"The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done"

This quote by George Carlin is an amusing yet thought-provoking declaration about the human capacity for violence. It implies that the creation of the flame-thrower was an outcome of someone wanting to inflict harm on another person from a range. It suggests that people have a natural disposition towards violence and damage, which the invention of the flame-thrower was a method to satisfy this urge. The quote likewise indicates that the person who created the flame-thrower was not content with the limitations of their physical proximity to their target, and looked for a way to cause harm from a distance. This quote functions as a pointer of the damaging capacity of humanity, and the lengths to which individuals will go to satisfy their violent desires.