“The main motives for violence: the fear of shame and ridicule, and the overbearing need to prevent others from laughing at oneself by making them weep instead.”— James Gilligan, amazon.com
“Understanding violence ultimately requires learning how to translate violent actions into words.”— James Gilligan, amazon.com
“Those who kill others do so in part because they cannot stand to think that others are alive while they are not, and they cannot bear their living death.”— James Gilligan, amazon.com
“American violence is the result of our collective 'moral choice' to maintain those social policies that in turn maintain our uniquely high level of violence.”— James Gilligan, amazon.com
“Life is inherently, inescapably, unfair. Job teaches us that it is not only futile to expect life to be just or fair, it is absurd and meaningless to even think about it in that way.”— James Gilligan, amazon.com
“Annie Wilkes, the nurse who holds Paul Sheldon prisoner in 'Misery', may seem psychotic to us, but it's important to remember that she seems perfectly sane and reasonable to herself -- heroic, in fact, a beleaguered woman trying to survive in a hostile world filled with cockadoodie brats.”— Stephen King, amazon.com