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Anime and Manga
"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"
— Slogan of The Britannian Empire, Code Geass
"The High Courts will look favorably on my conduct, and deem it the proper course of action."
— Klowal after kidnapping the princess — with propriety, Crest of the Stars
"Fear is freedom! Control is release! Contradiction is truth! That is the reality of this world! Listen well, you pigs in human clothing, and submit to that reality!"
— Satsuki Kiryuin, Kill la Kill
Comic Books
"The people are happy and content. As I have commanded they be..."
"You are weak, petty and lacking in purpose! You fail to grasp a universal principle — without an underpinning morality our acts would not be justice, but mere atrocity. Without order, without the rule of law, we would just be... monsters."
— Judge Death, Judge Dredd, "Dreams of Deadworld"
"Cruelty is an admirable trait, gentlemen. But when it lacks context — when no law is upheld or lesson learned — it is a blunt and ineffectual tool. A basic mistake, but understandable."
— Judge Death, Judge Dredd, "The Fall of Deadworld"
"To instill fear is to instill order. Our order."
— Sinestro
"I am not opposed to heroism. On the contrary. I honor it. But the greatest courage is acceptance of what must be. Resignation in the face of a destiny that cannot be fought or deflected or defied. This is the gospel that you must preach, now. A gospel of subservience and order. Teach the people of this world — and later, those of other worlds — that Thanos is a kind shepherd to those who obey him. While for his enemies, life will become a burden they can neither endure — nor escape."
"You see, here's how it works; Civic Center and the cops do what the fuck they like, and you sit still. Your boss does what he likes. The asshole at the tollbooth, the bouncer at the local bar, the security guy who frisks you at the clinic, the paper and feedsites that lie to you for the hell of it. They do what they like... You must like it when people in authority they never earned lie to you."
"I believe in strength. I believe in unity. And if that strength, that unity of purpose, demands a uniformity of thought, word and deed, then so be it. I will not hear talk of freedom. I will not hear talk of individual liberty. They are luxuries. I do not believe in luxuries. The war put paid to luxury. The war put paid to freedom. The only freedom left to my people is the freedom to starve. The freedom to die, the freedom to live in a world of chaos. Should I allow them that freedom? I think not. I think not."
—Adam Susan, V for Vendetta
Fan Works
"So, for the first century I'll go easy on them, lure them into a false sense of security, and then when they think I'm not so bad, BAM! I'll go full tyrant on them in the second century. Then I'll disappear for a millennia and make them wonder if I even existed to begin with, just to come back and kill them all."
— Freeza, Dragon Ball Z Abridged
Perhaps this 'Altered' Artoria [...] tried to rule as a kind king for years, before realizing that the people wouldn't listen, and the wars wouldn't stop, and her knights weren't able to give up their human sins and passions like she had, and therefore would only weigh Camelot down. Therefore, the only way to keep Camelot alive was through force, holding down the line by herself as the magic was drained from the land, and the Picts and Romans came en masse.
Film — Animated
"Listen up folks, we got a way of doin' things here at Sunnyside. If you start at the bottom, pay your dues, life here can be a dream come true. But if you break our rules, step outta line, try to check out early, well, you're just hurtin' yourselves."
—Lots-o'-Huggin'bear, Toy Story 3
Film — Live-Action
"Everyone exists under the Table."
—The Adjudicator, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
"It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."
— Loki, The Avengers
"The man who pulls the lever that breaks your neck will be a dispassionate man. And that dispassion is the very essence of justice. For justice delivered without dispassion, is always in danger of not being justice."
"The appearance of the law must always be upheld, especially while it's being broken."
"As your leader, I encourage you from time to time, and always in a respectful manner, to question my logic. If you're unconvinced that a particular plan of action I've decided is the wisest, tell me so, but allow me to convince you and I promise you right here and now, no subject will ever be taboo. Except, of course, the subject that was just under discussion. The price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is: I collect your fucking head."
"Say what you like about warlords and dictators; they always pay their bills on time."
"But captain, to obey—just like that—for obedience's sake... without questioning... That's something only people like you do."
— Doctor Ferreiro to Captain Vidal, Pan's Labyrinth
Memnon: I will bring order after centuries of chaos. An order which will last for a thousand years.
Cassandra: Rivers of blood can never bring peace.
Memnon: But they can bring obedience. That will suffice for now.
Cassandra: Rivers of blood can never bring peace.
Memnon: But they can bring obedience. That will suffice for now.
"I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire."
— Darth Vader, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
"Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."
— Grand Moff Tarkin, Star Wars: A New Hope
Galen Erso: What is it you want?
Orson Krennic: The work has stalled. I need you to come back.
Erso: I won't do it, Krennic.
Krennic: We were on the verge of greatness. We were (gestures with pinched fingers) this close to providing peace and security for the galaxy.
Erso: You're confusing peace... with terror.
Krennic: Well, you have to start somewhere.
Orson Krennic: The work has stalled. I need you to come back.
Erso: I won't do it, Krennic.
Krennic: We were on the verge of greatness. We were (gestures with pinched fingers) this close to providing peace and security for the galaxy.
Erso: You're confusing peace... with terror.
Krennic: Well, you have to start somewhere.
Data: As you seem to know so much about me, you must be aware that I am programmed to evolve and better myself.
Borg Queen: We too are on a quest to better ourselves. Evolving toward a state of perfection.
Data: Forgive me. The Borg do not evolve. They conquer.
Borg Queen: By assimilating other beings into our collective, we are bringing them closer to perfection.
Borg Queen: We too are on a quest to better ourselves. Evolving toward a state of perfection.
Data: Forgive me. The Borg do not evolve. They conquer.
Borg Queen: By assimilating other beings into our collective, we are bringing them closer to perfection.
Satan: Yes, you are fucked! Shit out of luck!
Now I'm complete and my cock you will suck!
This world will be mine, and you're first in line.
You brought the pick and now you. Shall. Both. Die!
JB: Wa-ait! Wa-ait! Wa-ait, you motherfucker!
We challenge you, to a rock-off!
Give us one chance to rock your socks off.
Satan: FUCK! FUCK! Fuuuuuuuuck!
The demon code prevents me from declining a rock-off challenge.
What are your terms? What's the catch?
Now I'm complete and my cock you will suck!
This world will be mine, and you're first in line.
You brought the pick and now you. Shall. Both. Die!
JB: Wa-ait! Wa-ait! Wa-ait, you motherfucker!
We challenge you, to a rock-off!
Give us one chance to rock your socks off.
Satan: FUCK! FUCK! Fuuuuuuuuck!
The demon code prevents me from declining a rock-off challenge.
What are your terms? What's the catch?
"Human rights violations? There is no such thing. There is only the security of the state and those who'd undermine that security."
—Dr. Clement Molloch, The Evil That Men Do
Dr. Raymond Cocteau: I hadn't counted on this, but I must say, you worked out beautifully. People are terrified of you.
Simon Phoenix: What's new? People have always been terrified of me.
Cocteau: Yes, but this time, they're really intimidated. Now I'll have carte blanche to create the perfect society. My society. San Angeles will be a beacon of order with the purity of an ant colony. And the beauty of a flawless pearl.
Simon Phoenix: What's new? People have always been terrified of me.
Cocteau: Yes, but this time, they're really intimidated. Now I'll have carte blanche to create the perfect society. My society. San Angeles will be a beacon of order with the purity of an ant colony. And the beauty of a flawless pearl.
"This is going to hurt. There are no prisoners with HYDRA. Just order. And order only comes with pain."
—Brock Rumlow, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
"HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you tried to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly."
—Arnim Zola, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
"Chief Justice, this city is in chaos! For social order we need tighter reigns! Incarceration hasn't worked as a deterrent, I say we expand execution to include lesser crimes!"
—Judge Griffin, Judge Dredd
"Tonight, I will speak directly to these people and make the situation perfectly clear to them. The security of this nation depends on complete and total compliance. Tonight, any protester, any instigator or agitator, will be made example of!"
—Adam Sutler, V for Vendetta
"I am General Zod. Your ruler. Yes, today begins a new order! Your lands, your possessions, your very lives will gladly be given in tribute to me, General Zod. In return for your obedience, you will enjoy my generous protection. In other words, you will be allowed to live."
— General Zod, Superman II
Literature
"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently."
— O'Brien, Nineteen Eighty-Four
"[Wargrave] had great power with a jury — it was said he could make their minds up for them any day of the week. He'd got one or two unlikely convictions out of them. A hanging judge, some people said."
"If the virtuous are placed in positions of evidence, transgressions will remain hidden; but if the wicked are employed, crimes will be punished. In the former case the people will be stronger than the law; in the latter, the law will be stronger than the people. If the people are stronger than the law, then there is lawlessness in the state, but if the law is stronger than the people, the army will be strong. Therefore it is said: 'Governing through good people leads to lawlessness and dismemberment; governing through wicked people leads to order and strength.'"
"I have always had more dread of a pen, a bottle of ink, and a sheet of paper than of a sword or pistol."
The Law of Jante
1. You are not to think you are anything special.
2. You are not to think that you are as worthy as us.
3. You are not to think that you are smarter than us.
4. You are not to imagine that you are better than us.
5. You are not to think that you know more than us.
6. You are not to think that you are more important than us.
7. You are not to think that you are good for anything.
8. You are not laugh at us.
9. You are not to think that anyone cares about you.
10. You are not to think that you can teach us anything.
11 (and unwritten). Perhaps you think we don't know a few things about you?
1. You are not to think you are anything special.
2. You are not to think that you are as worthy as us.
3. You are not to think that you are smarter than us.
4. You are not to imagine that you are better than us.
5. You are not to think that you know more than us.
6. You are not to think that you are more important than us.
7. You are not to think that you are good for anything.
8. You are not laugh at us.
9. You are not to think that anyone cares about you.
10. You are not to think that you can teach us anything.
11 (and unwritten). Perhaps you think we don't know a few things about you?
"Prohibition is the trigger of crime."
"The might of the Ministry stands behind me."
— Dolores Umbridge, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
"We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be any real change in our designs, only in our means."
— Saruman, The Lord of the Rings
"The first conspiracy will bloom before the ink is dry.
We will twist around the spirit of every rule while obeying the letter. We will lie and cheat and hide our sins, while dragging into light those of our foes and rivals. We will seek to twist the laws as a tool for our ambitions and a sword to slay our enemies. We will hide behind every protection afforded and make red art of the details that save or slay. We will defend our advantages and seek to unmake yours, never once faltering in our callous greed.
And yet we will uphold the Liesse Accords, you broken old thing, and wage war on any that would unmake them. Merciless Gods, you think they tip the scale in your favor? Your entire breed are servants of stillness, shaped from the clay of recoil. You came out victors of the Age of Wonders, but this... Age of Order will be ours body and soul."
We will twist around the spirit of every rule while obeying the letter. We will lie and cheat and hide our sins, while dragging into light those of our foes and rivals. We will seek to twist the laws as a tool for our ambitions and a sword to slay our enemies. We will hide behind every protection afforded and make red art of the details that save or slay. We will defend our advantages and seek to unmake yours, never once faltering in our callous greed.
And yet we will uphold the Liesse Accords, you broken old thing, and wage war on any that would unmake them. Merciless Gods, you think they tip the scale in your favor? Your entire breed are servants of stillness, shaped from the clay of recoil. You came out victors of the Age of Wonders, but this... Age of Order will be ours body and soul."
"When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you."
— Tywin Lannister, A Song of Ice and Fire
"A peaceful land, a quiet people. That has always been my rule."
— Roose Bolton, A Song of Ice and Fire
"Decisions must be weighed only as to their merit in maintaining an orderly society. Past civilizations without number have foundered on the rocks of equal justice. Such foolishness destroys the natural hierarchies which are far more important."
Live-Action TV
"If we're gonna kill hundreds of innocent people, we're gonna do it by the book."
— Marcus Kane, The 100
Lochley: They're wanted on a variety of charges by the Psi Corps.
Sheridan: Otherwise known as Fascists "R" Us.
Sheridan: Otherwise known as Fascists "R" Us.
— Babylon 5, "Strange Relations"
Jesse: What's the point of being an outlaw when you've got responsibilities?
Badger: Darth Vader had responsibilities. He was responsible for the Death Star.
Badger: Darth Vader had responsibilities. He was responsible for the Death Star.
"You see, that's what separates me from other politicians, Mr. Trick. I keep my campaign promises."
— Mayor Richard Wilkins III, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"There's nothing you can do to prevent the catharsis of spurious morality."
— The Valeyard, Doctor Who, "The Ultimate Foe"
John: You know me? My race?
Jool: Sebecean. Intellectually suited to carry weapons and die marching in formation.
Jool: Sebecean. Intellectually suited to carry weapons and die marching in formation.
— Farscape, "Could'a, Would'a, Should'a"
"Niska has his own code — twisted, though it may be. Very excited about reputation."
— Zoe, Firefly
"Last week I gave a fire safety talk. And nobody paid any attention. It's my own fault for using PowerPoint. PowerPoint is boring. People learn in a lot of different ways, but experience is the best teacher. [lights a cigarette] Today, smoking is gonna save lives. [throws cigarette into garbage can filled with paper and lighter fluid]"
— Dwight Schrute, The Office
"[bumps into inmate] 498! Interfering with a staff member in performance of duties! Didn’t your boyfriend teach you how to treat a staff member, Floppy Tits? That's a shot! [to another inmate] Hey! What's on your shirt there, Pigpen? Shit? Tears? Potato chips? 330! Being unsanitary. Shot! [to another one] I don't like your face. 312. Insolence. Shot! Mendez is back, bitches."
— Mendez, Orange Is the New Black
"It's my duty. My duty as a complete and utter bastard!"
— Rimmer, Red Dwarf
"All is indeed peace and tranquillity. The peace of the factory. The tranquility of the machine. All parts working in unison."
— Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Return of the Archons"
"You know, Cardassian rule may have been oppressive, but at least it was ... simple."
Odo: There is more to life than the rule of law.
Thrax: It has been my observation that only the guilty make that kind of statement.
Thrax: It has been my observation that only the guilty make that kind of statement.
— Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Things Past"
"You never saw Gallitep at its height! For a labor camp it was the very model of order and efficiency! And why? For that you have to look to the top! To me! My word, my very glance was law. And the verdict was always the same: guilty!"
— Gul Darhe'el, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Duet"
"We're going to handle this shit like businessmen."
— Stringer Bell, The Wire
"Bunk" Moreland: (ironically) A man must have a code.
Omar Little: (dead serious) Oh, no doubt.
Omar Little: (dead serious) Oh, no doubt.
— The Wire
Music
"There's a taste of fear (Hail, hail, hail!)
When the henchmen call (Hail, hail, hail!)
Iron fist to tame the land (Hail, hail, hail!)
Iron fist to claim it all!"
When the henchmen call (Hail, hail, hail!)
Iron fist to tame the land (Hail, hail, hail!)
Iron fist to claim it all!"
— Avenged Sevenfold, "Hail to the King"
"Obey, we hope you have a lovely day
Obey, you don't want us to come out and play away now
There's nothing to see here, it's under control
We're only gambling with your soul
Obey, whatever you do, just don't wake up and smell the corruption"
Obey, you don't want us to come out and play away now
There's nothing to see here, it's under control
We're only gambling with your soul
Obey, whatever you do, just don't wake up and smell the corruption"
— Bring Me the Horizon, "Obey"
"But you know evil is an exact science
Being carefully correctly wrong"
Being carefully correctly wrong"
— Shriekback, "Nemesis".
Newspaper Comics
"We're using the law to keep justice away!"
Tabletop Games
"A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty and order, but not about freedom, dignity or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He condemns others, not according to their actions but according to race, religion, homeland or social rank. He is loath to break laws or promises. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly because he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds. Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled villains. [...] Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like those of a crusader committed to good. Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil deity or master. [...] Lawful evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents methodical, intentional, and frequently successful evil."
— Dungeons & Dragons: Player's Handbook, 3.5th Edition
"'What goes on here?' Heironeous demanded.
'You have granted us the power to harvest souls,' replied Asmodeus. 'To build our Hell and gird our might for the task set before us, we naturally had to find ways to improve our yield.'
The war deity drew forth his longsword of crackling lightning. 'It is your job to punish transgressions, not to encourage them!' he cried.
Asmodeus smiled, and a venomous moth flew out from between his sharpened teeth. 'Read the Fine Print', he replied."
'You have granted us the power to harvest souls,' replied Asmodeus. 'To build our Hell and gird our might for the task set before us, we naturally had to find ways to improve our yield.'
The war deity drew forth his longsword of crackling lightning. 'It is your job to punish transgressions, not to encourage them!' he cried.
Asmodeus smiled, and a venomous moth flew out from between his sharpened teeth. 'Read the Fine Print', he replied."
"I have heard it said evil is nothing more than good's absence, as if evil was the darkness to good's light. A comforting thought, I imagine, for those seeking redemption, but, I tell you, put such thoughts from your mind. You need only peer into a demon's eyes to know evil is not some vacuum waiting for virtue to come and fill its emptiness. Evil is a force. It is an influence in the cosmos, an agency equal to or perhaps even greater than its antithesis. There are two sides in this eternal struggle, one light and the other dark. You might find evil's works reprehensible, yet to those whose hearts belong to corruption, good deeds are equally deplorable. Understand, there is no redemption, only treason against the side you were born to serve."
"We are a single entity. Dissenters must be sutured into the Orthodoxy."
— Elesh Norn, Magic: The Gathering
"Our Purpose? Experiment. We are the engine that furthers Phyrexian progress by developing new life, new tools, and new methods that seek to attain sublime completion. Our Structure? We are an integrated network of facilities each in pursuit of perfection."
— Jin-Gitaxias, Magic: The Gathering
"One day, I will rule. A strong leader is admired, a weak leader overthrown. I have principles and I am right. Chaos brings death. In this world there is only order or oblivion. Rank must be respected and feared. The weak will follow sure leaders. Sin is satisfaction. Everyone has vices."
— Introduction to Lawful Evil, Ultimate Campaign
"The dead do not squabble as this land's rulers do. The dead do not fight one another. The dead have no desires, no petty jealousies or ambitions. A world of the dead is a world at peace..."
— Nagash, Warhammer
"The weak will always be led by the strong. Where the strong see purpose and act, the weak follow; where the strong cry out against fate, the weak bow their heads and succumb. There are many who are weak; and many are their temptations. Despise the weak for they shall flock to the call of the Daemon and the Renegade. Pity them not and scorn their cries of innocence — it is better that one hundred innocently fall before the wrath of the Emperor than one kneels before the Daemon."
— The First Book of Indoctrinations, Warhammer 40,000
"Frozen essences are drawn to a perfect, motionless harmony utterly devoid of any sort of dynamism whatsoever. The Void is the ideal they serve and they strive to cultivate it within themselves. They prefer dead systems, dissecting magic the way a high school student might dissect a frog. They abhor wildness in all its forms, and devote themselves to reining in and breaking that sort of dynamic chaos. Frozen Avatars belong to plotters and planners, those widderslainte with long-term goals and the patience to achieve them. Mages with this sort of Avatar are cold, deliberate and patient, and often give even their fellow widderslainte the creeps. Their magical styles are subtle and swift, and they rarely invest in visible effects when they can avoid it."
— Mage: The Ascension — The Book of Madness
Theatre
"One day more to revolution,
We will nip it in the bud!
We'll be ready for these schoolboys,
They will wet themselves with blood!"
We will nip it in the bud!
We'll be ready for these schoolboys,
They will wet themselves with blood!"
— Inspector Javert, Les Misérables, "One More Day"
Video Games
"There is always some fool who wants to rule the world! Always forcing others to do what they cannot do for themselves!"
— Asura, Asura's Wrath
"One Vision. One Purpose. Peace Through Power."
— Mantra of the Brotherhood of Nod, Command & Conquer
"I like [President] Huffman. But I'll kill him in a second if I get the order."
— Majestic agent's thoughts, Destroy All Humans!
"Long-term stability at all costs. The individual has no value beyond his utility to the state, whether as an instrument of war, or production."
— Caesar, Fallout: New Vegas
"You should have disposed of your fantasy and accepted me as master."
— The Emperor to Firion, Dissidia Final Fantasy
"What do we fight for? Peace? Peace... is a false hope. It is a lie told by leaders who have lost the will to fight. A time of reckoning has come. We will cleanse Heathmoor of the liars and the wicked. We will start an era with the truest heroes of this world. Peace... is poison. We... are... war."
—Astrea, For Honor, Year 4, Season 2: Tyranny
"Even Devils have laws. Abiding the contract gives us power, but break it, and we're bound as slaves."
— Advocate, GrimGrimoire
"Pick up that can. [Gordon picks up can] Throw it in the trash can. [Gordon does] Move along. [chuckles]"
— A Combine guard to Gordon Freeman, Half-Life 2
"You represent chaos. We represent order. Organic life must be harvested in order to bring order to the chaos. It is inevitable."
— Rannoch Reaper, Mass Effect 3
"If we can control it, why shouldn't it be ours?"
— The Illusive Man, Mass Effect 3
"It's all about power: grabbing it, keeping it, using it... Power is our currency, our DNA, our God. We control the world. We provide the blueprint and we give the instructions. We're the people in grainy photos on grassy knolls; we're the shadowy faces in smoky backrooms and darkened boardrooms. We're right here, hiding in plain sight, buying and selling favours: blackmail, treason, deceit- these are our stock in trade. We work the magic of the drunken evenings with senators and chiefs of staff. We shake down demons, and negotiate with sorcerers. We have stocks in Hell, and compromising photos of Angels. We use any means necessary regardless of the cost, because the world is a bad place, and you can either do or get done. We're the Illuminati... and we're not done."
— Illuminati introduction, The Secret World
"The Empire is on the verge of success. Soon, peace and order will be restored throughout the galaxy. Even now, our capable forces led by Darth Vader are striking back at the Rebel insurgents!"
— Emperor Palpatine, Star Wars: TIE Fighter
"It is not a question of what the Law is, but rather what it is not. The Law is neither noble, nor an end in itself. It is not for the weak-minded or squeamish. The Law is simply a means for those who control it, namely me, to acquire that which I want."
— Sheriff Gorman Truart, Thief II: The Metal Age
Olgierd: O'Dimm. What do you want?
O'Dimm: What do you mean, "what?" Your soul.
Olgierd: You forget. The pact states you can only take it once you've fulfilled three wishes and-
O'Dimm: -and we stand together on the Moon. ...Well, what do you know.... (makes a gesture at the ground, and the dirt blows away to reveal a moon mosaic)
Olgierd: What? No. We... had a pact. The moon is there. (points to the sky) THERE! Not... here....
O'Dimm: I gave you what you wished for. Here, on the moon, our contract you fulfill.
Olgierd: You... whoreson. You cheated me!
O'Dimm: I never cheat. (seizes Olgierd) It is done. Your soul belongs to me.
O'Dimm: What do you mean, "what?" Your soul.
Olgierd: You forget. The pact states you can only take it once you've fulfilled three wishes and-
O'Dimm: -and we stand together on the Moon. ...Well, what do you know.... (makes a gesture at the ground, and the dirt blows away to reveal a moon mosaic)
Olgierd: What? No. We... had a pact. The moon is there. (points to the sky) THERE! Not... here....
O'Dimm: I gave you what you wished for. Here, on the moon, our contract you fulfill.
Olgierd: You... whoreson. You cheated me!
O'Dimm: I never cheat. (seizes Olgierd) It is done. Your soul belongs to me.
— The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Hearts of Stone
"He's one of the most devious and ruthless men in the colonies. He uses the letter of the law to serve his purposes, and when the law does not bend to him, he gets lawmakers to bend it for him. Mark my words, Shay: James Wardrop is a bureaucrat, and doesn't care how his actions affect others."
— Liam, Assassin's Creed Rogue
"For me, in everything there must be doubt. Otherwise there is no room to question. To learn. This place is the fruit of unquestioned conviction. This is where absolute certainty leads."
— Set Roth, Wolfenstein: The New Order
"Since the Great Turf War drove them below, they have used their technological skill to bring a sort of order to their realm. But deep down, they know true order cannot be fabricated. It must be seized."
"If we assume that chaos already reigns and that order needs to be restored, who decides what 'order' actually looks like? These two likely have their own opinions on that subject, and they probably don't include the words 'free' or 'will.'"
"The fires of greed will burn the weak
So we’ll make freedom obsolete
Making whole the fabric of society
Collective consciousness controlled as you will see"
— Lyrics to 'Collective Consciousness', Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
"This world will become one. I have found the way. Race, tribal affiliations, national borders... even our faces will be irrelevant. The world that the Boss envisioned will finally become a reality, and it will make mankind whole again."
— Zero describes his master plan to kill millions to exterminate every language except English, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
"Failures must be eradicated!"
— Baion, Solatorobo: Red the Hunter
A mad dog understands the yank of the leash and the hand of its master, but it cannot be an equal. You can be my equal. We will raise a Black Keep in Baldur's Gate. Then we will conquer the Sword Coast, and unite all its peoples under our rule.
— Enver Gortash, Baldurs Gate 3
Visual Novels
"There is only room for two in this court: me, and the law! Keep the riff-raff out! Out, I say!"
— Kristoph Gavin, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Web Animation
"Don't think. Obey."
— Cinder Fall, RWBY
Web Comics
"You can't make an omelet without ruthlessly crushing dozens of eggs beneath your steel boot and then publicly disemboweling the chickens that laid them as a warning to others."
— General Tarquin, The Order of the Stick
"Living or dead, we are all of us marching to our orders — you no less than I, Durkon. It does not matter from whence these orders come, be it man or god. Our place is as an obedient slave to those who command us. Through service, we are rewarded. That is the true natural order."
— Malack, The Order of the Stick
"Citizens should not fear their government. This will be enforced."
Western Animation
"Law! Order! Harp smashing! Weee've have it all!"
— The Earl of Lemongrab, Adventure Time
"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!"
— Doctor Doom, Fantastic Four: The Animated Series
"You see, sometimes... the people in authority, the ones giving the orders and making the laws? Well... they're the ones that are the real criminals."
— Jane, The Legend of Tarzan
"Sure we have order... but at what price?"
— Milhouse Van Houten, The Simpsons, "Separate Vocations"
"Because you need me, Springfield. Your guilty conscience may force you to vote Democratic, but deep down inside, you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king. That's why I did this: to protect you from yourselves."
— Sideshow Bob, The Simpsons, "Sideshow Bob Roberts"
"We're going to use you. To set the world on fire. When the [troll trace] servers go online, there will be panic, chaos, and war. And from the ashes a new world will rise — A world where everyone is happy and a-singing and has no secrets. Like Denmark!"
— Lennart Bedrager, South Park
"Before a society can move forward, all must agree on the rules. Now kneel!"
— Galvatron, The Transformers
Brock Samson: I see, so you just want to kill the Monarch. Okay.
Jonas Venture Jr.: That seems like the sporting thing to do.
Brock Samson: You wanna what, shoot him? And all his men and his wife? You could steal his cattle, too. Maybe burn his village down?
Jonas Venture Jr.: It's an antiquated system! I mean, my father did this fake archenemy nonsense in the '60s! Maybe my brother is good with this namby-pamby "guy in a costume chases you around" nonsense, but I'm not.
Brock Samson: Hey, no disrespect, Jonas, but it isn't so easy. These guys like their system. It's what they do. You take that away, and you are looking at a bunch of pissed off nutbags with ray guns and giant... I don't know, a giant octopus-slash-tank with laser eyes!
Jonas Venture Jr.: That seems like the sporting thing to do.
Brock Samson: You wanna what, shoot him? And all his men and his wife? You could steal his cattle, too. Maybe burn his village down?
Jonas Venture Jr.: It's an antiquated system! I mean, my father did this fake archenemy nonsense in the '60s! Maybe my brother is good with this namby-pamby "guy in a costume chases you around" nonsense, but I'm not.
Brock Samson: Hey, no disrespect, Jonas, but it isn't so easy. These guys like their system. It's what they do. You take that away, and you are looking at a bunch of pissed off nutbags with ray guns and giant... I don't know, a giant octopus-slash-tank with laser eyes!
Real Life
"If you must break the law, do it to seize power. In all other cases, observe it."
It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished. But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned, perhaps to die, then the citizen will say, “whether I do good or whether I do evil is immaterial, for innocence itself is no protection,” and if such an idea as that were to take hold in the mind of the citizen that would be the end of security whatsoever.
—John Adams on the presumption of innocence
"More than once I have ventured to tell my friends that this habit of deferring to law and lawful authority, good in itself, has gone with them into extremes, and would lead them, should they let it grow, into the frame of mind for yielding to the usurpation of any bold despot who may assail their liberties, like Caesar, in the name of law and order!"
— William Hepworth Dixon, New America
"The creation of crimes after the commission of the fact, or, in other words, the subjecting of men to punishment for things which, when they were done, were breaches of no law, and the practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny."
— Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers No. 84
"The true essence of a dictatorship is in fact not its regularity but its unpredictability and caprice; those who live under it must never be able to relax, must never be quite sure if they have followed the rules correctly or not."
— Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22: A Memoir
"It is a paradox that every dictator has climbed to power on the ladder of free speech. Immediately on attaining power each dictator has suppressed all free speech except his own."
"We are the last people on earth, and the last to be free: our very remoteness in a land known only to rumour has protected us up till this day. Today the furthest bounds of Britain lie open—and everything unknown is given an inflated worth. But now there is no people beyond us, nothing but tides and rocks and, more deadly than these, the Romans. It is no use trying to escape their arrogance by submission or good behaviour. They have pillaged the world: when the land has nothing left for men who ravage everything, they scour the sea. If an enemy is rich, they are greedy, if he is poor, they crave glory. Neither East nor West can sate their appetite. They are the only people on earth to covet wealth and poverty with equal craving. They plunder, they butcher, they ravish, and call it by the lying name of 'empire'. They make a desert and call it 'peace'"
— attributed to the Celtic chieftain Calgacus
"Truth and goodness had no intrinsic meaning for him; they were instruments to be used for the gaining of more and more power. To debate whether any action was of itself right appeared so stupid to him that it was certainly a question he never asked himself."
—Wilhelm Höttl on Reinhard Heydrich, architect of the Endlösung ("final solution to the Jewish problem")
"However hard they try, men cannot create a social organism, they can only create an organization. In the process of trying to create an organism they will merely create a totalitarian despotism."
— Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited
"Thus, the order that the rational reactionary seeks to preserve and/or restore is arbitrary. Perhaps it can be justified on some moral basis. But probably not. It is good simply because it is order, and the alternative to order is violence at worst and politics at best. If the Bourbons do not rule France, someone will — Robespierre, or Napoleon, or Corner Man."
— Mencius Moldbug on Neoreaction
"Remember the truism: vagueness in legal threats is the hallmark of meritless thuggery."
— Popehat
"To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place(d) under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality."
— Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."
— Voltaire
"It's but a law of nature, surely, that the weak should serve the strong. Besides is it not obvious in the very thickness of their hides, and the impervious quality of their skulls into which no light has ever been known to penetrate, that is was the purpose for which the Creator has intended them? To be mere hewers of wood and drawers of water?"
— an unnamed British colonialist, about the Melanesians of Vanuatu
"If I had to choose between justice and disorder, on the one hand, and injustice and order, on the other, I would always choose the latter."
— attributed to Henry Kissinger, in a biography by Walter Isaacson
