QuoteProject
The aim of torture is to destroy a person as a human being, to destroy their identity and soul. It is more evil than murder.
Inge Genefke
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes that torture seeks to strip away a person's humanity, which is a deeper evil than taking their life.

Inge Genefke's quote highlights the profound moral degradation associated with torture, asserting that its purpose is not merely physical harm but the complete annihilation of the victim's identity and spirit. Unlike murder, which ends a life, torture aims to reduce a person to nothingness, erasing their very essence and turning them into a mere shell of who they once were. This perspective invites a reflection on the ethical implications of violence against individuals and raises questions about the resilience of the human spirit in the face of such profound cruelty.

Themes

TortureEvilHumanityIdentitySoul

In practice

Example use cases

In a human rights seminar discussing the impacts of torture on individuals and society.

Similar quotes

My mother would write letters when I was away at camp and say, 'There's an Ann-shaped space around the house. Nobody fills an Ann-shaped space except an Ann.' I'm convinced we all have a God-shaped space in us, and until we fill that space with God, we'll never know what it is to be whole.
Ann B. DavisRead
Being able to afford everything you desire is not, by any means, the worst thing that can happen to you. But, depressingly, and more profoundly, neither is it the best.
A. A. GillRead
After the earth dies, some 5 billion years from now, after it's burned to a crisp, or even swallowed by the Sun, there will be other worlds and stars and galaxies coming into being - and they will know nothing of a place once called Earth.
Carl SaganRead
It is not the business of government to make men virtuous or religious, or to preserve the fool from the consequences of his own folly. Government should be repressive no further than is necessary to secure liberty by protecting the equal rights of each from aggression on the part of others, and the moment governmental prohibitions extend beyond this line they are in danger of defeating the very ends they are intended to serve.
Henry GeorgeRead
We are product of neither nature nor nurture; we are a product of choice, because there is always a space between stimulus and response. As we wisely exercise our power to choose based on principles, the space will become larger.
Stephen CoveyRead
Purity of soul cannot be lost without consent.
Saint AugustineRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.