians slaughtered one another. It looked as though men were puppets in the hands of an unknown force, which drove them to do this and that; and sometimes they used their reason to justify their actions…” quote by William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg)

> ““It would have been reasonable for Hayward to stand aside and watch with a smile while the barbarians slaughtered one another. It looked as though men were puppets in the hands of an unknown force, which drove them to do this and that; and sometimes they used their reason to justify their actions; and when this was impossible they did the actions in despite of reason.””

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

## About This Quote

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

Human conflict often feels controlled by unseen forces, and people rationalize violence or act irrationally despite reason.

**In simple terms:** People act like puppets, using reason to justify or ignore violence.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden influences and question rationalizations.

Themes

power violence human nature reason control

Mood

reflective critical serious

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- war
- political manipulation
- personal decision-making
- ethical dilemmas
- social movements

Key Concepts

determinism psychology morality

Questions to Reflect On

- What unseen forces shape your actions?
- How do you justify harmful behavior?

A Different Perspective

Reason can be overridden by deeper impulses or external pressures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/) [Barbarians Slaughtered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians-slaughtered-4822352/) [Looked Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked-men-1595121/) [Reasonable Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable-hayward-4822354/) [Slaughtered Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaughtered-looked-4822353/)

## Related quotes

> [“He had thought at first that they were all of common stature and costume, with the evident exception of the hairy Gogol. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/he-had-thought-at-first-that-they-were-all-of-common-stature-and/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“He was proud and stubborn, and all the ton looked up to him. Men curried his favor, women flirted like mad. And all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/he-was-proud-and-stubborn-and-all-the-ton-looked-up-to-him-men/)

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

> [“Men were like blades, they would all break sooner or later, you included. But you looked around at the men you led, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-k-morgan/men-were-like-blades-they-would-all-break-sooner-or-later-you/)

[Richard K. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-k-morgan/)

> [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Why is she afraid?" he asked. "She's not Anjin-san. Just a little nervous. Please excuse her. She's never seen a foreigner close to before."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/why-is-she-afraid-he-asked-she-s-not-anjin-san-just-a-little-nervous/)

[James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/)

> [The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-waiter-brought-fresh-baked-bread-and-cheese-a-bottle-of-sparkling/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [America's critics can be heard everywhere. It is too much in love with money - worshipping the god of the marketplace, the golden calf.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/america-s-critics-can-be-heard-everywhere-it-is-too-much-in-love-with/)

[Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/)

> [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/)

[Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/)

> [Is Islam a religion of peace? I'm sure for some of the practitioners, but it's been hijacked by people who have an ideology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-i-m-sure-for-some-of-the-practitioners/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [The idea that war should be conducted within a moral framework may seem like a quaint medieval practice, but as speech separates humans from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-idea-that-war-should-be-conducted-within-a-moral-framework-may/)

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

> [Fain would we remain barbarians, if our claim to civilization were to be based on the gruesome glory of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fain-would-we-remain-barbarians-if-our-claim-to-civilization-were-to/)

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

> [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/school-curricula-that-ignore-the-arts-produce-highly-educated/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

## More by William Somerset Maugham

> [“You know, I don’t believe in churches and parsons and all that,” she said, “but I believe in God, and I don’t believe He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/you-know-i-don-t-believe-in-churches-and-parsons-and-all-that-she/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“It was the period in Germany of Goethe’s highest fame. Notwithstanding his rather condescending attitude towards patriotism he had been adopted as the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-was-the-period-in-germany-of-goethe-s-highest-fame-notwithstanding/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [If people waited to know one another before they married, the world wouldn't be so grossly over-populated as it is now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/if-people-waited-to-know-one-another-before-they-married-the-world/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“It was an exquisite memorial to that than which the world offers but one thing more precious, to a friendship; and as Philip looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-was-an-exquisite-memorial-to-that-than-which-the-world-offers-but/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/money-is-like-a-sixth-sense-and-you-can-t-make-use-of-the-other-five/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“She knew nothing about children. After it was settled that Philip should come down to Blackstable, Mrs. Carey had thought much how she should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/she-knew-nothing-about-children-after-it-was-settled-that-philip/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“His heart went out to them. There was one quality which they had that he did not remember to have noticed in people before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/his-heart-went-out-to-them-there-was-one-quality-which-they-had-that/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“Man has always found it easier to sacrifice his life than to learn the multiplication table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/man-has-always-found-it-easier-to-sacrifice-his-life-than-to-learn/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“Philip came gradually to know the people he was to live with, and by fragments of conversation, some of it not meant for his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/philip-came-gradually-to-know-the-people-he-was-to-live-with-and-by/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“The bright hopes of youth had to be paid for at such a bitter price of disillusionment. Pain and disease and unhappiness weighed down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/the-bright-hopes-of-youth-had-to-be-paid-for-at-such-a-bitter-price/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“Then he saw that the normal was the rarest thing in the world. Everyone had some defect, of body or of mind: he thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/then-he-saw-that-the-normal-was-the-rarest-thing-in-the-world/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“Next morning on her way to the factory Liza came up with Sally. They were both of them rather stale and bedraggled after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/next-morning-on-her-way-to-the-factory-liza-came-up-with-sally-they/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“He looked at the people walking about and envied them because they had friends; sometimes his envy turned to hatred because they were happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-looked-at-the-people-walking-about-and-envied-them-because-they/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [Beauty is a bit of a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/beauty-is-a-bit-of-a-bore/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

> [“Philip realised that they had done with life, these two quiet little people: they belonged to a past generation, and they were waiting there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/philip-realised-that-they-had-done-with-life-these-two-quiet-little/)

[William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

[Explore all 74 William Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/)

## More Barbarians quotes

> [School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/school-curricula-that-ignore-the-arts-produce-highly-educated/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

> [One simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/one-simply-cannot-engage-in-barbarous-action-without-becoming-a/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [Fain would we remain barbarians, if our claim to civilization were to be based on the gruesome glory of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fain-would-we-remain-barbarians-if-our-claim-to-civilization-were-to/)

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

> [The idea that war should be conducted within a moral framework may seem like a quaint medieval practice, but as speech separates humans from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-idea-that-war-should-be-conducted-within-a-moral-framework-may/)

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

> [Is Islam a religion of peace? I'm sure for some of the practitioners, but it's been hijacked by people who have an ideology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/is-islam-a-religion-of-peace-i-m-sure-for-some-of-the-practitioners/)

[Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/)

> [If you go back to the Conan the Barbarian series, I really liked that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-braugher/if-you-go-back-to-the-conan-the-barbarian-series-i-really-liked-that/)

[Andre Braugher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-braugher/)

> [America's critics can be heard everywhere. It is too much in love with money - worshipping the god of the marketplace, the golden calf.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/america-s-critics-can-be-heard-everywhere-it-is-too-much-in-love-with/)

[Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/)

> [I believe that every single human being is entitled to the protection of our laws, whether they can vote or not. Whether they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-believe-that-every-single-human-being-is-entitled-to-the-protection/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/the-waiter-brought-fresh-baked-bread-and-cheese-a-bottle-of-sparkling/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Why is she afraid?" he asked. "She's not Anjin-san. Just a little nervous. Please excuse her. She's never seen a foreigner close to before."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clavell/why-is-she-afraid-he-asked-she-s-not-anjin-san-just-a-little-nervous/)

[James Clavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clavell/)

> [If all the barbarian conquerors had been annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have restored the empire of the West:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/if-all-the-barbarian-conquerors-had-been-annihilated-in-the-same-hour/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [In this metallic age of barbarians, only a relentless cultivation of our ability to dream, to analyse and to captivate can prevent our personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/in-this-metallic-age-of-barbarians-only-a-relentless-cultivation-of/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [The member of a culture ... purposely avoids the relationship of intimacy; he wants the object somehow depicted and fictionalized. ... He is embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-member-of-a-culture-purposely-avoids-the-relationship-of-intimacy/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [“Politics is the moat, the walls, beyond which lie the barbarians. Fail to keep them at bay, and everything burns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/politics-is-the-moat-the-walls-beyond-which-lie-the-barbarians-fail/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

[Browse all 280 Barbarians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarians/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It would have been reasonable for Hayward to stand aside and watch with a smile while the barbarians slaughtered one another. It looked as though men were puppets in the hands of an unknown force, which drove them to do this and that; and sometimes they used their reason to justify their actions; and when this was impossible they did the actions in despite of reason.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Somerset Maugham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-hayward-to-stand-aside-and-watch/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Barbarians"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-hayward-to-stand-aside-and-watch/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/william-somerset-maugham-8684_quote_it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-haywar_2198907.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It would have been reasonable for Hayward to stand aside and watch with a smile while the barbarians…” — William Somerset Maugham",
                "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": "William Somerset Maugham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It would have been reasonable for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-hayward-to-stand-aside-and-watch/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/it-would-have-been-reasonable-for-hayward-to-stand-aside-and-watch/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```