About this quote

Harm announced as harm gets resisted; harm wrapped in righteous language slips right past our guard. The most effective manipulation borrows the vocabulary of virtue — duty, faith, the greater good — which is exactly why the noblest-sounding justifications deserve the closest look.

When to use it

• A con artist collecting 'donations' for a cause that photographs beautifully and never delivers a thing.
• A relative who enforces total control by framing each demand as 'what's best for the family.'
• A leader selling a self-serving policy as a sacred moral crusade.