---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cause of violence is not ignorance…"
description: "\"The cause of violence is not ignorance. It is self-interest. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.\" — An..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg"
---

#  The cause of violence is not ignorance. It is…

![“The cause of violence is not ignorance. It is self-interest. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg)

> “The cause of violence is not ignorance. It is self-interest. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Violence stems from self‑interest, not lack of knowledge; respect for life and nature can curb it.

**In simple terms:** Self‑interest drives violence; respect can limit it.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate respect for people and the environment.

Themes

violence self‑interest respect

Mood

reflective serious

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- environmental activism
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

ethics human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies embed respect into institutions?
- What limits does self‑interest impose on cooperation?

A Different Perspective

Respect alone may not stop systemic aggression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cause Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-violence-312856/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Restrain Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restrain-violence-1498511/) [Self interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interest/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-ignorance-1292802/) [Violence Reverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-reverance-5005207/)

## Related quotes

> [In Buddhist teaching, ignorance is considered the fundamental cause of violence - ignorance... about the separation of self and other... about the consequences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/in-buddhist-teaching-ignorance-is-considered-the-fundamental-cause-of/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [It is the failing of youth not to be able to restrain its own violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-failing-of-youth-not-to-be-able-to-restrain-its-own-violence/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Only reverence can restrain violence - reverence for human life and the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/only-reverence-can-restrain-violence-reverence-for-human-life-and-the/)

[William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/)

> [While many hackers have the knowledge, skills, and tools to attack computer systems, they generally lack the motivation to cause violence or severe economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-many-hackers-have-the-knowledge-skills-and-tools-to-attack/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My heart goes out to the families of innocent children who were killed today in Pakistan!! I do not accept a world where kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/my-heart-goes-out-to-the-families-of-innocent-children-who-were/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [We need to fight violence and ignorance. It is true: when one strolls out, one sees women with scarves and men with beards. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-vi-of-morocco/we-need-to-fight-violence-and-ignorance-it-is-true-when-one-strolls/)

[Mohammed VI of Morocco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-vi-of-morocco/)

> [In our struggle to restrain the violence and contain the damage, we tend to forget that the human capacity for aggression is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/in-our-struggle-to-restrain-the-violence-and-contain-the-damage-we/)

[Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/)

> [“It is a natural right which the people have reserved to themselves, confirmed by the Bill of Rights, to keep arms for their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-p-halbrook/it-is-a-natural-right-which-the-people-have-reserved-to-themselves/)

[Stephen P. Halbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-p-halbrook/)

> [North Korea, Iran and Russia have all sought to undermine American interests and cause violence throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mast/north-korea-iran-and-russia-have-all-sought-to-undermine-american/)

[Brian Mast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mast/)

> [It is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/it-is-the-resolve-of-the-government-that-none-will-be-allowed-to-get/)

[Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/)

> [Hopefully we'll get to a point where people realize movies don't cause violence. It just reflects the violence going on in the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/hopefully-we-ll-get-to-a-point-where-people-realize-movies-don-t/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [Poverty does not cause violence and terrorism. Lack of education does not cause terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/poverty-does-not-cause-violence-and-terrorism-lack-of-education-does/)

[John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/)

> [“They forgot that the strike was in this instance the consequence of want and need, suffered unjustly, as the endurers believed; for, however insane,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/they-forgot-that-the-strike-was-in-this-instance-the-consequence-of/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Films don't cause violence, people do. Violence defines our existence. To shield oneself is more dangerous than trying to reflect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/films-don-t-cause-violence-people-do-violence-defines-our-existence/)

[Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/)

> [Art should cause violence to be set aside and it is only art that can accomplish this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/art-should-cause-violence-to-be-set-aside-and-it-is-only-art-that-can/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Environment quotes

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/)

[Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/to-assist-a-child-we-must-provide-him-with-an-environment-which-will/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Daily life is both the subject and environment of the work I am making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-henrot/daily-life-is-both-the-subject-and-environment-of-the-work-i-am-making/)

[Camille Henrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-henrot/)

> [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/)

[Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/)

[Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/)

> [Of course, learning is strengthened and solidified when it occurs in a safe, secure and normal environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-bertrand-aristide/of-course-learning-is-strengthened-and-solidified-when-it-occurs-in-a/)

[Jean-Bertrand Aristide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-bertrand-aristide/)

[Browse all 8,669 Environment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The cause of violence is not ignorance. It is self-interest. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-it-is-self-interest-only/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Environment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-it-is-self-interest-only/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6a/anonymous-1_environment_the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-i_617802.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The cause of violence is not ignorance. It is self-interest. Only reverance can restrain violence…” — Anonymous",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The cause of violence is not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-it-is-self-interest-only/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-cause-of-violence-is-not-ignorance-it-is-self-interest-only/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
