Ten Bad Decisions Away From Murder: A Warning We All Need to Hear
- william demuth
- Sep 8
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 10
There’s a saying that sounds extreme at first:
“Everyone is ten bad decisions away from killing another person.”
But it’s not meant to shock. It’s meant to wake us up to make us recognize how quickly ordinary people can find themselves in situations with irreversible consequences.
The quote “Everyone is ten bad decisions away from killing another person” is a provocative reflection on the fragility of human morality and the unpredictability of life’s circumstances.
Its underlying message is that most people regardless of their intentions or character can find themselves in unimaginable situations if a series of poor choices, accidents, and unforeseen events stack up.
What This Quote Means
Universal Vulnerability: The quote challenges the belief that only “bad people” commit terrible acts. It suggests that the distance between a law-abiding citizen and a perpetrator of serious harm is not as great as society often assumes. Under the right (or wrong) series of pressures, anyone could be pushed beyond their ethical boundaries.
Power of Choice: It emphasizes how every decision matters. A single misstep rarely leads to ruin; it’s the gradual accumulation—a cascade of small rationalizations, ignored warnings, and impulsive reactions—that can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
The statement reminds us that life is rarely lived in a vacuum. Factors like stress, desperation, substance abuse, social influence, or mental collapse can erode judgment, making scenarios possible that seem unthinkable in calmer times.
Here’s an example illustrating the cascading consequences of one initial choice, showing how a series of poor decisions can lead from unemployment to tragic outcomes:
A man named David decides to quit his stable job, confident he will quickly find other work. However, the job market turns out to be tougher than expected, and after several months of fruitless searching, David feels increasingly stressed and isolated. To cope, he begins drinking excessively. During this period, he impulsively cheats on his spouse. When the affair is discovered, his marriage ends in divorce.
Divorce brings heavy financial hardship: legal costs, division of assets, and the expense of two households combined with ongoing unemployment leave David in dire straits. His drinking accelerates as he struggles to manage his pain and desperate circumstances. To support his habit and immediate needs, he resorts to shoplifting. One day, David is apprehended by store security. In the panic of being caught, his judgment clouded by alcohol and stress, he assaults the security guard. Tragically, the guard’s injuries lead to death.
Or take road rage killings something increasingly common. A man cuts you off in traffic. You flip him off. He brakes hard. You follow. He stops. You both get out. Tempers explode. A punch is thrown. Someone falls, hits their head. Someone pulls a weapon. What started as a split-second insult turns into manslaughter or worse. And all of it could’ve been avoided at step one.
That’s the point.
Every deadly act starts somewhere. With a bad mood. A lie. A decision to drink too much. A refusal to back down. A grudge that grows. An ego that won’t let go. One bad choice becomes five. Five becomes ten. And the tenth one is a headline, a courtroom, a life in ruins.
This isn’t about sympathy for violent people. It’s about accountability. You don’t “accidentally” take a life but you can let yourself drift into the kind of thinking, reacting, and decision-making that makes it possible. And if you believe it could never happen to you, that’s the most dangerous mindset of all.
So what can we take from this?
Watch your habits: The way you handle anger, disappointment, or shame matters more than you think.
Check your ego: Pride has started more fights, ruined more lives, and justified more violence than anything else.
Choose your influences wisely: Who you spend time with will either reinforce your values or slowly erode them.
Walk away early: Every bad outcome avoided started with someone deciding to step back, even when they felt right.
We all like to believe we’re “better than that.” But being better isn’t about what we believe it’s about the choices we make every day, especially the small ones.
So no this saying doesn’t excuse anything. It warns us:
You are always closer than you think to becoming the person you swore you’d never be. Unless you stop yourself before it’s too late.
“Everyone is ten bad decisions away from killing another person” is a sobering call to humility and vigilance. It reminds us that the line between good and evil is not fixed, and that our everyday choices—however minor—shape who we become under pressure. The quote is a powerful warning to make conscious decisions and to support systems that help people avoid a descent into irreversible tragedy.
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