"We do what we must, because we can
For the good of all of us, except the ones who are dead
But there's no use crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying until you run out of cake
[...]
I've experiments to run, there is research to be done
On the people who are still alive!"
For the good of all of us, except the ones who are dead
But there's no use crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying until you run out of cake
[...]
I've experiments to run, there is research to be done
On the people who are still alive!"
"If you let me put my thumb on the utilitarian scales, I can get you to agree that you have an affirmative moral duty to torture a three-year-old child to death."
"Yes... I'd sell the souls of all humanity to the devil if I thought it'd get us a happy ending."
— Elmer C. Albatross, Baccano!
"Then, we could make magical girls turn into witches and collect vast amounts of energy all in one go. Your hope and despair are the keys; the phase change between those emotions creates huge amounts of energy, more than we ever imagined. You magical girls are the gateway to limitless possibilities. In our humble opinion, you should all conclude your existence by transforming into witches."
"The idea of what a Magical Girl should be is a reflection of the ethical values of humans and changes depending on the era. Magical Girls have always been considered holy due to their special powers. The masses want someone to look up to, and Magical Girls personify that ideal. Throughout your history, my kind has done everything possible to accommodate those desires. But going back to what I was saying about changing values: in some eras justice meant saving the weak; in other eras it meant eliminating the weak to strengthen society and save it from extinction. You see, the concept of justice, or what you humans believe is right, changed depending on the era in which you lived. Therefore, your attempt at keeping Magical Girls from their fate, this temporary salvation you're offering them, is nothing but a reflection of this era's wave of thinking. Instead of the Magius' plan, which is based on temporary ideology, our system, which offers your species perpetual growth and prosperity, is much better for you humans. I can't understand why this is so difficult for you to accept."
"Until ADAM, the human animal was a slave to the gene: the inner Tyrant. Lust, greed, rage — self-obsession was etched into our DNA. We were not pulling the "Great Chain of Progress", as Ryan believed, but shackled to it. But now, in theory, we can redraft the human blueprint. Serving the common interest can become as natural as breathing. The tyrant will simply go extinct."
— Sofia Lamb, BioShock 2
"In your simplicity you often mistake my motives, I'm afraid: I do not dislike people, I only mean to control them, for I cannot stand seeing the complex business of the world being so badly mishandled. I am a perfectionist; I cannot help it. In the end everyone shall benefit from my inclinations, with rare exception of individuals such as yourselves, who are perennially dissatisfied."
— Ledroptha Curtain to the Mysterious Benedict Society, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
— C. S. Lewis on theocracies
"It's easy to say that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few when no one's holding a gun to your head."
— Martin Baker, Pocket Apocalypse
"My God is none other than the people. Only the popular masses are omniscient and omnipotent and almighty on earth. Therefore, my lifetime motto is: 'The people are my God.'"
— Kim Il-sung, Reminiscences: With the Century Vol. 5
