Psycho-Pass

“No matter how severe the situation is, if you continue to stay there, you'll accept everything as a everyday life.”

“People's thoughts, wishes, hopes and desires... We live in a time where technology can read everything in your mind, and yet, this place teems with people who hate, lie, steal and try to harm others. If that's not irrational, then what is it?”

“A beautiful flower too will eventually wither and fall. That's the fate of all living beings. If that's the case, it's only natural for one to want to stop the time while they're still blossoming in all full glory.”

“Overall, I think people tend to reveal their true selves when they step into an avatar. As I said earlier, they probably feel some sense of freedom. But freedom easily gained quickly turns into a false sense of omnipotence.”

“Most people don’t mind killing cows and chickens but they’d probably have a hard time doing the same to chimpanzees. Partially, it’s because chimpanzees bear a slight resemblance to humans, but the primary reason is that they can draw pictures. Suppose fish were able to draw pictures. Even if we are unable to understand what they’re thinking, it becomes harder to kill animals that can draw. Instinctively, in our minds we would say to ourselves… “May be they have feelings” That shows how high a value we assign to expression.”

“Everything you've been taught is based on theories and logic. Soon you will likely come to realize how pointless they are in the world we live in.”

“Suppose someone said "humans are foolish"... Obviously, that person would be talking about themselves as well. If you want to understand human beings, you need to do more than just watch them. You need to pay attention to what they themselves are watching. What are you watching? You are the ones who I'm watching. It may be hard to believe, but I like you guys. You know what they say... The opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference. An indifferent person would lack the drive to kill or hurt. My mind keeps jumping around. Am I nervous...? Did I underestimate my enemy so much that I stepped in too deep...? ...What a silly thought.”

“Aging is quite similar to death. Some people stand up to aging and death as if it were nothing. They can do it not because they're braver than others, but simply because they lack imagination. Only once people deny that which they love, do they become able to create it anew. Perhaps, the book I write, too, will die one day just like my body will. However, people have to accept that death is unavoidable. They will probably be gone in ten years. Their books will no longer exist in a hundred years. People accept this. Eternity is promised neither to humans nor to books. We live because we were born. If the system possesses the power of life and death over you... you're no longer a human. You're livestock. No matter how hard a rancher tries to pretend otherwise, they never recognize their livestock as friends. It's a mystery to me... How is it that these people, treated as livestock in this boring society, have not tried at all to destroy it? Nothing in this world is eternal. The only thing that truly exists is the splendor of the souls that atone for their sins.”

“The opposite of boredom is not pleasure... but excitement. People will gladly seek out any kind of excitement, even pain.”

“A perfect plan doesn't mean having everything go within expectations. A perfect plan is achieved when it has the plasticity needed to flexibly deal with troubles.”

“In order to measure a person’s worth, you must do more than push them. The real way to test their worth is to give them power. When they gain the freedom to act outside the boundaries of law and ethics, you can sometimes see their souls. When the weak become strong... When good citizens become free to engage in violence... I'm interested to see what is the outcome of that.”

“When something impossible happens, there are only two possibilities. Either your assumptions are wrong, or you have gone crazy.”

“I just long for a world in which ordinary things are done in an ordinary way.”

“For some time researchers have understood that moderate stress has beneficial effects. It boosts the immune system for example. Stress motivates and prepares us for action. It compels our body to survive. However, routine psycho pass checks take away the stress from us. There are patients whose stress reaction is so numb, they can’t even recognize the basic stimulation of their senses. Once that happens, it’s a neurological downward spiral, they become like living corpses. Eventually their autonomic nervous system stops working and their vital functions shut down.”

“Charisma has three points. The nature of a hero or prophet, the ability to simply make you feel good when you’re around them, and the intelligence to eloquently talk about all sorts of things.”

“There's a limit to the amount of pleasure a person can obtain. But pleasure brought out by intellect is infinite.”

“It is not society that determines people's futures. It is people who determine society's future.”

“Clausewitz, he pointed out that no matter how carefully one plans, on the battlefield, even the smallest of details can cause setbacks. Regardless of how well-thought it is, armchair strategizing only works in the realm of theory. Unexpected troubles, or uncontrollable factors such as weather. Operations face those sorts of troubles. They are the cause of strife on the battlefield.”