The action we take and the decisions we make in this decade will have consequences far into this century. If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch.
George W. BushRead
This was not an act of terrorism, but it was an act of war.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote differentiates between terrorism and war, suggesting a complex nature of conflict.
In this statement, George W. Bush emphasizes the gravity of a specific event, asserting that it should not be labeled simply as terrorism, which often involves senseless violence against civilians, but rather as an act of war, indicating a more organized and state-driven conflict. This distinction is significant as it reflects a broader understanding of the nature of conflict and the implications it carries in terms of national security, response, and international relations.
Themes
TerrorismWarConflictPoliticsNational Security
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech addressing the nature of modern conflicts.
More from George W. Bush
All quotes βThousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.
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Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.
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Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people.
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Adoption was such a positive alternative to abortion, a way to save one life and brighten two more: those of the adoptive parents.
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We are not deceived by their pretenses to piety. We have seen their kind before. They are the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions - by abandoning every value except the will to power - they follow in the path of fascism, and Nazism, and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way, to where it ends: in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies.
George W. BushRead
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