how is it a dumb quote? I think that it cuts to the core of the issue pretty well. when you are on the fringe you cannot call the police for help. there is nothing you can do but either run or protect yourself. if you are a man of convictions, you find it unacceptable to run from every battle. if you choose to stand up for yourself there is only one authority that lawless men have to follow, and that is violence. (the 'god of death' from Game of Thrones comes to mind)

what JT describes is how you can become sucked into a violent life simply by the fact of refusing the safety of society - it is a necessity to survive if you are unwilling to run. and i think its one of the best insights of the show in examining anarchy. there is no true freedom from authority in this world, because as soon as you cast away society you are confronted with the ultimate authority of nature, kill or be killed. JT realized this and wanted his sons to go back.

I wouldn't argue that the characters are 'good' as much as they are products of their environment. its not that their actions are excusable. but without any real recourse from government they are both free to do what they want to do (such as satisfy revenge, sell a shit load of guns/drugs, etc) and forced to do what they must to survive (threaten and kill).

Murder is generally a bad thing but it is not necessarily always that way. killing is accepted when it is done by our governments or by soldiers, or even when its 'justified'. i think this show presents an interesting conflict of values. people generally believe in freedom, also in justice, and also that violence is wrong, and all of these values come into conflict in certain situations.

(season 5 spoilers**) take for instance when Jax kills the prison guard who sent Ope in to be beaten to death with a pipe. on the one hand, it felt like justice being dispensed, while on the other hand, it was a horrific murder of an entire family. its a complex scene that can't really be described as good or bad. if nothing else, its understandable even if you think he should have let him go.

i think that the show has a lot to say about political theory and philosophy even if its buried under a lot of tv drama. i think its worth watching but you dont have to watch it if you dont want to