---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War grows out of ordinary human nature."
description: "\"War grows out of ordinary human nature.\" — Bertrand Russell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg"
---

#  War grows out of ordinary human nature.

![“War grows out of ordinary human nature.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg)

> “War grows out of ordinary human nature.”

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

## About This Quote

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

He argues that war stems from ordinary human impulses such as fear, aggression, and desire for power, not extraordinary circumstances.

**In simple terms:** War arises from basic human instincts.

Key Takeaway

Address root human drives to prevent war.

Themes

human nature conflict psychology

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical political commentary

When to use this quote

- political negotiations
- education reforms
- peacebuilding initiatives

Key Concepts

aggression fear power dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies channel aggression constructively?
- What institutions can mitigate war‑prone instincts?

A Different Perspective

The view may overlook structural and economic causes of war.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Grows Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows-ordinary-1349760/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-human-273208/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-grows-276085/)

## Related quotes

> [Their peace and their war Are like wind and storm. War grows from their peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/their-peace-and-their-war-are-like-wind-and-storm-war-grows-from/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Peace can be agreed around the conference table, but unless it grows in ordinary hearts and minds, it does not last. It may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/peace-can-be-agreed-around-the-conference-table-but-unless-it-grows/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/war-grows-out-of-the-desire-of-the-individual-to-gain-advantage-at/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [“Any parents are as ordinary human beings as others, making them angels or even more is up to their next generation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandeep-sahajpal/any-parents-are-as-ordinary-human-beings-as-others-making-them-angels/)

[Sandeep Sahajpal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandeep-sahajpal/)

> [Ordinary human concern for human distress does not manifest itself ordinarily in the form of a gun aimed at the wallets and earnings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/ordinary-human-concern-for-human-distress-does-not-manifest-itself/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [If you are a very ordinary human being, nothing affects you, nothing bothers you, and nothing troubles you. That's how I live my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohanlal/if-you-are-a-very-ordinary-human-being-nothing-affects-you-nothing/)

[Mohanlal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohanlal/)

> [Using every means possible to show that, although you're just an ordinary human being, you're far above other mortals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/using-every-means-possible-to-show-that-although-you-re-just-an/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“There's no such thing as an ordinary human. Do you know, in 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-doctor-matt-smith/there-s-no-such-thing-as-an-ordinary-human-do-you-know-in-900-years/)

[The Doctor Matt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-doctor-matt-smith/)

> [“If I can draw the slightest smile across a single face obliterated by pain, in that act I will have begun to understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/if-i-can-draw-the-slightest-smile-across-a-single-face-obliterated-by/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“There is nothing more important than being a man, just a plain, ordinary, human man. I know you think Spartacus is something more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fast/there-is-nothing-more-important-than-being-a-man-just-a-plain/)

[Howard Fast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fast/)

> [I want to show that drama doesn't lie only in blood and destroyed buildings but in daily life, in ordinary human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmila-zbanic/i-want-to-show-that-drama-doesn-t-lie-only-in-blood-and-destroyed/)

[Jasmila Zbanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmila-zbanic/)

> [I still maintain that an ordinary human being has the right to be horrified by a mangled body seen on an afternoon walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-findley/i-still-maintain-that-an-ordinary-human-being-has-the-right-to-be/)

[Timothy Findley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-findley/)

> [Princes enjoy themselves like children in the company of ordinary human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/princes-enjoy-themselves-like-children-in-the-company-of-ordinary/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [“As we cannot afford to squander our natural resources of minerals, food, and beauty, so we cannot afford to discard any human resources of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-sayers/as-we-cannot-afford-to-squander-our-natural-resources-of-minerals/)

[Dorothy Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-sayers/)

> [God has privileged us in Christ Jesus to live above the ordinary human plane of life. Those who want to be ordinary and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smith-wigglesworth/god-has-privileged-us-in-christ-jesus-to-live-above-the-ordinary/)

[Smith Wigglesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smith-wigglesworth/)

## More by Bertrand Russell

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/such-in-outline-but-even-more-purposeless-more-void-of-meaning-is-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/aristotle-maintained-that-women-have-fewer-teeth-than-men-although-he/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-an-opinion-contrary-to-your-own-makes-you-angry-that-is-a-sign/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-cannot-escape-from-the-conclusion-that-the-great-ages-of-progress/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [I think it would be just to say the most essential characteristic of mind is memory, using this word in its broadest sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-think-it-would-be-just-to-say-the-most-essential-characteristic-of/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [The newspapers at one time said that I was dead but after carefully examining the evidence I came to the conclusion that this statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-newspapers-at-one-time-said-that-i-was-dead-but-after-carefully/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/persecution-is-used-in-theology-not-in-arithmetic-because-in/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [There is no greater reason for children to honour parents than for parents to honour children except, that while the children are young, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-greater-reason-for-children-to-honour-parents-than-for/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

[Explore all 1,620 Bertrand Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

## More Grows quotes

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [“Laugh and grow strong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-loyola/laugh-and-grow-strong/)

[Ignatius of Loyola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-loyola/)

> [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/)

[James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/)

> [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The teacher is one who makes two ideas grow where only one grew before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-teacher-is-one-who-makes-two-ideas-grow-where-only-one-grew-before/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/every-woman-i-have-ever-loved-has-left-her-print-upon-me-where-i/)

[Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/)

> [Their peace and their war Are like wind and storm. War grows from their peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/their-peace-and-their-war-are-like-wind-and-storm-war-grows-from/)

[Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I just want to grow spiritually with the Lord,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/i-just-want-to-grow-spiritually-with-the-lord/)

[Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/)

> [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/)

[Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/)

> [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/)

[L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/)

> [Love grows. Lust wastes by Enjoyment, and the Reason is, that one springs from an Union of Souls, and the other from an Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/love-grows-lust-wastes-by-enjoyment-and-the-reason-is-that-one/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-didn-t-grow-up-thinking-of-movies-as-film-or-art-but-as-movies/)

[Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/)

> [Were you indeed not blinded by the Curse Of Self-exile, that still grows worse and worse, Yourselves would know that, though you see him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farid-al-din-attar/were-you-indeed-not-blinded-by-the-curse-of-self-exile-that-still/)

[Farid al-Din Attar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farid-al-din-attar/)

[Browse all 9,037 Grows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "War grows out of ordinary human nature.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bertrand Russell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grows"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/289/bertrand-russell-69_grows_war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature-1_1567526.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“War grows out of ordinary human nature.” — Bertrand Russell",
                "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": "Bertrand Russell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "War grows out of ordinary human...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/war-grows-out-of-ordinary-human-nature/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
