QuoteProject
For," I said, "a murdered man or woman dies not in God's time, but in Man's. He... or she... is cut short before he... or she... can atone for sin, and so all errors must be forgiven. When you think of it that way, all murderers are a gateway for heaven.
Stephen King
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that murderers create a pathway to forgiveness for the victims by cutting their lives short before they can atone for their sins.

In this quote, Stephen King explores the profound and controversial idea that the act of murder not only affects the victim and the perpetrator but also alters the moral landscape regarding sin and redemption. He implies that since victims die before they can seek forgiveness for their own sins, their murderers inadvertently facilitate a release from earthly ties, potentially enabling the victims to ascend to heaven more quickly. This controversial perspective prompts a rethinking of morality surrounding both life and death, highlighting the complex interplay between human actions and divine judgment.

Themes

ForgivenessMurderPhilosophyRedemptionSin

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the complexities of morality in literature, this quote could be used to illustrate how authors tackle themes of sin and redemption.

More from Stephen King

Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
Stephen KingRead
Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.
Stephen KingRead
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
Stephen KingRead
That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
Stephen KingRead
Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
Stephen KingRead

Similar quotes

Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act. In this relation, then, the new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a NATIONAL constitution.
James MadisonRead
War is harmful, not only to the conquered but to the conqueror. Society has arisen out of the works of peace; the essence of society is peacemaking. Peace and not war is the father of all things. Only economic action has created the wealth around us; labor, not the profession of arms, brings happiness. Peace builds, war destroys.
Ludwig Von MisesRead
Although Verwoerd thought Africans were lower than animals, his death did not yield us any pleasure. Political assassination is not something I or the ANC ever supported. It is a primitive way of contending with an opponent
Nelson MandelaRead
In my experience, self-hatred is the dominant malaise crippling Christians and stifling their growth in the Holy Spirit.
Brennan ManningRead
For then only will you be strong, when you cherish the laws, and when the revolutionary attempts of lawless men shall have ceased.
AeschinesRead
The trouble with you and me, is that we don't live in the real world. We dream of fantastic things that may never happen.
Agatha ChristieRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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

Quote by Stephen King | QuoteProject