Take no prisoners is the order to kill all enemies encountered, even those who are wounded or surrendering. It is now considered an international war crime. Originally used in military warfare, it is not a common command today. However, fighting so that there are none left to surrender or so that people are killed rather than wounded would be a "take no prisoners" style of warfare that is not technically illegal.
'"Take no prisoners" style indicates viewing the world in two-dimensional terms. There is no third dimension where mercy can be dealt. Instead, there is merely forward active aggression from which no one is spared. Mitigating circumstances, as in warfare, of injury or surrender do not exist in the "take no prisoners" mindset.
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Famous quotes containing the word prisoners:
“We are the prisoners of ideas. They catch us up for moments into their heaven, and so fully engage us, that we take no thought for the morrow, gaze like children, without an effort to make them our own.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)