On rare occasions one does hear of a miraculous case of a married couple falling in love after marriage, but on close examination it will be found that it is a mere adjustment to the inevitable.
Emma GoldmanRead
The experience of every-day life fully proves that the armed individual is invariably anxious to try his strength. The same is historically true of governments. Really peaceful countries do not waste life and energy in war preparations, with the result that peace is maintained.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that both individuals and governments engaged in warfare are often eager to prove their strength, while true peace comes from focusing on harmony rather than war preparations.
Emma Goldman's quote emphasizes the idea that those who are armed, whether individuals or governments, tend to seek opportunities to demonstrate their power. In contrast, nations that genuinely aspire for peace do not invest their resources in military readiness, thereby avoiding conflict and maintaining stability. This reflects a broader philosophical perspective on the nature of power, readiness for conflict, and the true essence of peace.
Themes
PeaceStrengthWarIndividualGovernmentAnxietyPreparations
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of diplomacy over military action, you could use this quote to emphasize the futility of war preparations.
More from Emma Goldman
All quotes βNo one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.
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To the indefinite, uncertain mind of the American radical the most contradictory ideas and methods are possible. The result is a sad chaos in the radical movement, a sort of intellectual hash, which has neither taste nor character.
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John Burroughs has stated that experimental study of animals in captivity is absolutely useless. Their character, their habits, their appetites undergo a complete transformation when torn from their soil in field and forest. With human nature caged in a narrow space, whipped daily into submission, how can we speak of its potentialities?
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Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man's subordination.
Emma GoldmanRead
If love does not know how to give and take without restrictions, it is not love, but a transaction that never fails to lay stress on a plus and a minus.
Emma GoldmanRead
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