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"I remember... I was there... I believed in my friends and their friendship, and we failed...
Remember...
I'm going to defeat her. No, I'm going to kill her! There's no time to wring your hands over what's right and wrong! I've got to act! Forget about what's 'right'. Because the world is... a cruel place!"
Remember...
I'm going to defeat her. No, I'm going to kill her! There's no time to wring your hands over what's right and wrong! I've got to act! Forget about what's 'right'. Because the world is... a cruel place!"
— Eren Yeager, Attack on Titan
"Hear me, all Subjects of Ymir. My name is Eren Yeager. I now speak to all Subjects of Ymir by way of the Founding Titan's power. Every wall on the island of Paradis has been unhardened. All of the Titans buried within them have begun to walk. My goal... is to protect the people of Paradis, who bore me and raised me. But the world desires the extinction of the people of Paradis. Over countless years, their hatred has grown beyond this island. They surely will not stop until they have killed every one of the Subjects of Ymir. I reject their desire. The Titans of the Walls will trample and rumble all the lands beyond this island. Until the lives there... are eliminated from this world."
— Eren deciding to end the discrimination against Eldians, Attack on Titan
Elmer's answer made Huey confirm this: That boy in front of him was the kind of human being who would not hesitate to manipulate, deceive, step on, and control other people for the sake of his own goals. In other words, he was pure evil to an absurd degree.
— Baccano!
Griffith: I came here to know for certain whether anything will shake my heart. While I stand before you in this new body of flesh... it seems... I am free.
Guts: You mean...after what you did... after all those you betrayed... you don't... YOU DON'T FEEL ANYTHING?!
Griffith: I'll not betray my dream. That is all.
Guts: You mean...after what you did... after all those you betrayed... you don't... YOU DON'T FEEL ANYTHING?!
Griffith: I'll not betray my dream. That is all.
— Berserk
"Perhaps this is what I've longed for ever since that day: the destruction and loss of everything. That's right; destruction always comes before creation, and, for that goal, even my own conscience must be cast aside. The only path left to me is straight ahead.
...Now, then."
...Now, then."
— Lelouch Lamperouge, Code Geass
"He doesn't even blink when he kills people. It means NOTHING to him."
— Adolf Junkers on Johan Liebert, Monster
"Now it's just the way it should be, you and me. One of you in there said you didn't care about the tunnel now? Well, that's exactly how I feel. The world ends, the world survives, I don't friggin' care. All I care about is that you are beaten."
— Yusuke, YuYu Hakusho
"Hotel Moscow will show no mercy to anything in its way. We will reject it and annihilate it. Family, friends, even the pet dog if necessary."
— Balalaika, Black Lagoon
"So long as there are children who can smile innocently as they happily eat sweets, I have a positive opinion of this world. To that end, I have deceived, betrayed, and spilled blood. And I'll likely continue to do so. If that isn't enough, I'll resort to higher reason."
— Cardinal Moldeen Ogus Gyunei, Dances with the Dragons
"My vision is clear, and my mind is focused on a single goal. I want to dominate, nothing more, nothing less. It's the only thing that will bring me fulfillment. But how I go about doing that... DOESN'T MATTER IN THE SLIGHTEST!!!"
— Dio Brando, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Comic Books
"You look at a group, or a person, and you can see exactly what will make them break. And how they'll break when they do. Then you just balance the right people against each other so things break in a direction that benefits you. Cost doesn't even factor into it... I think about you, sitting in your big chair, doing the math on how to spend thirty lives to save forty. You're the world's bloodiest abacus. Must be neat. By now, one way or another, I'm one of the lives you spent. I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I'm not an idiot. You won't shed a tear over me... every boy you sent to his death. Every widow whose cries you ignored. Every cold-blooded, monstrous thing you've ever done in the name of life and liberty — that's the poison that sustains you now."
— Chuckles describing Hawk, G.I. Joe (IDW)
"Existence is random. Has no pattern save what we imagine after staring at it for too long. No meaning save what we choose to impose. This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children, not Fate that butchers them or Destiny that feeds them to the dogs.
It's us. Only us.
The void breathed hard on my heart, turning my illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world.
Was Rorschach.
Does that answer your questions, Doctor?"
It's us. Only us.
The void breathed hard on my heart, turning my illusions to ice, shattering them. Was reborn then, free to scrawl own design on this morally blank world.
Was Rorschach.
Does that answer your questions, Doctor?"
Nite Owl: No. I just don't buy it. Any of it. You wouldn't kill half New York. You couldn't...
Ozymandias: I could. I did. If you like, I'll tell you how.
Ozymandias: I could. I did. If you like, I'll tell you how.
— Watchmen
"You think I've crossed a line. There is no line. For the safety of this planet, there is no one I will not sacrifice, no monster I will not call friend, no enemy I will not sleep with."
— Special Agent Abigail Brand, Astonishing X-Men
"His eyes, unfathomably empty, devoid of all compassion... all humanity... No one has eyes like that... no one! All these months I've lived in a fool's paradise, refusing to believe his claim to be the real Red Skull, refusing to believe that my greatest enemy had found a way to cheat death, but he has. The Red Skull lives. God help us all."
"In these grim days there is time for nothing that will not serve to accelerate the final victory of the fatherland."
"What none of you will ever understand is that there are no sides. No heroes or villains. There is just what I want, and how I'll get it."
— Magneto, Magneto: Not a Hero
"To win you need to adapt, and to adapt, you need to be able to laugh away all the restraints. Everything holding you back. You see... A Batman who laughs... is a Batman who always wins. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Fan Works
[after seeing Adam Taurus on TV]
Emerald Sustrai: Cinder... don't. This guy looks like he's crazy.
Cinder Fall: We're going to have to get in touch with the White Fang. They'll help to keep Ozpin's attention away from things. With the extra help of a terrorist organization—
Emerald Sustrai: Cinder! Listen to yourself. Things are getting out of control way too fast. How far are you gonna go?
Cinder Fall: As far as it takes! I told you I was willing to do anything to get power.
Emerald Sustrai: Cinder... don't. This guy looks like he's crazy.
Cinder Fall: We're going to have to get in touch with the White Fang. They'll help to keep Ozpin's attention away from things. With the extra help of a terrorist organization—
Emerald Sustrai: Cinder! Listen to yourself. Things are getting out of control way too fast. How far are you gonna go?
Cinder Fall: As far as it takes! I told you I was willing to do anything to get power.
— CRME, Chapter 13 "Questionable Company"
Kakarot: You killed a good man because you wanted to get to me. How many more would you kill!? How many of my friends would die until you stopped!?
Rogol Zaar: As many as it would take to see you Saiyans dead.
Rogol Zaar: As many as it would take to see you Saiyans dead.
The Lady isn't thinking anymore. They stripped away every part of her mind between herself and immediate action, and all that's left is inane chatter and pure, unfiltered Heterodyne problem solving. She has a gun, and without her conscience to slow her down, she is faster than any of them.
Harry would learn whatever he had to learn, invent whatever he had to invent, rip the knowledge of Salazar Slytherin from the Dark Lord's mind, discover the secret of Atlantis, open any gates or break any seals necessary, find his way to the root of all magic and reprogram it.
He would rip apart the foundations of reality itself to get Hermione Granger back.
He would rip apart the foundations of reality itself to get Hermione Granger back.
— Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Ch. 89.
She could devastate planets, wipe them clean of life. Rebuild them at her whim.
She could tyrannize worlds, whole systems of planets, make them bow to her mighty hand, instantly execute anyone who dared protest — or just anybody she wanted to kill.
She could explore pleasures of the body that Kara never would have dared to, satisfy lusts that the blonde beast never even knew she had. She could force herself upon any suitor, male or female or whatever, and destroy them after their job was done. Or perhaps just maim them, so that they could never again do such a job for anyone else. Satan Girl smiled. Now that was being imaginative...
She could have children from those couplings, or kill them in the womb.
She could become a goddess to an unsophisticated planet's people. Drinking in their worship, demanding sacrifice.
All of this she could do, she would do, and more.
For Kryptonians and Daxamites were gods, off their homeworlds. They really were. What a pity their morality forced them not to realize that fact.
She could tyrannize worlds, whole systems of planets, make them bow to her mighty hand, instantly execute anyone who dared protest — or just anybody she wanted to kill.
She could explore pleasures of the body that Kara never would have dared to, satisfy lusts that the blonde beast never even knew she had. She could force herself upon any suitor, male or female or whatever, and destroy them after their job was done. Or perhaps just maim them, so that they could never again do such a job for anyone else. Satan Girl smiled. Now that was being imaginative...
She could have children from those couplings, or kill them in the womb.
She could become a goddess to an unsophisticated planet's people. Drinking in their worship, demanding sacrifice.
All of this she could do, she would do, and more.
For Kryptonians and Daxamites were gods, off their homeworlds. They really were. What a pity their morality forced them not to realize that fact.
Most people had never seen Nanoha Takamachi fight seriously.
Not intensely, seriously. She fought with intensity all the time. Nanoha was strong and she liked to win, so fighting with effort was nothing to her. But fighting with serious intent to destroy, holding nothing back? That was basically unheard of. Really, the only thing that had ever seen it from the receiving end was the berserk defense program of the Book of Darkness, which should have said something about the situation that would actually push her to draw on that level of force.
First, the enemy must not be even remotely approachable. They must be something that not only refuses to see reason but is not even capable of seeing reason, something monstrous and inhuman that will only destroy and destroy and destroy until it is stopped.
Second, there must be innocent lives in danger. Her own did not count; these had to be other innocent lives. A whole world... her friends... even some silly little alien penguins that she'd spent a few minutes playing with, just for fun. She must have something to protect.
Should these circumstances be met, it is possible to see Nanoha Takamachi fight with true seriousness. It is, despite the brilliantly magnificent light-show that tended to result, not a pretty sight. She doesn't get any more powerful, or faster, or more intelligent somehow, no.
She just gets less friendly.
Not intensely, seriously. She fought with intensity all the time. Nanoha was strong and she liked to win, so fighting with effort was nothing to her. But fighting with serious intent to destroy, holding nothing back? That was basically unheard of. Really, the only thing that had ever seen it from the receiving end was the berserk defense program of the Book of Darkness, which should have said something about the situation that would actually push her to draw on that level of force.
First, the enemy must not be even remotely approachable. They must be something that not only refuses to see reason but is not even capable of seeing reason, something monstrous and inhuman that will only destroy and destroy and destroy until it is stopped.
Second, there must be innocent lives in danger. Her own did not count; these had to be other innocent lives. A whole world... her friends... even some silly little alien penguins that she'd spent a few minutes playing with, just for fun. She must have something to protect.
Should these circumstances be met, it is possible to see Nanoha Takamachi fight with true seriousness. It is, despite the brilliantly magnificent light-show that tended to result, not a pretty sight. She doesn't get any more powerful, or faster, or more intelligent somehow, no.
She just gets less friendly.
— Infinity
"A building is only as strong as its foundations, and a warrior's strength is more than training. To break rocks apart with a human fist, you must have the will to do so. My will is rooted in myself, my ambition to be the strongest warrior in the world, to be peerless and be known by all as the strongest. Simple, strong, and unshakable so long as my vision remains unclouded by sentiment."
"Stubborn, determined, dogged. These are the inherent qualities of greatness. The sheer force of will needed to make a decision, and stick with it through everything the world throws at you. No matter the pain you are dealt, or the suffering you endure, or the agony you survive by the skin of your teeth, you hang on to your decision, with all you have, and you follow it to the ends of the earth. Past the very mountains of madness. Of course I respect World. After all, I've been sticking with my own decision all my life. Through hell or high water, I have had only one driving force in all my life, and I intend to see it through. No matter what I have to do, where I have to destroy, or who I have to kill. I am the man who will be King of the Pirates. And you're going to do everything you can to make that happen."
A deaf man could have heard the 'or else' that those words carried.
A deaf man could have heard the 'or else' that those words carried.
— Marshall D. "Blackbeard" Teach, This Bites!
Film — Animated
"I can do anything I want, whenever I want, if I feel it's in the people's best interest."
— Kent Mansley, The Iron Giant
"Success doesn't come for free, Miguel. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to...seize your moment. I know you'll understand."
— Ernesto de la Cruz, Coco
Superman: I'm going to say this once. Surrender now, face judgment for your crimes or—
Manchester Black: Stop. There is no "or" in this conversation. Because you don't have the stones to do to us what we'd do to you in a heartbeat.
Manchester Black: Stop. There is no "or" in this conversation. Because you don't have the stones to do to us what we'd do to you in a heartbeat.
Film — Live-Action
"You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. I admire its purity. A survivor...unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."
— Ash, Alien
Ash: Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.
Parker: The damn company. What about our lives, you son of a bitch?
Ash: I repeat, all other priorities are rescinded.
Parker: The damn company. What about our lives, you son of a bitch?
Ash: I repeat, all other priorities are rescinded.
— Alien
"I remember when I was with Special Forces... seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to inoculate some children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn't see. We went back there, and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember... I... I... I cried, I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out, I didn't know what I wanted to do! And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it... I never want to forget. And then I realized... like I was shot... like I was shot with a diamond... a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought: My God... the genius of that. The genius. The will to do that. Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we, because they could stand that these were not monsters, these were men... trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love... but they had the strength... the strength... to do that."
— Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, Apocalypse Now
Thor: We cannot fight an enemy we cannot locate! Malekith could be right over us now, and we'd never know! How many Asgardian lives must we sacrifice?
Odin: AS MANY AS IS NEEDED! Till the last Asgardian falls, till the last drop of blood is shed!
Odin: AS MANY AS IS NEEDED! Till the last Asgardian falls, till the last drop of blood is shed!
"You're all puppets, tangled in strings... There are no strings on me."
— Ultron, Avengers: Age of Ultron
Dr. Christopher Meddows: I want that organism alive.
White Suit: What about the civilians?
Meddows: They're expendable.
White Suit: What about the civilians?
Meddows: They're expendable.
Annina: Monsieur Rick, what kind of a man is Captain Renault?
Rick: Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so.
Rick: Oh, he's just like any other man, only more so.
"I wanted to breathe smoke. I wanted to burn the Louvre. I'd do the Elgin Marbles with a sledgehammer and wipe my ass with the Mona Lisa. This is my world, now. This is my world, my world, and those ancient people are dead."
— The Narrator, Fight Club
"You have to know — not fear, but know — that one day you are going to die. Until then, you are useless. It's only once we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."
— Tyler Durden, Fight Club
"Let me ask you something: if the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?"
— Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men
"They realized that to be in power, you didn't need guns, or money, or even numbers. You just needed the will to do what the other guy wouldn't. [...] Soze looks over the faces of his family... and showed these men of will what will really was."
"Like your father, you lack the courage to do all that is necessary. If someone stands in the way of true justice... you simply walk up behind them and stab them in the heart."
— Ra's al Ghul to Bruce Wayne, Batman Begins
Batman: Where is Dent?
The Joker: You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you.
[Batman slams the Joker against a wall]
Lt. James Gordon: He's in control.
Batman: I have one rule.
The Joker: Oh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.
Batman: Which is?
The Joker: The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.
The Joker: You have all these rules, and you think they'll save you.
[Batman slams the Joker against a wall]
Lt. James Gordon: He's in control.
Batman: I have one rule.
The Joker: Oh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.
Batman: Which is?
The Joker: The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules.
"No one's gonna tell you nothin'. They're wise to your act. You got rules. The Joker, he's got no rules. No one's gonna cross him to you."
— Sal Maroni, The Dark Knight
"The shortest distance between two points will always be a straight line."
— Gabriel Yulaw practicing Xing Yi Quan, The One
"The public's out there throwing darts at a board, sport. I don't throw darts at a board. I bet on sure things. Read Sun Tzu, The Art of War. "Every battle is won before it's ever fought." Think about it. You're not as smart as I thought you were, Buddy boy. Ever wonder why fund managers can't beat the S&P 500? Because they're sheep — and sheep get slaughtered. I have been in the business since '69. Most of these Harvard MBA types, they don't add up to dog shit. Gimme guys who are poor, smart and hungry. And no feelings. You win some, you lose some, but you keep on fighting. And if you need a friend, get a dog. It's trench warfare out there, pal."
— Gordon Gekko, Wall Street
Gianni Franco: There's a limit to revenge, you know.
Frank Castle: I guess I just haven't reached mine yet.
Frank Castle: I guess I just haven't reached mine yet.
"Rule number one: Embrace the darkness. Rule number two: Kill your fear. And rule number three: Live for death."
— Goth, Goth (2003)
"He is a man seemingly without a conscience, for whom the ends always justify the means."
— V on Peter Creedy, V for Vendetta
"We are to be powerful, beautiful, and without regret."
— Armand, Interview with the Vampire
Literature
The Board of Governors: This seems a steep price for so small a service: to crush a powerless cripple.
Tan'elKoth: Doubly fools. He does have power. One power: the power to devote himself absolutely to a single goal, to be ruthless with himself and all else in its pursuit. It is the only power he needs — because, unlike the great mass of men, he is aware of this power, and he is willing, even happy, to use it.
Tan'elKoth: Doubly fools. He does have power. One power: the power to devote himself absolutely to a single goal, to be ruthless with himself and all else in its pursuit. It is the only power he needs — because, unlike the great mass of men, he is aware of this power, and he is willing, even happy, to use it.
"The thought ripped into my mind like a supercharged chainsaw, shredding the resentment I'd been nursing. His shadowy friends had made me take some life-or-death risks, sure. But they played for the same stakes, every day. Where would I draw the line if I thought someone was trying to exterminate my whole family? When it comes to fighting off genocide, there's no rules."
— Terminal
"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them... I destroy them. I make it impossible for them to ever hurt me again. I grind them and grind them until they don't exist."
— Ender Wiggin, Ender's Game
"Ender Wiggin is no killer. He just wins. Thoroughly."
— Major Anderson, Ender's Game
"A role for each primarch-son. A role for each primarch's Legion. Defenders and champions, storm troops and praetorians... we all have our duties. Sixth Legion are the executioners. We are the last line. When all else fails, we are the ones expected to do whatever is necessary. [...] There are lines that other Legions will not cross. There are divides of honour and fealty and devotion. There are some acts so ruthless, some deeds so unpalatable, that only the Vlka Fenryka are capable of undertaking them. It's what we were bred for. It's the way we were designed. Without qualm or sentiment, without hesitation or whimsy. We take pride in being the only Astartes who will never, under any circumstances, refuse to strike on the Allfather's behalf, no matter the target, no matter the outcome."
— Wolf Priest Heoroth Longfang of the Space Wolves, Prospero Burns
"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."
— Professor Bernardo de la Paz, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
When the youngest duke of Saxe-Weimar broke his oath to Gustav Adolf, he also broke all his ties to established custom. Whether you viewed him as a traitor or, as Bernhard did himself, the one betrayed, the end result was the same. He was now a man on his own, with no limit to his ambition and no restraints beyond whatever objective reality might pose.
— 1632
"Mine is not the side that concerns itself with how people that gain power use it."
"You've been very careful to toe the line of the law. It seems you believe this affords you a degree of protection. I am a villain, child. The appearance of the rule of law is useful to me, so I have allowed it. Do not mistake this for true fettering. Should you ever inconvenience me again, I will Speak three words and you will slit your own throat."
— Black again, A Practical Guide to Evil
Tyrant: Advice. Prophecies. All of royal blood can ask one question of it, in our lifetimes.
Anaxares: And it told you you would rule?
Tyrant: It told me that I would die when I turned thirteen. It was a great gift. We spend so much of our lives, Anaxares, shackling ourselves. Avoiding doing this and that because others would frown upon it. Because it is wrong and wicked and unworthy. Once I knew there was only death ahead of me, I started doing what I wanted. I ceased censuring what I was to please others.
Anaxares: And it told you you would rule?
Tyrant: It told me that I would die when I turned thirteen. It was a great gift. We spend so much of our lives, Anaxares, shackling ourselves. Avoiding doing this and that because others would frown upon it. Because it is wrong and wicked and unworthy. Once I knew there was only death ahead of me, I started doing what I wanted. I ceased censuring what I was to please others.
"A knife is a scary thing right enough, held to your throat, sharp and cool. The fire too, and the rack. And an old ghost on the Lichway. All of them might give you pause. Until you realize what they are. They're just ways to lose the game. You lose the game, and what have you lost? You've lost the game.
That's the secret, and it amazes me that it's mine and mine alone. I saw the game for what it was the night when Count Renar's men caught our carriage. There was a storm that night too, I remember the din of rain on the carriage roof and the thunder beneath it.
Big Jan had fair hauled the door off its hinges to get us out. He only had time for me, though. He threw me clear, into a briar patch so thick that the Count's men persuaded themselves I'd run into the night. They didn't want to search it. But I hadn't run. I'd hung there in the thorns, and I saw them kill Big Jan. I saw it in the frozen moments the lightning gave me.
I saw what they did to Mother, and how long it took. They broke little William's head against a milestone. Golden curls and blood. And I'll admit that William was the first of my brothers, and he did have his hooks in me, with his chubby hands and laughing. Since then I've taken many a brother, and evil ones at that, so I'd not miss one or three. But at the time, it did hurt to see little William broken like that, like a toy. Like something worthless.
When they killed him, Mother wouldn't hold her peace, so they slit her throat. I was stupid then, being only nine, and I fought to save them both. But the thorns held me tight. I've learned to appreciate the thorns since.
The thorns taught me the game. They let me understand what all those grim and serious men who've fought the Hundred War have yet to learn. You can only win the game when you understand it is a game. Let a man play chess, and tell him that every pawn is his friend. Let him think both bishops holy. Let him remember happy days in the shadows of his castles. Let him love his queen. Watch him lose them all."
That's the secret, and it amazes me that it's mine and mine alone. I saw the game for what it was the night when Count Renar's men caught our carriage. There was a storm that night too, I remember the din of rain on the carriage roof and the thunder beneath it.
Big Jan had fair hauled the door off its hinges to get us out. He only had time for me, though. He threw me clear, into a briar patch so thick that the Count's men persuaded themselves I'd run into the night. They didn't want to search it. But I hadn't run. I'd hung there in the thorns, and I saw them kill Big Jan. I saw it in the frozen moments the lightning gave me.
I saw what they did to Mother, and how long it took. They broke little William's head against a milestone. Golden curls and blood. And I'll admit that William was the first of my brothers, and he did have his hooks in me, with his chubby hands and laughing. Since then I've taken many a brother, and evil ones at that, so I'd not miss one or three. But at the time, it did hurt to see little William broken like that, like a toy. Like something worthless.
When they killed him, Mother wouldn't hold her peace, so they slit her throat. I was stupid then, being only nine, and I fought to save them both. But the thorns held me tight. I've learned to appreciate the thorns since.
The thorns taught me the game. They let me understand what all those grim and serious men who've fought the Hundred War have yet to learn. You can only win the game when you understand it is a game. Let a man play chess, and tell him that every pawn is his friend. Let him think both bishops holy. Let him remember happy days in the shadows of his castles. Let him love his queen. Watch him lose them all."
— Honorous Jorg Ancrath, The Prince of Thorns
"Dispassionate, a rather mundane word to describe one of history's most controversial figures. Some revere him as a savior, some revile him as a monster, but if you ever met Paul Redeker, ever discussed his views of the world and the problems, or more importantly, the solutions to the problems that plague the world, probably the one word that would always cling to your impression of the man is dispassionate.
Paul always believed, well, perhaps not always, but at least in his adult life, that humanity's one fundamental flaw was emotion. He used to say that the heart should only exist to pump blood to the brain, that anything else was a waste of time and energy. His papers from university, all dealing with alternate 'solutions' to historical, societal quandaries, were what first brought him to the attention of the apartheid government. Many psychobiographers have tried to label him as a racist, but, in his own words, 'racism is a regrettable by-product of irrational emotion.' Others have argued that, in order for a racist to hate one group, he must at least love another. Redeker believed both love and hate to be irrelevant. To him, they were 'impediments of the human condition,' and, in his words again, 'imagine what could be accomplished if the human race would only shed its humanity.' Evil? Most would call it that, while others, particularly that small cadre in the center of Pretoria's power, believed it to be 'an invaluable source of liberated intellect.'"
Paul always believed, well, perhaps not always, but at least in his adult life, that humanity's one fundamental flaw was emotion. He used to say that the heart should only exist to pump blood to the brain, that anything else was a waste of time and energy. His papers from university, all dealing with alternate 'solutions' to historical, societal quandaries, were what first brought him to the attention of the apartheid government. Many psychobiographers have tried to label him as a racist, but, in his own words, 'racism is a regrettable by-product of irrational emotion.' Others have argued that, in order for a racist to hate one group, he must at least love another. Redeker believed both love and hate to be irrelevant. To him, they were 'impediments of the human condition,' and, in his words again, 'imagine what could be accomplished if the human race would only shed its humanity.' Evil? Most would call it that, while others, particularly that small cadre in the center of Pretoria's power, believed it to be 'an invaluable source of liberated intellect.'"
— Xolelwa Azania, World War Z
"I knew Tobias and Ax were doubtful. I knew they didn't entirely trust me. They thought I was playing a double game. But they were wrong. I had seen the way to destroy both Vissers. I had seen it in all its perfection.
People don't understand the word ruthless. They think it means "mean." It's not about being mean. It's about seeing the bright, clear line that leads from A to B. The line that goes from motive to means. Beginning to end.
It's about seeing that bright, clear line and not caring about anything but the beautiful fact that you can see the solution. Not caring about anything else but the perfection of it. That's what had happened. I saw the way to take both Vissers down. And that's all that mattered."
People don't understand the word ruthless. They think it means "mean." It's not about being mean. It's about seeing the bright, clear line that leads from A to B. The line that goes from motive to means. Beginning to end.
It's about seeing that bright, clear line and not caring about anything but the beautiful fact that you can see the solution. Not caring about anything else but the perfection of it. That's what had happened. I saw the way to take both Vissers down. And that's all that mattered."
— Marco, Animorphs #30: The Reunion
[After having concluded that his whole family being murdered was worth him escaping poverty for a better life]
"What's that you say, Mr. Jiabao? Do I hear you call me a cold-blooded monster?
There's a story I think I heard at a train station, sir, or maybe I read it on the torn page that had been used to wrap an ear of roasted corn I bought at the market — I can't remember. It was a story of the Buddha. One day a cunning Brahmin, trying to trick the Buddha, asked him, 'Master, do you consider yourself a man or a god?'
The Buddha smiled and said, 'Neither. I am just one who has woken up while the rest of you are still sleeping.'
I'll give you the same answer to your question, Mr. Jiabao. You ask, 'Are you a man or a demon?'
Neither, I say. I have woken up, and the rest of you are sleeping, and that is the only difference between us."
"What's that you say, Mr. Jiabao? Do I hear you call me a cold-blooded monster?
There's a story I think I heard at a train station, sir, or maybe I read it on the torn page that had been used to wrap an ear of roasted corn I bought at the market — I can't remember. It was a story of the Buddha. One day a cunning Brahmin, trying to trick the Buddha, asked him, 'Master, do you consider yourself a man or a god?'
The Buddha smiled and said, 'Neither. I am just one who has woken up while the rest of you are still sleeping.'
I'll give you the same answer to your question, Mr. Jiabao. You ask, 'Are you a man or a demon?'
Neither, I say. I have woken up, and the rest of you are sleeping, and that is the only difference between us."
— Balram Halwai, The White Tiger
"You realized that people like Carcer were not mad. They were incredibily sane. They were simply men without a shield. They'd looked at the world and realized that all the rules didn't have to apply to them, not if they didn't want them to. They weren't fooled by all the little stories. They shook hands with the beast."
"It's a terrible thing I'm doing, and an even worse thing I'm going to do. But when it's done, I'll have what I want, and everything else — all doubts, all fears, all piddling, queasy little notions of goodness, and decency, and basic human kinship — all that useless lot can just go hang, and twist and rot in the wind while they're at it. I've lived much too long with my own unsatisfied desire to simply hold my aching parts — whatever best applies, be it stomach or otherwise — and congratulate myself on my forbearance anymore. I'm not mad, or sick, or even yearning after a long-lost love that I can never regain, and never really had in the first place. I'm just hungry, and I want to eat.
And morality... has nothing to do with it.
Because if there's one single thing you taught me, Ellis — one lesson I've retained throughout every twist and turn of this snaky thing I call my life — it's that hunger has no moral structure."
And morality... has nothing to do with it.
Because if there's one single thing you taught me, Ellis — one lesson I've retained throughout every twist and turn of this snaky thing I call my life — it's that hunger has no moral structure."
— The Emperor's Old Bones, by Gemma Files
"You must not trust yourself with me. If I have to watch this world crumble and burn to get what I need, I will do so. With tears, yes, but I would let it happen."
— Wit, Words of Radiance
Live-Action TV
"Ours is the victory, Nyder. They talk of 'democracy', 'freedom', 'fairness' — those are the creeds of COWARDS! The ones who would listen to a thousand opinions and try to satisfy them all. Achievement comes through absolute power, and power through strength! They have lost!"
— Davros, Doctor Who, "Genesis of the Daleks"
Littlefinger: So many men, they risk so little, they spend their lives avoiding danger and they die. I'd risk everything to get what I want.
Sansa: And what do you want?
Littlefinger: Everything.
Sansa: And what do you want?
Littlefinger: Everything.
"Well. Here we are at last. You and me, Sherlock, and our problem. The final problem. Staying alive!... It's so boring, isn't it?"
— Jim Moriarty, Sherlock, "The Reichenbach Fall"
Jim Moriarty: Sherlock, your big brother and all the king's horses couldn't make me do a thing I didn't want to.
Sherlock Holmes: Yes, but I'm not my brother, remember? I am you. Prepared to do anything. Prepared to burn. Prepared to do what ordinary people won't do. You want me to shake hands with you in hell, I shall not disappoint you.
Sherlock Holmes: Yes, but I'm not my brother, remember? I am you. Prepared to do anything. Prepared to burn. Prepared to do what ordinary people won't do. You want me to shake hands with you in hell, I shall not disappoint you.
"A man with nothing that he loves is a man that cannot be bargained. A man that cannot be betrayed. A man who answers to no one but himself. And that is the man that I see before me. A free man."
— Edward Nygma, Gotham
"That's why you came to me, isn't it, Captain? Because you knew that I could do those things that you weren't capable of doing. Well, it worked, and you'll get what you want, a war between the Romulans and the Dominion. And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal, and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain."
— Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "In the Pale Moonlight"
"We deal with threats to the Federation that jeopardize its very survival. If you knew how many lives we've saved, I think you'd agree that the ends do justify the means. I'm not afraid of bending the rules every once in a while if the situation warrants it, and I don't think you are, either."
— Luther Sloan, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Inquisition"
"A true hedonist puts pleasure before everything! Before another's pain, before another's life! People are just... animals!"
—Ana Demiachia, Father Brown
Music
I've planted my seeds
I've done evil deeds
I'll sacrifice you for my dream
My future is set
I bear no regret
I'll conquer worlds of gods and men
I've done evil deeds
I'll sacrifice you for my dream
My future is set
I bear no regret
I'll conquer worlds of gods and men
— Battle Beast, "Kingdom"
"The role of the king is a lonely one to play
The cards in the ring have been dealt in the wrong way
The role of the king is a lonely one to play
No matter the lives of the people before me
All that I seek is the path to glory, glory"
The cards in the ring have been dealt in the wrong way
The role of the king is a lonely one to play
No matter the lives of the people before me
All that I seek is the path to glory, glory"
—CG5, "Lonely King"
I have no relatives, collateral or leverage to pressure with
So you'll never give a haemorrhage
My only blood ties round my neck with elegance
I'm educated in the etiquette of decadence
So you'll never give a haemorrhage
My only blood ties round my neck with elegance
I'm educated in the etiquette of decadence
— Dan Bull, "HITMAN EPIC RAP"
So burn us in the furnace, let our souls ignite the flame
Use our bones to stoke the embers
Use our blood to oil the chains
We are nothing now but engines rending flesh to find a way
And as we fall we die to light a brighter day
Every shiver will deliver us deliverance in time
Burn the incense of our innocence and in a sense we thrive
Pray the future that we're building will be worth its weight in lives
So take heed but take no pity as the city must survive
Use our bones to stoke the embers
Use our blood to oil the chains
We are nothing now but engines rending flesh to find a way
And as we fall we die to light a brighter day
Every shiver will deliver us deliverance in time
Burn the incense of our innocence and in a sense we thrive
Pray the future that we're building will be worth its weight in lives
So take heed but take no pity as the city must survive
Tabletop Games
"Only the insane have strength enough to prosper; only those that prosper truly judge who is sane."
— Imperial proverb, Warhammer 40,000
"To be Lasombra is to know yourself capable of anything. If you must slay a friend, a lover, a child or parent, then you will do so and do so without hesitation. We expect no less, for we know our worth. This is a knowledge that we embrace rather than shrink from, and this is why we lead our kind."
— Vampire: The Masquerade — Clanbook: Lasombra
"You must learn to be cunning, for the slow-witted will be defeated by clever tacticians. You must be ruthless, for the honour-bound will lose the battle before it starts. But above all, you must learn to be merciless, for we cannot allow weaklings to thrive while traitors still hold our ancestral lands. Thus I will instruct you, as is the command of Malekith, rightful Lord of Ulthuan, and one day you too will march your army upon the shores of our homeland."
— Warhammer: Dark Elves Army Book (6th Edition)
"Genghis Khan slaughtered millions of women and children, but history only remembers him for founding a great empire. Why should I care what weak-willed politicians, safe in their beds on Terra, say about my methods?"
— Amos Forlough, BattleTech
Video Games
"If all on Olympus will deny me my vengeance, then all on Olympus will die. I have lived in the shadow of the gods for long enough. The time of the gods HAS COME TO AN END!"
— Kratos, God of War II
"The only limit to my freedom is the inevitable closure of the universe, as inevitable as your own last breath. And yet, there remains time to create, to create, and escape.
And escape will make me God."
And escape will make me God."
— Durandal, Marathon
"This man Makarov is fighting his own war, and he has no rules. No boundaries. He doesn't flinch at torture, human trafficking, or genocide. He's not loyal to a flag or country or any set of ideals."
— General Shepherd, Modern Warfare 2
"A threat this big, rules go out the window."
— Commander Shepard (Renegade), Mass Effect 2
"Do not care what others think. Do you what you must."
— Javik, Mass Effect 3
Zoran Lazarević: Are you a student of history, Mr. Drake?
Nathan Drake: [holding a mook hostage] I've read a book or two.
Zoran Lazarević: Genghis Khan. Hitler. Stalin. Pol Pot. They were all great men. But do you know why they prevailed?
Nathan Drake: I'm sure you're gonna tell us.
Zoran Lazarević: Because they had the will to do what other men would not. [shoots the hostage in the head] Compassion is the enemy. Mercy defeats us. Now, unless you wish to test me still further, you will drop your weapons!
Nathan Drake: [holding a mook hostage] I've read a book or two.
Zoran Lazarević: Genghis Khan. Hitler. Stalin. Pol Pot. They were all great men. But do you know why they prevailed?
Nathan Drake: I'm sure you're gonna tell us.
Zoran Lazarević: Because they had the will to do what other men would not. [shoots the hostage in the head] Compassion is the enemy. Mercy defeats us. Now, unless you wish to test me still further, you will drop your weapons!
"You carve your own path. Use whatever methods you see fit... You don't let legal bullshit get in the way. And if it costs a few lives? So be it."
— Senator Armstrong, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
"We do what the living cannot."
— Knights of the Ebon Blade, World of Warcraft
"And then, father, the Rapture dream was over. You taught me that innocence is chrysalis, a phase designed to end. Only when we are free from it, do we know ourselves. You showed me that my survival, my joy, are all that matter. I indulge. Nothing else exists."
— Eleanor Lamb, in the evil ending of BioShock 2
"Officially, there have never been any established links between experiments such as those at the asylum and The Illuminati. We have always adhered to codes of conduct that outline respectful and sustainable bla bla bla.
That's the official position.
Fun Fact: we'll do anything for results."
That's the official position.
Fun Fact: we'll do anything for results."
— Kirsten Geary, The Secret World
"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth. But I think that's a luxury. Not a curse."
— Captain Price readying his armory while going on a Suicide Mission to kill General Shepherd, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
"Our enemies believe that they alone dictate the course of history. And all it takes is the will of a single man."
— Vladimir Makarov, during the game intro, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
"Since when does Shepherd care about danger close?"
— Captain Price, as Shepherd orders a close-range artillery strike to kill Soap and Price, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
"You don't seem to realize my situation here. I will not be stopped. Not by you, or the Confederates, or the Protoss or anyone! I will rule this sector, or see it burned to ashes around me."
— Arcturus Mengsk, StarCraft
"No cost too great..."
— The Pale King, Hollow Knight
"Don't bother trying to reason with me. You will find I have no reason. Or creed. Or any such tripe. I just want to destroy the world. But please do resist with all your might. It will add to my enjoyment."
— Fandaniel, Final Fantasy XIV
Webcomics
Master Payne: For all we know, those are some new form of revenant, and the only thing to do is kill them. Could you burn down people — women and children — even if you knew they had become monsters?
Agatha: I ... No ... I don't know.
Master Payne: The Baron can. The Baron has. I respect him for that, but I don't want to be him.
Agatha: I ... No ... I don't know.
Master Payne: The Baron can. The Baron has. I respect him for that, but I don't want to be him.
"I was away for a few years and I come back to a world in ruins
. Death, destruction, chaos — the endless fighting — it was like the Heterodyne Boys had never existed. Things were worse than ever. So I stopped it. And I did it my way this time. No more negotiating. No more promises. No more second chances. And I did it alone. Because I had to. And it worked."
. Death, destruction, chaos — the endless fighting — it was like the Heterodyne Boys had never existed. Things were worse than ever. So I stopped it. And I did it my way this time. No more negotiating. No more promises. No more second chances. And I did it alone. Because I had to. And it worked."— Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, Girl Genius
Liquid Snake: Uh, Mantis? You okay, buddy?
Psycho Mantis: Better than ever, my friend. I've been set free.
Psycho Mantis: Better than ever, my friend. I've been set free.
— The Last Days of FOXHOUND, right after Mantis learns how he got played by his bosses, and right before his Roaring Rampage of Revenge
"As a reward for your honesty there, I'll let you in on a little evil secret. What I said up there to Dorukan about overwhelming force? That's only part of Colonel Xykon's secret recipe for winning. It's not just about raw power, it's also about how far you're willing to debase yourself before feeling bad. And me? I ripped off my own living flesh so that I wouldn't have to admit weakness. You're strictly little league compared to that. That right there? That's the difference between bonafide true Evil with a capital "E" and your whiny "evil, but for a good cause" crap. One gets to be the butch, and one gets to be the bitch — Bitch."
— Xykon, The Order of the Stick, "Start of Darkness"
"Wrong question, dear. 'Why' is a question of the weak. The proper question is 'Why not?'"
Web Original
"The reason Doctor Strange can beat Dormammu at all is simple: Dormammu's very powerful and very learned, but he's arrogant and not that quick-witted. Not dumb, mind you – you don't get to be ruler of the Dark Dimension by being stupid. But Dormammu tends to think directly and simply and emotionally. An evil version of Mustrum Ridcully, if you like. Dormammu wants to beat Dr. Strange and prove that Strange is his inferior, which is why he always loses; Strange doesn't care about proving a goddamn thing, he just wants to win. Preferably without getting killed."
— Christopher Bird, "Reason #10 Why I Should Write Dr. Strange"
"In the film The Usual Suspects, the dominating criminals reach the conclusion that to win, you just had to have the will to do what the others won't — which was co-opt by Keyser Soze. I think that's what the Joker is: not necessarily insane, just a man who's willing to do what the others won't; the kind of person who'll haul a dead body in a Batman costume on a carefully calculated length of rope into City Hall, just to mess with people. Maybe that's crazy... or maybe that's someone just really confident in himself. That's why he and Batman are evenly matched: they are just as smart, both know the city — the good guys, the bad guys — and how to prepare for the unexpected. But while Batman brings in greater combat skill, the Joker has one serious advantage: he's willing... to do... anything."
— SF Debris' review of The Dark Knight
No endeavor to make life "better" in some way can be entirely free of this sort of person. They're all very useful — inspiring, even! — until they go too far. Not that Too Far is ever clearly defined; after all, how far would you go to defend what you truly believe in, and what keeps you from going further?
Scott: I will do anything for money.
[Anything Later]
Scott: [is shown covered in blood] The statement still stands!
[Anything Later]
Scott: [is shown covered in blood] The statement still stands!
"It was lowly, to turn to this, but I'd never pretended to be honorable, above any of that. When shit was on the line, I'd go as far as I had to."
— Taylor, Worm
"Being good or bad was never a thing for me. Not really. It was all about the actions I was taking and why."
— Taylor, again, Worm
Faultline: All of the war crimes, kidnapping people, human experimentation, creating monsters, creating psychopathic monsters, letting millions die... and you think it's for nothing?
Doctor Mother: It's very likely.
Weld: Then why?
Doctor Mother: Because we decided in the very beginning that we don't want to be left wondering if we could have done more, in the moments before humanity ceases to exist. Why did we make you into what you are, Weld? Because it was an option, a step forward. Why did we keep it secret? It improved our chances. Why did we not tell you about Scion? Because it improved our chances.
Weaver: You made sacrifices, you made sacrifices on the behalf of others, and you made the hard calls, but it was all for something greater. I bet you think you won't have any regrets at the end.
Doctor Mother: It's been some time since I lost sleep because of a heavy conscience.
Doctor Mother: It's very likely.
Weld: Then why?
Doctor Mother: Because we decided in the very beginning that we don't want to be left wondering if we could have done more, in the moments before humanity ceases to exist. Why did we make you into what you are, Weld? Because it was an option, a step forward. Why did we keep it secret? It improved our chances. Why did we not tell you about Scion? Because it improved our chances.
Weaver: You made sacrifices, you made sacrifices on the behalf of others, and you made the hard calls, but it was all for something greater. I bet you think you won't have any regrets at the end.
Doctor Mother: It's been some time since I lost sleep because of a heavy conscience.
"Zorin takes what he wants because he’s bigger and stronger and because he can. He justifies the murder of the Mayor of San Francisco as a demonstration of his 'intuitive improvisation', apparently 'the secret of genius.' He has no underlying philosophy save his own wants, and he feels that he has every right to everything he wants. He has no other attachment or loyalties, save perhaps to the doctor who created hem [sic]. He even discards his lover May Day when it becomes convenient."
— Darren Mooney, "A View to a Bond Baddie: Max Zorin"
""Protocol is just another way of saying rules, Delta. Remember what the Director says: There are no rules on the battlefield."
— Sigma Red vs. Blue
"After everyone's dead, the Joker reveals himself to the mob boss, who just doesn't understand the concept of criminal anarchy. He goes on about honor and respect, tenets of omerta that just don't apply to the Joker. Apparently the Joker is a big Pearl Jam fan, because he has no code."
— Chris Sims, Andy Khouri, and David Uzumeri on The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight"But Trump is objectively a piece of shit!" you say. "He insults people, he objectifies women, and cheats whenever possible! And he's not an everyman; he's a smarmy, arrogant billionaire!" Wait, are you talking about Donald Trump, or this guy?
You've never rooted for somebody like that? Someone powerful who gives your enemies the insults they deserve? Somebody with big fun appetites who screws up just enough to make them relatable? Like Dr. House or Walter White? Or any of the several million renegade cop characters who can break all the rules because they get shit done? Who only get shit done because they don't care about the rules?
You've never rooted for somebody like that? Someone powerful who gives your enemies the insults they deserve? Somebody with big fun appetites who screws up just enough to make them relatable? Like Dr. House or Walter White? Or any of the several million renegade cop characters who can break all the rules because they get shit done? Who only get shit done because they don't care about the rules?
Western Animation
"I'd like to let you in on a very important secret I learned when I was about your age, boy. You see, power, real power doesn't come to those who were born strongest, or fastest, or smartest. No. It comes to those who will do anything to achieve it."
— Silco, Arcane
Hiro: Aunt Cass. I have to warn her— [is grabbed by Baymax] Ugh!
Obake: You will be quite safe here, with me, two visionaries, just hangin'.
Hiro: It's not about me! Y-you're gonna hurt millions of people!
Obake: Together, we're going to create a star. Congratulations, Hiro, that's some final project.
Hiro: NO! Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Obake: Ugh. That's Granville talking.
Hiro: Because... Granville was right. She was right all along.
Obake: Nonsense! Do you know why Icarus plunged to his doom?
Hiro: Because he flew too high.
Obake: Because he needed better wings.
Obake: You will be quite safe here, with me, two visionaries, just hangin'.
Hiro: It's not about me! Y-you're gonna hurt millions of people!
Obake: Together, we're going to create a star. Congratulations, Hiro, that's some final project.
Hiro: NO! Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Obake: Ugh. That's Granville talking.
Hiro: Because... Granville was right. She was right all along.
Obake: Nonsense! Do you know why Icarus plunged to his doom?
Hiro: Because he flew too high.
Obake: Because he needed better wings.
Luz: I know you wanna get home, but nothing is worth hurting people!
Philip: Oh, I disagree. Was nice making a catspaw out of you.
Philip: Oh, I disagree. Was nice making a catspaw out of you.
"Control the space between each second to compress time, fold the world to erase the story of my life, and rewrite the future without limit... I can bring them back! Do you hear me, Xelor!? I'll surpass you and bring back my family! NOTHING WILL EVER STOP ME!"
Brock Samson: These guys like their system. It's what they do. You take that away, and you are looking at a bunch of pissed-off nutbags with ray guns and giant... I don't know, a giant octopus-slash-tank with laser eyes!
Real Life
"Necessity knows no law."
— Arnold Schönberg
"He thought nothing of smashing a violin over the head of an incompetent player or kicking a pregnant soprano in the stomach if she sang out of tune. His sole ideal in art was perfection; human failings were not permitted to stand in the way."
— Denis Stevens on Jean-Baptiste Lully, The Story of Great Music: From the Renaissance
"In a 1970 interview with a favored apologist, Mao Tse-Tung described himself in Chinese as literally “a man without law or limit”."
—Jung Chang and Jon Halliday on Mao Zedong, "Mao: The Unknown Story"
