Original artwork, not a still
Mort ‧ 1987
THERE IS NO JUSTICE. THERE IS JUST ME.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Death's reply shrugs off any idea of cosmic fairness and puts one blunt fact in its place: someone has to do the job. It reads as bleak but is oddly comforting, since Death says it without malice. The idea recurs in Pratchett, and the line is widely quoted for the view that justice is something people make, not something the universe supplies.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for MortShow the scene
In Mort (1987), the fourth Discworld novel and the first about Death, the farm boy Mort becomes Death's apprentice. On an early trip with his master they collect the soul of the King of Sto Lat, who is assassinated by the scheming Duke of Sto Helit. Mort, shaken, asks whether the Duke goes around killing people and says there is no justice, and Death sighs and agrees that there is none, only him. Mort's later failure to collect Princess Keli drives the rest of the plot.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Mortexchange 'And he goes around killing people?'Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Mort (novel)PlotReference checked
Context reviewed