To kill a man in a paroxysm of passion is understandable, but to have him killed by someone else after calm and serious meditation and on the pretext of duty honourably discharged is incomprehensible.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote finds impulsive murder understandable but sees premeditated, duty‑bound killing as absurd.
- In plain terms
- Killing in a fit of passion is okay, but killing after planning for duty is not.
- What can you take from it?
- Question the morality of calculated violence versus impulsive acts.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why is spontaneous violence seen as more understandable?
- What defines honorable duty?
Another view
It romanticizes impulsive murder.
More from Donatien de Sade
Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain.
Permalink to quote #20 Sex without pain is like food without taste.
Permalink to quote #19 Sex is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other.
Permalink to quote #18
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