QuoteProject
When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.
Stephen Carter
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the moral implications of violence against those who are not a threat.

Stephen Carter's quote critiques the notion of self-defense, illustrating that when someone is harmed while retreating, it is an abuse of power rather than an act of protection. This statement calls for a reflection on the ethics of violence and the responsibilities that come with the right to defend oneself.

Themes

ViolenceSelf-DefenseMoralityEthicsPower

In practice

Example use cases

During a debate on gun control, one might cite this quote to argue against excessive force.

More from Stephen Carter

In real life there are indeed black people who have been in the middle class for generations, but in entertainment it's as if they don't exist.
Stephen CarterRead
To be black and an intellectual in America is to live in a box. On the box is a label, not of my own choosing.
Stephen CarterRead
Teaching civility is an obligation of the family.
Stephen CarterRead

Similar quotes

You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise.
Maya AngelouRead
The only difference between me and those other great Yankees is my skin color.
Reggie JacksonRead
World, they have taken the small children like butterflies and thrown them, beating their wings, into the fire--
Nelly SachsRead
...We are intensely proud of their noble record and are glad to have had the whole world see how irresistible they are in their might when a cause which America holds dear is at stake. The whole nation has reason to be proud of them.
Woodrow WilsonRead
We have got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage.
Barack ObamaRead
I call upon those who love freedom to stand with us now. Together we shall achieve victory.
Dwight D. EisenhowerRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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