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Anime and Manga
"Hear me, Subjects of Ymir. My name is Eren Yeager. I am addressing my fellow Subjects of Ymir, speaking to you directly through the power of the Founder. All the Walls on the island of Paradis have crumbled to the ground and the legions of Titans buried within have begun their march. My only goal... is to protect the lives of the people of Paradis, the island where I was born. Right now, the nations of the world are united in their desire to exterminate my people and it won't end with our island. They won't be satisfied until every last Subject of Ymir is dead. I won't let them have their way. The Titans of the Walls will continue their march until every trace of life beyond our shores is trampled flat. And the people of Paradis... are all that remains of humanity."
— Eren Yeager, Attack on Titan
"What do you do when there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means? Do you stain your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or do you remain steadfastly just and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil? [...] In my case, I commit evil in order to destroy the greater evil!"
"If what I have done today makes me a villain, then I embrace it gladly. I'll use any means necessary to bring down a monster like you."
"When you wrap yourself in strong intentions, you don't really hear people trying to talk to you."
— Fate, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's
"Sometimes, in the search for the truth/ideals, sacrifices are required."
— Damon, Pokémon: The Movie Black/White
"You are the chosen ones. We of Blue Wing will now select citizens. There are too many people... ...For our remaining resources now. We have continued making efforts to distribute these resources fairly amongst all citizens. Presently, both those that work and those that don't have rights to accept these. But can this really be said to be fair? We of Blue Wing are to always contribute to the development of society. We have gathered people of talent from all regions regardless of their history or age. As you all well know, our exceptional colleague Xun Yu... ...Was killed while on a supply expedition in a barbaric act by stupid civilians! Stupid civilians... No! They were mere scum! Obviously, they too have a right to live. But I have no intention of leaving them to do as they please, as they are doing now. Their minds do not add value to the development of this society. We will introduce measures to sort the citizens into ranks... And we who are the finest breed will govern this country! For the justice we believe in!"
— Cao Cao Wing Gundam, SD Gundam World Sangoku Soketsuden: Soshoki
"We Anti-Spirals were once a Spiral race like yourselves. But when we learned that the evolution of Spiral Power would lead to the destruction of the universe, we annihilated all those who possessed the power of the Spiral, and drove the few surviving life forms to the far corners of the universe. We halted our own evolution and locked ourselves away into this pocket universe! On our homeworld we sealed away our bodies and any hope of evolution! This form is the symbol of our determination!"
— Anti-Spiral, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Comic Books
"It's truly regrettable that Devos' noble desire has somehow become so twisted that he's overseen the destruction of entire worlds. In another life, he could have been a hero."
— Captain America, on Devos the Devastator's mission to end war forever
Gepetto: Millions died as I carved out my empire. Millions more were delivered into dire bondage, where they certainly didn't survive long. But that resulted in a life of peace and security for untold billions that spanned many centuries. Who else has ever accomplished so much? When again will so many enjoy such widespread safety for so long?
Mrs. Cornhusk: You're a monster! A bloody-handed monster!
Gepetto: Of course. No kind man could ever do what I've done. The compassionate man will let billions suffer and die, as long as he doesn't have to get his hands dirty.
\|Mrs. Cornhusk: You're a monster! A bloody-handed monster!
Gepetto: Of course. No kind man could ever do what I've done. The compassionate man will let billions suffer and die, as long as he doesn't have to get his hands dirty.
— Fables, "Around the Town"
"Even when you think you're doing the right thing, you may be going about it the wrong way."
— Alfred Cranston, PS238
Aftermath: NO!!! I only did this to make them understand— to make the world better.
Supergirl: I know. But that doesn't mean you're right.
Supergirl: I know. But that doesn't mean you're right.
— Supergirl (2005), Way of the World
Robespierre: If it threatens France, it is my business.
Johanna Constantine: Yes, so I have seen. You will save France... if you have to kill every man, woman, and child within it to do so.
Johanna Constantine: Yes, so I have seen. You will save France... if you have to kill every man, woman, and child within it to do so.
— The Sandman, "Thermidor"
Fan Works
"If you had not been a thorn in our side I would not have needed to. But you make a point that I cannot dispute, the actions we have taken are horrible, and through them we have become horrible. But then what are we to do? Give up and reveal in the horribleness, become a raider or worse? Or do we understand that sometimes horrible actions are necessary for the good of all."
— Clean Cutt, Fallout: Equestria - Heroes
"If anyone is to blame for this wretched world we live in, it's the Assassins. They can't see that there will be peace if we achieve our goal. No more killing, no more hate, isn’t that right, Crescent?"
— Mahogany Wood, Leap of Faith
"If I had to, I would sacrifice a dozen worlds and every person living on them if it would give me my Alicia back."
— Perscia Tessarossa, Magical Pony Lyrical Twilight
"A king I betrayed by abandoning his son," Loghoof sputtered, looking up at the two goddesses before him, "I betrayed the crown of the kingdom I was sworn to defend. I watched as countless brave ponies died. My own daughter rejects me. I use that snake Maim and his shadowy tactics. For what?"
"I do it all for Equestria! I do what I must to protect Equestria! Ponies fight ponies across the land because they claim I am a usurper and a traitor, when everything I do is to protect this land I love! I watched as my friend's son died because because I left him to die because he would have sold Equestria to the Filesians! Now the ponyspawn run unchecked throughout the realm, the Bannorn wage civil war against me and now I must suffer all the slings and arrows of the regency I need to keep this land in check! If this is not a challenge to my faith, I do not know what is!"
"I do it all for Equestria! I do what I must to protect Equestria! Ponies fight ponies across the land because they claim I am a usurper and a traitor, when everything I do is to protect this land I love! I watched as my friend's son died because because I left him to die because he would have sold Equestria to the Filesians! Now the ponyspawn run unchecked throughout the realm, the Bannorn wage civil war against me and now I must suffer all the slings and arrows of the regency I need to keep this land in check! If this is not a challenge to my faith, I do not know what is!"
"Zaibach: Kicking your ass for the greater good."
"Science requires sacrifices, and some things are better not be divulged. My means might not be orthodox, but goals are what really matters."
— Dr. Elias Dreschner, Kintsukuroi
"I have seen the future of this world had I not interfered, and it would have ended in the same march of stagnation and decay until even the most learned, progressive culture is ground down into tyranny."
"So this is your way of making the world a better place?"
For the first time since the cave, Bran looked quite sad. "No, Meera," he said softly. "This is how I break the wheel. Poor Dany was perceptive enough to see the endless cycle, but in her arrogance, she believed that it was something as simple as a succession of power struggles that she could end through force alone. Only I can break the wheel. Only I can build a path to a better future."
Film — Animated
"If I sin, let future generations judge me. But mark this: only thanks to me will there be future generations!"
—General Hemmer, Battle for Terra
Sulley: It doesn't have to be this way!
Waternoose: I have no choice! Times have changed! Scaring isn't enough anymore!
Sulley: But kidnapping children?!
Waternoose: I'll kidnap a thousand children before I let this company die! And I'll silence anyone who gets in my way!
Waternoose: I have no choice! Times have changed! Scaring isn't enough anymore!
Sulley: But kidnapping children?!
Waternoose: I'll kidnap a thousand children before I let this company die! And I'll silence anyone who gets in my way!
"Rule Number One: he who has the power makes the rules. Obvious. Rule Number Two: Tough Love is a crock of scatters. This isn't about love. People don't want babysitters in Spandex to spank them when they're bad; they want surgeons to cut out the cancers that fester in us and make sure they never come back. "Doctor" Black, at your service. Rule Number Three: no more capes. As this ends quicker than any of you ever imagined, take heed. Blue Boy is the first. But if any of his costumed cronies rise up to avenge their fallen dream...you'll get worse, I promise. The dream is over. Viva reality!"
"Did I falsely imprison those missing animals? Well, yes, yes I did. It was a classic "doing the wrong thing for the right reason" kind of a deal."
— Mayor Lionheart, Zootopia
Alice: Why don't you leave me alone? And why don't you leave me alone?
Wizard of Wonderland: But you don't understand my dear. Wonderland needs me. [speaking rhythmically, beginning his Villain Song] Now Wonderland needs improving. It's just too impossibly odd. Someone must get a few changes moving. And I'm just the man for the job!
Wizard of Wonderland: But you don't understand my dear. Wonderland needs me. [speaking rhythmically, beginning his Villain Song] Now Wonderland needs improving. It's just too impossibly odd. Someone must get a few changes moving. And I'm just the man for the job!
Film — Live-Action
"I have brought peace, freedom, justice and security to my new Empire!"
— Darth Vader, Revenge of the Sith
"With the best intentions? Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions."
— Dr. Grant, Jurassic Park III
"I exist only to protect Krypton. That is the sole purpose for which I was born. And every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people."
— General Zod, Man of Steel
"Wanting people to listen. You can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore, you have to hit them with a sledgehammer. And then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."
— John Doe, Se7en
"Why do they still call me a warlord? And mad? All I want to do is to create the perfect genetic soldier. Not for power, not for evil, but for good. Carlos Blanka will be the first of thousands. They will march out of my laboratory and crush every adversary, every creed, every nation! Until the world is in the loving grip of the Pax Bisonica. And peace will reign and all humanity will bow to me in humble gratitude."
— M. Bison, Street Fighter
"A world at peace. There had to be sacrifice."
— Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias, Watchmen
"I know you're good people. I know you mean well. But you just didn't think it through. There is only one path to peace… your extinction."
— Ultron to the Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron
"Little one, it’s a simple calculus. This universe is finite. Its resources, finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction."
— Thanos to Gamora, Avengers: Infinity War
"All these souls, lost and alone. I can save them! I can cure them! There's no need to stop me, Peter!"
— The Lizard, The Amazing Spider-Man
Special Agent Johnson: Figure we take out the terrorists. Lose twenty, twenty-five percent of the hostages, tops.
Agent Johnson: I can live with that.
Agent Johnson: I can live with that.
— Die Hard
"I am wicked, as you believe. I am a scoundrel. I banished my father and I killed my own son. I will do anything to rule this country. War is everywhere. Unless somebody unifies the nation and reigns over us, we will see more rivers of blood and more mountains of the dead."
— Shingen Takeda, Kagemusha
"There cannot be peace without first a great suffering. The greater the suffering, the greater the peace."
— John Lark, Mission: Impossible – Fallout
"Our enemies are your enemies, Nick. Disorder, war. It's just a matter of time before a dirty bomb goes off in Moscow, or an EMP fries Chicago. Diplomacy? Holding action, a band-aid. And you know where I learned that; Bogota. You didn't ask, you just did what had to be done. I can bring order to the lives of seven billion people by sacrificing twenty million. It's the next step, Nick, if you have the courage to take it."
— Alexander Pierce to Nick Fury, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
"See, I took a seat on the Council not because I wanted to, but because Nick asked me to, because we were both realists. We knew, that despite all diplomacy and the handshaking and the rhetoric, to build a better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down. And that makes enemies."
— Alexander Pierce, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
"I observed for as long as I could. Their leaders have been assassinated. Communities flooded with drugs and weapons. They are overly policed and incarcerated. All over the planet, our people suffer because they don't have the tools to fight back. With vibranium weapons, they can overthrow all countries, and Wakanda can rule them all, the right way!"
— N'Jobu, Black Panther (2018)
"You're handed this precious gift, right? Each one of you granted redemption from the Creator — murderers, rapists, and molesters — all of you, you just have to repent, and God takes you into His bosom. In all the worlds in all the universe, no other creature can make such a boast, save man. It's not fair. If sweet, sweet God loves you so, then I will make you worthy of His love. I've been watching for a long time. It's only in the face of horror that you truly find your nobler selves. And you can be so noble. So, I'll bring you pain, I'll bring you horror, so that you may rise above it. So that those of you who survive this reign of Hell on earth will be worthy of God's love."
— Gabriel, Constantine (2005)
Tanna: Eros, do we have to kill them?
Eros: Yes.
Tanna: It seems such a waste.
Eros: Well, wouldn't it be better to kill a few now than, with their meddling, permit them to destroy the entire universe?
Eros: Yes.
Tanna: It seems such a waste.
Eros: Well, wouldn't it be better to kill a few now than, with their meddling, permit them to destroy the entire universe?
"We both eradicate people to make the world a better place. I just want to be a little… tidier."
— Lyutsifer Safin, No Time to Die
William Schenk/Emmerson: I want to be partners. You took a stand, Zeke, against a dirty cop, and what did it get you? A lifetime of watching your back, working alone, getting the call for every homeless bum who ends up dead. I mean, let's be real, some of these motherfuckers are straight-up evil. Fitch, not backing you up... he won't repeat that mistake. Boz, always lying under oath... But you, you're different. You're Metro's finest. That's why I wanna team up with you on this. You find the dirty cops, and I'll take care of the rest.
Detective Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks: You want me to help you kill cops?
William Schenk /Emmerson: No, fuck no. Just the bad ones. John Kramer was right, the spiral: a symbol of change, evolution, progress... but why limit that to an individual when you can apply it to a whole system? You got shot for doing the right thing, but these cops? They're not gonna clean up on their own.
Literature
"'But the evil' answered Momus, 'is that they hold for certain that they are in the light.'"
— Lo Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante, by Giordano Bruno
"Q: For what essential must we strive? A: The essential of preservation, to shelter a seed of humanity through the coming storm. Q: What cost must we bear? A: The cost is irrelevant. Mankind must survive. Our burden is that of the species, and all other considerations are but dust by comparison."
— From the Diagram, Catechism of the Back of the Flowered Painting: paragraph 1, The Stormlight Archive
"I only ever wanted to do something to help."
— Taylor Hebert, Worm
Taylor: 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 been some time since I lost sleep because of a heavy conscience.
— Worm
"This was it. Finally, everyone was working together."
"This girl? Do you know what this girl's future held, Arthur? I mean, she was barely held together when I found her. She grew up here. In this filth. Her whole life drowning in the toxins of humanity. She was more disease than human. She was dying, too. Slowly and painfully. Day by day. She has cancer, Arthur. She's riddled with it. She'll last another week or two at the most. And it would have been awful. Awful. And now she doesn't feel anything. She doesn't know. She's not here anymore. I gave her peace, Arthur. It was the only thing anyone decent could give her. And there are no decent people here, Arthur. None at all. And I know you had to go through hell to get here and I'm sorry for that, but all I can say is that you don't guard your home with squid golems when you're surrounded by wonderful people. But that's my point. Do you see, Arthur? Probably not. Not yet. I'm probably making a hash of it all. Wandering up the conversational garden path. And garden paths have their merit, they can be quite beautiful, but I brought you here so you would see. In the hope that I can be clear for once in what I shall refer to as my life. I came to you as this child so I could. I saved this girl. And it was an awful monstrous way to do it, but in the end, it was the only way. The problem is awful and monstrous. It demands that kind of solution. Humanity, you see, Arthur, is that kind of problem."
— Clyde 2.0, Anti-Hero, by Jonathan Wood
My paternal grandfather died as many good Greeks did, attempting to kill his mortal enemy, the old Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Both of them rest uncomfortably now in my ancestral memories. Even my father is not content. I have done what he feared to do and now his shade must share in the consequences.
The Golden Path demands it. And what is the Golden Path? you ask. It is the survival of humankind, nothing more nor less. We who have prescience, we who know the pitfalls in our human futures, this has always been our responsibility.
Survival.
—Leto Atreides II, God-Emperor of Dune
But we [devils] want a man hag-ridden by the Future — haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth — ready to [commit evil] in the present if by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other—dependent for his faith on the success or failure of schemes whose end he will not live to see. We want a whole race perpetually in pursuit of the rainbow’s end, never honest, nor kind, nor happy now, but always using as mere fuel wherewith to heap the altar of the future every real gift which is offered them in the Present.
—Screwtape, Letter XV
Arbat: <This war must end, Aristh. It has caused too much suffering. Too much killing. Think of all the bright young scientists, artists, and thinkers conscripted year after year to feed this war. So many brilliant and creative minds turned from decent pursuits to the job of killing. Good Andalites all. Good Andalites forced to make hard, cruel decisions.>
Ax: <This is not the way to end it!>
Arbat: <That is not for you to decide. The strong must decide. The weak can only obey.>
—Animorphs #38: The Arrival
Mac: Here's the main thing you got to remember, Captain. We meant well.
Maggie: "We meant well." My God, I wonder how many sins have been justified by that line?
"Of course, millions will die. But millions more will be saved."
— Damian Cray, Alex Rider: Eagle Strike
They won't understand. Tortured, incomplete, they're not able to understand. Offered the greater whole, they see the loss of the lesser. Offered communion, they see only extinction. I must be careful. I must use this newfound ability to hide. Other things will come here eventually, and it doesn't matter whether they find the living or the dead; what matters is that they find something like themselves, to take back home. So I will keep up appearances. I will work behind the scenes. I will save them from the inside, or their unimaginable loneliness will never end.
These poor savage things will never embrace salvation.
There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.
How clearly she saw what Amnardbat was, in that moment: a person who so loved Lsel Station that she'd replaced her ethical responsibilities with the appalling brightness of that love, and didn't care what she burned out to preserve it.
Live-Action TV
"I'm not seeking forgiveness for what I've done, father. I'm asking forgiveness for what I'm about to do."
— Matt Murdock, Daredevil
Sam: This guy I know, who knows more about Super Soldiers than anyone else on the planet, he says... you're a supremacist.
Karli: Me?
Sam: Yeah.
Karli: That's ridiculous. Everything I do is to end supremacy. These corporations and the beasts who run them, they're the supremacists.
Sam: So let me ask you. You have more Serum, right?
Karli: So?
Sam: Are you going to increase your army? You're killing innocent people.
Karli: They're not innocent. They're roadblocks in my journey and I'd kill them again if I had to.
Sam: ...wow...
Karli: No, no, I didn't mean it like that. You tricked me into sounding like...
Sam: Like what?
Karli: The people I'm fighting are trying to take your home, Sam. Why are you here instead of stopping them?
Sam: You know, my sister's waiting for that exact same answer. I'm not your enemy. I agree with your fight. I just can't get with the way you're fighting it. And I'm sure she wouldn't either.
Karli: Me?
Sam: Yeah.
Karli: That's ridiculous. Everything I do is to end supremacy. These corporations and the beasts who run them, they're the supremacists.
Sam: So let me ask you. You have more Serum, right?
Karli: So?
Sam: Are you going to increase your army? You're killing innocent people.
Karli: They're not innocent. They're roadblocks in my journey and I'd kill them again if I had to.
Sam: ...wow...
Karli: No, no, I didn't mean it like that. You tricked me into sounding like...
Sam: Like what?
Karli: The people I'm fighting are trying to take your home, Sam. Why are you here instead of stopping them?
Sam: You know, my sister's waiting for that exact same answer. I'm not your enemy. I agree with your fight. I just can't get with the way you're fighting it. And I'm sure she wouldn't either.
— The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, "The Whole World Is Watching"
"From this day forth, we will be known as Faust! Those who don't know better may think our actions are acts of the devil. However even if our hands are soaked in blood, we will turn this country into what it has the potential to be!"
— Night Rogue I/Gentoku Himuro, Kamen Rider Build
"It's beautiful here, isn't it? When you stay here long enough, you start to fool yourself into thinking this is how it's always going to be. Then you remember what this place'll look like when it's on fire and... you realize you'll do whatever it takes to keep from watching it burn again."
— Derek Reese, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Mythology and Religion
"Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"
— Jesus on the methods by which the Pharisees attempted to please God, Matthew 23:24 (New King James Version)
"Why not say — as some slanderously claim that we say — "Let us do evil that good may result?" Their condemnation is just!"
— Paul, Romans 3:8 (New International Version)
Music
"And I want to conquer the world
Give all the idiots a brand new religion
Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness and toil
Promote equality in all of my decisions!"
Give all the idiots a brand new religion
Put an end to poverty, uncleanliness and toil
Promote equality in all of my decisions!"
— Bad Religion, "Conquer the World"
"Good can't help but do a little evil."
— N.A.S.A., "Spacious Thoughts", featuring Kool Keith and Tom Waits
Podcasts
"To me, being willing to do whatever it takes—the "ends justifies the means" mentality... That is evil, in my opinion. It doesn't matter if your goals are noble or if you [don't have] an "evil" goal in mind. If you are willing to do whatever it takes; hurt whoever you need to; crawl over and stop whoever you need to on the way up to that goal, that makes you evil, in my opinion. You need to have ethics that guide how you get to where you're going [in order] to not be considered a villain or villainess or evil or whatever. [...] There are very few evil people [out there] who believe they're evil; they think they're doing the right thing; they think they're in a hero's journey that they're the center of. And it's always interesting when you can actually find some common ground between what the villain wants and what the hero wants—like, they both want the same thing; they both have the same vision of what's best. But again, usually, the villain is willing to do whatever it takes, which is: 'I'm willing to harm to reach that goal.' Whereas the hero says: 'No! We are not going to abandon our ethics in order to get the desired result."
Tabletop Games
"Battlechimp Potemkin does not understand the meaning of the words 'innocent bystander.' The closest he comes is 'regrettable civilian casualties.'"
— Feng Shui: Gorilla Warfare
"Man is an ape and wishes to return to that state! He recognizes his bestial side, seeking to embrace it with one hand while the other hides his eyes. From the beginning of time, he has eaten fungi, swallowed potions and chewed herbs in an effort to disguise the world around him or as an excuse to do the things he really wanted to do all along! We of the Pharmacopeists have only refined and channeled a basic primal urge. Whole periods of history have been directed by the fear or drug-induced muddle that we have spread in an attempt to control the Masses. All this in anticipation of the day we would rise up and save this reality."
— Mage: The Ascension - Convention Book: Progenitors
"For the greater good!"
— Tau battle cry, Warhammer 40,000
Theatre
"Sure I meant well — well, look what well meant did!
[...]
My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead."
[...]
My road of good intentions led where such roads always lead."
— Elphaba, Wicked, "No Good Deed"
Toys
"Did you ever think we could do more good if we stopped worrying so much about who might get hurt in the process?"
— Toa Tuyet, BIONICLE
Video Games
"What they want is good. But the way they're going about it... it's bad, really bad."
— Lucy Stillman on the Templars, Assassin's Creed
Axton: So, you think Zarpedon should have destroyed the moon, and the Vault with it?
Athena: ... No. While it is tempting to think that destroying the Vault was the right path, I believe it was just the easiest.
"Trouble yourself not with the cost of this crusade. Its noble end affords you broad tolerance in your choice of means."
I Just Cannot Compute It
Why Everyone Else Is So...Ungrateful
[throws glass on the ground that explodes]
Whoops That Was My Extra Dangerous Glass
Kris
I Just Want To Make Everyone Smile
And If I Become An Evil Villain To Accomplish That
Is That Bad?
[Beat]
It's Okay
You Do Not Have To Answer
You Would Be Wrong
Why Everyone Else Is So...Ungrateful
[throws glass on the ground that explodes]
Whoops That Was My Extra Dangerous Glass
Kris
I Just Want To Make Everyone Smile
And If I Become An Evil Villain To Accomplish That
Is That Bad?
[Beat]
It's Okay
You Do Not Have To Answer
You Would Be Wrong
— Queen, Deltarune
"I am not the villain in this story. I do what I do because there is no choice."
— Samuel Hayden, Doom (2016)
"I will save you." "You will not suffer."
"I will make you understand." "You have been betrayed."
"You will rip apart at the seams." "I must do this, for your sake."
— Various quotes from The Ancient Fuelweaver, Don't Starve
"I was taught it was my responsibility to bring the torch of knowledge to the wastes. I may have taken the torch part more literally than they intended."
— Caesar, Fallout: New Vegas
Arcade Gannon: Hildern is a good example of "big picture" obsession gone too far. At some point he became so fixated on large scale results that he lost the concept of "the common good" along the way. It's an inhumane kind of public service when people and the basic resources they need become numbers in a ledger.
The Courier: I'm sure he means well.
Arcade Gannon: It isn't enough to mean well if you don't do good. I'm sure Caesar meant well, too.
The Courier: I'm sure he means well.
Arcade Gannon: It isn't enough to mean well if you don't do good. I'm sure Caesar meant well, too.
You're wearing a lab coat. You're standing with... men of science. Visionaries. Brilliant but misunderstood. I see a land marked up, like a great experiment. Each test a new beginning. Each sacrifice an acceptable loss. You will not be loved, but you will save humanity... however you choose to define it.
—Mama Murphy, to players allied with the Institute, Fallout 4
"The best intentions invite the worst kind of trouble."
— Balthier, Final Fantasy XII
...To walk the righteous path, to live for the sake of others. To rise to the highest station, yet remain powerless to bring an end to your people's suffering. What price salvation, then? What sacrifice beyond reason? For uneasy lies the head that wears a crown...
The Warrior of Light on Archbishop Thordan VII, Final Fantasy XIV
"No cost too great."
— The Pale King, Hollow Knight
"In my years fighting crime, I've learned one truth: that every villain is the hero of his own story. Superman was no exception. The Joker drugged him. Tricked him into killing his pregnant wife Lois. And made him trigger the bomb that nuked Metropolis. So when Superman killed the Joker, I understood why; we all did. But once that line was crossed, there was no going back. He gave himself and the Justice League a new mandate. Stop all crime before it happened, by any means necessary. But he couldn't see his good intentions were leading him down a path of tyranny and evil. That's how our greatest hero... became our greatest threat."
— Bruce Wayne, Injustice 2
"If only they knew what waited for them. Humans transformed into monsters, spirits, ancient creatures and immortal madmen, aliens from beyond our solar system, and now... primeval horrors looking to devour them. Despite my efforts, humanity grows weak and complacent while their successors gather all around them. My prediction models show that they will not survive. I cannot allow that. I will put them back on the path. I will test them, push them... And I will not be gentle. It is time for a reckoning. Humanity will be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the future."
— ARIA, Killer Instinct (2013)
"Tell me again all the crimes I've committed, and I'll tell you the price of victory."
—Swain, League of Legends
"I'm only doing this to end the war, so that everyone can enjoy a better life. Isn't it nice that Taiwan and Japan can unite as one country?"
— Ding Peng, after betraying the Mansion 28 and getting everyone massacred in The Legend of Tian-ding
"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."
— The Illusive Man, Mass Effect 2
Raiden: All you want is power, at any cost.
Solidus: Jack, it's not power I want. What I want to take back from the Patriots are things like... freedom, civil rights, opportunities. The founding principles of this country. Everything that's about to be wiped out by their digital censorship.
Solidus: Jack, it's not power I want. What I want to take back from the Patriots are things like... freedom, civil rights, opportunities. The founding principles of this country. Everything that's about to be wiped out by their digital censorship.
Chris: Why are you doing this?! What do you accomplish by unleashing Uroboros?!
Wesker: Every day, humanity comes closer to self-destruction. I'm not destroying the world. I'm saving it!
Wesker: Every day, humanity comes closer to self-destruction. I'm not destroying the world. I'm saving it!
Simmons: Are you here to avenge the President? Is that it? You fool. Had he disclosed the truth behind Raccoon City, the U.S. would have lost all its authority, and the global political order would have collapsed!
Helena: So to avoid one possible disaster, you create another?! No matter how many people die?!
Simmons: He had to be stopped! He was leading my country, and this world, into complete chaos!
Helena: So to avoid one possible disaster, you create another?! No matter how many people die?!
Simmons: He had to be stopped! He was leading my country, and this world, into complete chaos!
We are the esteemed members of Schwarzkreuz. Our goal is to assert control over the Magi that oppose us and guide them on the path of righteousness. All is for the peace and prosperity of our divine Empire. Bloodshed is inevitable, but our cause is just.
— Pamela Arwig, Rosenkreuzstilette Weißsilber
My reflection in the black blood of our Warden whispers. I need to save them from this hell. I need to let them sleep. Lock them in the lucid dreams I've seen.
\|—Graffiti left by Terry Akers, SOMA
"There is no difference between what is right and what is necessary."
— A loading screen in Spec Ops: The Line
Walker: I... I didn't mean to hurt anybody...
Shadow Konrad: No-one ever does, Walker.
Shadow Konrad: No-one ever does, Walker.
Alchemax CEO: Miguel... you're on the wrong side of this. I'm not the villain here. I'm the guy who's trying to make everything right. Don't you get it?
Spider-Man 2099: Apparently, I don't.
Alchemax CEO: When the storm is fully unleashed, I'm going to harness the quantum energy. It will give me complete control over the time stream.
Spider-Man 2099: Complete con—? What, you're trying to play God?
Alchemax CEO: The first creation of the universe wasn't bad... for a first draft. I'm just going to provide a much-needed rewrite. I can make up for my original sin by saving Uncle Ben. Not to mention Gwen Stacy, her dad, countless others! What kind of villain fixes it so that everyone gets to live happily ever after?
Spider-Man 2099: You're talking about power no human should have. You'll end up destroying yourself, but not before you've annihilated everything else.
Alchemax CEO: Well then, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
Spider-Man 2099: Apparently, I don't.
Alchemax CEO: When the storm is fully unleashed, I'm going to harness the quantum energy. It will give me complete control over the time stream.
Spider-Man 2099: Complete con—? What, you're trying to play God?
Alchemax CEO: The first creation of the universe wasn't bad... for a first draft. I'm just going to provide a much-needed rewrite. I can make up for my original sin by saving Uncle Ben. Not to mention Gwen Stacy, her dad, countless others! What kind of villain fixes it so that everyone gets to live happily ever after?
Spider-Man 2099: You're talking about power no human should have. You'll end up destroying yourself, but not before you've annihilated everything else.
Alchemax CEO: Well then, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
"Villains want to fight the establishment and topple the status quo. But they're branded as "villains" just because they want to change the world."
— Marina, Splatoon 2
"My methods may seem harsh in contrast to my true intentions."
— Gill, Street Fighter III
"The very moment that Man loses his imagination, he is doomed."
"It is unfortunate... but this is for the sake of protecting Earth from... [Kali Yuga]."
"I have conceived it. A method by which Man might be spared. We have chosen. This is the solution that we have devised."
"It is unfortunate... but this is for the sake of protecting Earth from... [Kali Yuga]."
"I have conceived it. A method by which Man might be spared. We have chosen. This is the solution that we have devised."
Kira Yamato: Commander Trieze... I don't understand you. Why did you start this battle?
Trieze Khushrenada: Right now, your heart is filled with sorrow.
Kira: It's not just me! A lot of people, their hearts ache because of this battle!
Trieze: That's good. That's exactly why I started this war.
Kira: Commander Trieze...
Trieze: Remember this, Kira... this pain is for changing the world. Now then, let's fight!
Trieze Khushrenada: Right now, your heart is filled with sorrow.
Kira: It's not just me! A lot of people, their hearts ache because of this battle!
Trieze: That's good. That's exactly why I started this war.
Kira: Commander Trieze...
Trieze: Remember this, Kira... this pain is for changing the world. Now then, let's fight!
— Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-Hen
Megatron: Why must you always interfere?!
Optimus: You would place Cybertron at the center of the universe!
Megatron: Cybertron is the center of my universe! How is it not the heart of yours?!
Optimus: You would place Cybertron at the center of the universe!
Megatron: Cybertron is the center of my universe! How is it not the heart of yours?!
"Zenam refuses to respond to my letters. Another person who rejects me over this... I̶ ̶h̶a̶t̶e̶ No, I don't. I can't bring myself to even write it, no no. I wonder how much longer it will take. The second prototype was a dud. How much longer will I need to hide? To steal and ruin others' work? The ends have to justify the means. They must. Otherwise it's all for nothing, and I'll have harmed so many good peoples' reputations. Why is it they cheer for fancy new lamps and do-nothings, but fear true progress? I can't force them to listen, but so many bridges have been burnt for this. Things can never be the same after this. Will it be for the better, or for worse? I pray it is for the better... or else I have a lot of making up to do."
— Harnort's personal notes, Wynncraft
Egil: And what of you, Vanea? You would side with those of Bionis and attack me? You have forfeited your right to exist.
Vanea: Perhaps. If that is to be my fate I gladly accept brother. As would any of the villagers.
Egil: So the few remaining members of my people, have now betrayed me. Interesting.
Vanea: You're wrong! The villagers and I, we just wanted all this fighting to stop! Egil, all we wanted was to live with you in peace. Nothing more then that!
Egil: Nonsense. There will never be peace until the Bionis is destroyed!
Vanea: Perhaps. If that is to be my fate I gladly accept brother. As would any of the villagers.
Egil: So the few remaining members of my people, have now betrayed me. Interesting.
Vanea: You're wrong! The villagers and I, we just wanted all this fighting to stop! Egil, all we wanted was to live with you in peace. Nothing more then that!
Egil: Nonsense. There will never be peace until the Bionis is destroyed!
Web Animation
Dear Chairman.
I don't give a DAMN about your committee and its opinions of my work! Have you forgotten sir, we were at war? A fight with an alien race for the very survival of our species? I feel I must remind you, that it is an undeniable, and, may I say, a fundamental quality of Man, that when faced with extinction, EVERY ALTERNATIVE IS PREFERABLE!
I don't give a DAMN about your committee and its opinions of my work! Have you forgotten sir, we were at war? A fight with an alien race for the very survival of our species? I feel I must remind you, that it is an undeniable, and, may I say, a fundamental quality of Man, that when faced with extinction, EVERY ALTERNATIVE IS PREFERABLE!
—Dr. Leonard Church defending his actions against a Smart AI in order to Fragment it to get more AIs for Project Freelancer, Red vs. Blue
Ilia: I'm sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the Faunus back!
Blake: Because we're trying to protect people?! In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!
Ilia: The same one as you! There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There’s the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there’s the others who stand by and let the hate happen! But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don’t like hurting people. But I’ll tell you this ...it’s gotten us results.
Blake: Yeah, look where it’s gotten you.
Ilia: We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts.
Blake: Because we're trying to protect people?! In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!
Ilia: The same one as you! There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There’s the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there’s the others who stand by and let the hate happen! But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don’t like hurting people. But I’ll tell you this ...it’s gotten us results.
Blake: Yeah, look where it’s gotten you.
Ilia: We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts.
—RWBY, "Alone Together"
Webcomics
Sheena: Wow, I can't believe that GI Guy was really so... unbalanced.
Radd: Believe it. But in his own severely messed up way, he thought he was doing the right thing.
Sheena: You're actually sympathizing with him?
Radd: No way! He was just... well, like a lot of madmen. Somewhat accurate view of the problem, really insane view of the solution.
Radd: Believe it. But in his own severely messed up way, he thought he was doing the right thing.
Sheena: You're actually sympathizing with him?
Radd: No way! He was just... well, like a lot of madmen. Somewhat accurate view of the problem, really insane view of the solution.
— Kid Radd
"All contestants had benign intent that manifested in malicious behaviour. Only the best for society as a whole was ever considered. But only under the terms each contestant explicitly laid for himself."
— The Judge, 10%+
Redcloak: You have to understand. It was for the greater good.
Right-Eye: Good... never really entered into it...
Right-Eye: Good... never really entered into it...
Durkon: "One o' tha most import'nt lessons o' bein' a healer is: Gettin' tha diagnosis right dinnae mean yer gonna get tha treatment right too. Redcloak, 'e's right aboot wha's wrong, but wrong about how ta make it right."
"Don't give me that bullshit! Petty slave morality means nothing when you devote yourself wholly to a purpose!"
— Jennifer Trianglini, It Hurts!!
Petey: You need to know the difference between your attempted crimes and the actual, committed crimes of the F'Sherl-Ganni. They were trying to save all life as we know it from permanent extinction. You were trying to make a name for yourself by claiming new territory for your own people.
Admiral Tebbir: So... fifteen billion cases of attempted murder is worse than a hundred thousand trillion cases of actual murder?
Petey: I know, I know. It hardly seems fair.
Admiral Tebbir: So... fifteen billion cases of attempted murder is worse than a hundred thousand trillion cases of actual murder?
Petey: I know, I know. It hardly seems fair.
Web Original
"The world is a mess, and I just need to... Rule it!"
— Dr. Horrible, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
"I say, we kill everything. There cannot be any evil if there is nothing existing."
— Lust in a livejournal role-play
"Nox didn't have a road paved with good intentions as much as he had a slide greased with them."
— Anonymous user on /tg/
"Forgive me for bein' suspicious, mischief's not on my brain!
We're programmed to be pragmatic if someone messes with the mainframe.
It's not that we don't trust you! We do! We love you, too.
It's just that here at Freddy's... heh heh... we have a few rules.
AND IF YOU BREAK THEM, WE WILL HAVE TO BREAK YOU LIKE YOU BROKE OUR HEARTS.
WE'LL BE FORCED TO REWIRE YOU AND REPAIR YOUR DAMAGED PARTS.
Now, you wouldn't want that. And frankly, neither would I.
But sometimes to do some good, you've gotta be the bad guy!"
We're programmed to be pragmatic if someone messes with the mainframe.
It's not that we don't trust you! We do! We love you, too.
It's just that here at Freddy's... heh heh... we have a few rules.
AND IF YOU BREAK THEM, WE WILL HAVE TO BREAK YOU LIKE YOU BROKE OUR HEARTS.
WE'LL BE FORCED TO REWIRE YOU AND REPAIR YOUR DAMAGED PARTS.
Now, you wouldn't want that. And frankly, neither would I.
But sometimes to do some good, you've gotta be the bad guy!"
— Toy Bonnie, Mandopony's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 fan song, "Survive The Night"
"This is your first lesson. The Foundation is not evil. We do not torture people just because. We are against unnecessary cruelty. Which means somebody has to decide when cruelty is necessary. That somebody is us."
"Acceptable Collateral Damage: 90% of worldwide human population."
"Picture this: Both these guys are working on the same school project. It's for Model UN and the teacher said 'write a plan for how you would try and get world peace if you were in a high power government position.' Raiden writes his project about how he would try and stop wars through peaceful tactics. Only perform violence when it's absolutely necessary, like the samurai of old. Armstrong presents his elaborate military plan that would make people change their ways to allow less violence in the future as well as put a stop to the current violence with his... 'bigger gun" (for lack of a better term). Raiden doesn't like the violence, so he gets into a debate. He says "what about military costs and those orphans?' Armstrong says 'The war makes jobs, which allows money to be used. Plus, the kids would get a job, food, and an education.' Raiden knows he's right, but doesn't want to be wrong, so he simply yells "VIOLENCE IS WRONG!" Armstrong replies 'But necessary.' At recess, they get into a fight and Raiden wins. Armstrong admits he lost, but says he just wanted to get world peace with a solution that he knew would work, even if it was morally black. At the end of the day, Armstrong goes home and Raiden realizes he was trying to do good, but he made bad choices. So at the next Model UN meeting, Armstrong isn't there because he got pneumonia. Raiden has made it clear to himself that Armstrong had a good idea once he changed his views on it. So he combines some of his and Armstrong's ideas and starts using that new plan in the club's world debate. Does that make sense?"
— a YouTuber describing the ideological conflict between Raiden and Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
"Just goes to show that liking good things and aspiring to do them doesn't always make you good."
— Joshscorcher on the antagonists of Bioshock, "Top Ten Scary Atmospheres"
Raph: I thought we'd be doing hero stuff to save the world, see historical figures or even dinosaurs. I feel like we're fucking innocent people.
The Visitor: What did you think a hero does? He accepts to be a fucker for other people's sake.
"[I]if your ends don’t justify the means, you’re working on the wrong project."
— Jobe Wilkins, defending his use of condemned prisoners as test subjects while developing a dysentery vaccine, "The Bad Seeds", Whateley Universe
Dream: Well, I think I'm right. I did bad things, but I did them for good reasons.
Tommy: What do you mean good reasons? [...] No, please, please enlighten us! Please, enlighten me!
Dream: I just wanted to bring the server together. Have it be... a happy family.
Tommy: Br... Bring the server to... You fffff– (under his breath) I'm gonna crack my knuckles, I'm gonna pull a knife, I'm gonna– (out loud) Dream, you des– You blew up L'Manburg, Dream! You tried killing me, you tried killing everyone, you tried hurting people's loved ones! It's like– What the– what the fu– you're delusional, man!
Tommy: What do you mean good reasons? [...] No, please, please enlighten us! Please, enlighten me!
Dream: I just wanted to bring the server together. Have it be... a happy family.
Tommy: Br... Bring the server to... You fffff– (under his breath) I'm gonna crack my knuckles, I'm gonna pull a knife, I'm gonna– (out loud) Dream, you des– You blew up L'Manburg, Dream! You tried killing me, you tried killing everyone, you tried hurting people's loved ones! It's like– What the– what the fu– you're delusional, man!
Western Animation
"Imagine. I now possess the power to end hunger. To abolish disease. To eliminate crime. To establish a perfectly content, perfectly ordered world — all under the benevolence of MY IRON WILL!"
"My followers and I will not rest until the entire city has achieved equality. And once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has begun!"
— Amon, The Legend of Korra
Toph: Listen. What did Amon want? Equality for all. Unalaq? He brought back the spirits. And Zaheer believed in freedom!
Korra: I guess...
Toph: The problem was those guys were totally out of balance and they took their ideologies too far.
Korra: I guess...
Toph: The problem was those guys were totally out of balance and they took their ideologies too far.
"I intended to prepare Twilight for anything, by orchestrating an epic attack at her coronation."
— Discord explaining why he brought back Twilight Sparkle's worst enemies in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, "The Ending of the End - Part 1"
"For more years than I can remember, I have stood, watch, preparing for a day I've long known was inevitable. The alien threat is real, and the world has suffered at the hands of these invaders. The world must be prepared. It must always be vigilant, and I will make sure it is, no matter what the cost."
— Agent Bishop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"If you could take back a terrible mistake at the cost of a few lives, would you do it?"
— Nox, Wakfu
"You know, the Lord's been a great comfort to me all these years. Try not to look so surprised. Yeah, I've got a lot to answer for when I meet Him, but I'd like to believe that for all the harm I've caused, I've also done some good. Maybe the angels need a sharp sword too."
—-Amanda Waller, Justice League Unlimited
Sandy: Attention, Bikini Bottom! The time has come to double, no, triple our efforts!
Squidward: How 'bout a break? We've been at it for days!
Female Fish: Think about the children!
Sandy: That’s a good idea! Use the children to crawl into small places you couldn’t normally reach!
Male Fish: This is a load of barnacles…
Sandy: I heard that! No-one’s goin' anywhere 'til we find SpongeBob!
Squidward: How 'bout a break? We've been at it for days!
Female Fish: Think about the children!
Sandy: That’s a good idea! Use the children to crawl into small places you couldn’t normally reach!
Male Fish: This is a load of barnacles…
Sandy: I heard that! No-one’s goin' anywhere 'til we find SpongeBob!
Real Life
"I would remind you that extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
— Barry Goldwater, 1964 Republican National Convention acceptance speech
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
— C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock
"The doctrine which, from the very first origin of religious dissensions, has been held by bigots of all sects, when condensed into a few words and stripped of rhetorical disguise, is simply this: I am in the right, and you are in the wrong. When you are the stronger, you ought to tolerate me, for it is your duty to tolerate truth; but when I am the stronger, I shall persecute you, for it is my duty to persecute error."
— Thomas Babington Macaulay, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays
"I also find that people who work in the field are more moderate in their views. I don't care what the issue is or even what side they're on, but radical people to the right or left of any issue are never in touch with what's actually going on. I've noticed everywhere that most of the people who are pure activists have never actually worked with animals. Everything becomes totally abstract, an idea that isn't based in reality..."
— Paula Morin, Honest Horses: Wild Horses in the Great Basin
"The root of humanly caused evil is not man’s animal nature, not territorial aggression, or innate selfishness, but our need to gain self-esteem, deny our mortality, and achieve a heroic self-image. Our desire for the best is the cause of the worst."
— Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death
"Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim."
— George Santayana, The Life of Reason
"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks."
"Roosevelt saved capitalism by accepting a degree of welfarism. Johnson applied the same formulas, with less dramatic results. When Roosevelt's experiments began to go sour, the Second World War disguised their inadequacy. I've often wondered if Johnson instinctively hoped to repeat the Roosevelt career: domestic reform, followed by the triumphant prosecution of a war."
"When hopes and dreams are loose in the streets, it is well for the timid to lock doors, shutter windows and lie low until the wrath has passed. For there is often a monstrous incongruity between the hopes, however noble and tender, and the action which follows them. It is as if ivied maidens and garlanded youths were to herald the four horsemen of the apocalypse."
— Eric Hoffer, The True Believer
