--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think above all, what we need with Iran…" description: "\"I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.\" — Brent Scowcroft" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png" --- # I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience. ![“I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.” quote by Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png) > “I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.” [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patience is essential when dealing with complex geopolitical issues like Iran. **In simple terms:** Patience needed for Iran issues. Key Takeaway Cultivate patience in diplomatic efforts. Themes diplomacy patience Iran policy strategy Mood cautious reflective Type strategic political When to use this quote - Negotiations with Iran - sanctions discussions - regional security planning - building alliances Key Concepts Geopolitics conflict resolution long‑term planning Questions to Reflect On - How can patience be balanced with decisive action? - What other tools complement patience in diplomacy? A Different Perspective Patience alone cannot resolve deep‑seated conflicts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [Iran has been a neighbor for millenia, and will continue to be a neighbor for millenia. We have no issue with seeking to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adel-al-jubeir/iran-has-been-a-neighbor-for-millenia-and-will-continue-to-be-a/) [Adel al-Jubeir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adel-al-jubeir/) > [For years, Israeli and American intelligence agencies assumed that if Iran were to gain the ability to build a bomb, it would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronen-bergman/for-years-israeli-and-american-intelligence-agencies-assumed-that-if/) [Ronen Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronen-bergman/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [The thing about Iran is there are many political factions and it's not quite the dictatorial, authoritarian state with one person always making every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hooman-majd/the-thing-about-iran-is-there-are-many-political-factions-and-it-s/) [Hooman Majd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hooman-majd/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [A nuclear-weapons armed Iran is not in anyone's human-rights interests. That is a direct threat to the lives and the livelihoods and the stability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/a-nuclear-weapons-armed-iran-is-not-in-anyone-s-human-rights/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Some Iranian doctors from Europe and America go to Iran and operate for free or teach medical students there. The other day, I met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farah-diba/some-iranian-doctors-from-europe-and-america-go-to-iran-and-operate/) [Farah Diba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farah-diba/) > [“Anyone who is portraying Israel as a friend is a servant of Israel. I warn some sides against turning enemies into friends and friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/anyone-who-is-portraying-israel-as-a-friend-is-a-servant-of-israel-i/) [Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/) > [“The hijab-related deaths and death sentences in Iran show that breaking the attire laws is more dangerous adventure than breaking the nudity laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-n-prasher/the-hijab-related-deaths-and-death-sentences-in-iran-show-that/) [R. N. Prasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-n-prasher/) > [I look at what's happening around the world and I see Iran four years closer to a bomb. I see the Middle East with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-look-at-what-s-happening-around-the-world-and-i-see-iran-four-years/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the radical Islamist mullahs ruling Iran share many similarities, but honesty and negotiating in good faith are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/former-libyan-dictator-moammar-gadhafi-and-the-radical-islamist/) [Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/) > [In any event, the problem in Iran is much bigger than weapons. The problem is the terrorist regime that seeks the weapons. The regime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-perle/in-any-event-the-problem-in-iran-is-much-bigger-than-weapons-the/) [Richard Perle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-perle/) ## More by Brent Scowcroft > [But, if you believe we should go around the world overturning regimes to make little United States, I don't agree with that, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/but-if-you-believe-we-should-go-around-the-world-overturning-regimes/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Saddam's ouster will not necessarily lead to the same result, since Iraq lacks democratic traditions. Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/saddam-s-ouster-will-not-necessarily-lead-to-the-same-result-since/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Since the days of Peter the Great, Russians have been maybe Europeans who didn't share in the enlightenment and the reformation, or are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/since-the-days-of-peter-the-great-russians-have-been-maybe-europeans/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [I don't think the Chinese look out at the world and want to overturn the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-don-t-think-the-chinese-look-out-at-the-world-and-want-to-overturn/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [A colossal event is upon us, the birth of a New World Order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/a-colossal-event-is-upon-us-the-birth-of-a-new-world-order/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [It is beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein is a menace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/it-is-beyond-dispute-that-saddam-hussein-is-a-menace/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Everybody is within reach of a television set. And so they're all politicized, and they're all stimulated, and then they have these desires, pleasures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/everybody-is-within-reach-of-a-television-set-and-so-they-re-all/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Saddam is a familiar dictatorial aggressor, with traditional goals for his aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/saddam-is-a-familiar-dictatorial-aggressor-with-traditional-goals-for/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Simply killing everyone who is already a terrorist today won't solve the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/simply-killing-everyone-who-is-already-a-terrorist-today-won-t-solve/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [After the '30s, we said, "no more Munichs." And it got us in a lot of problems. Then we said, "No more Vietnams." Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/after-the-30s-we-said-no-more-munichs-and-it-got-us-in-a-lot-of/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [If Iraq were to descend into chaos, the Europeans would feel the effects just as much as we would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/if-iraq-were-to-descend-into-chaos-the-europeans-would-feel-the/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [The art of diplomacy is to take an opportunity and turn it into something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/the-art-of-diplomacy-is-to-take-an-opportunity-and-turn-it-into/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Democracy doesn't just consist of holding elections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/democracy-doesn-t-just-consist-of-holding-elections/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Many Sunnis, who are still stuck in the Saddam era mindset and believe Iraq belongs to them, are trying to prevent a new country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/many-sunnis-who-are-still-stuck-in-the-saddam-era-mindset-and-believe/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they're the West's whipping boy. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/much-of-what-we-know-about-mathematics-and-trade-comes-from-the-arabs/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) [Explore all 58 Brent Scowcroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) ## More Iran quotes > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The plight of the Baha'i community in Iran has served as a backdrop to my life growing up in London, particularly since the Islamic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/the-plight-of-the-baha-i-community-in-iran-has-served-as-a-backdrop/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [Former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the radical Islamist mullahs ruling Iran share many similarities, but honesty and negotiating in good faith are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/former-libyan-dictator-moammar-gadhafi-and-the-radical-islamist/) [Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/) > [I look at what's happening around the world and I see Iran four years closer to a bomb. I see the Middle East with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-look-at-what-s-happening-around-the-world-and-i-see-iran-four-years/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [“The hijab-related deaths and death sentences in Iran show that breaking the attire laws is more dangerous adventure than breaking the nudity laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-n-prasher/the-hijab-related-deaths-and-death-sentences-in-iran-show-that/) [R. N. Prasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-n-prasher/) > [“Anyone who is portraying Israel as a friend is a servant of Israel. I warn some sides against turning enemies into friends and friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/anyone-who-is-portraying-israel-as-a-friend-is-a-servant-of-israel-i/) [Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/) > [Some Iranian doctors from Europe and America go to Iran and operate for free or teach medical students there. The other day, I met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farah-diba/some-iranian-doctors-from-europe-and-america-go-to-iran-and-operate/) [Farah Diba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farah-diba/) > [“My whole being is a dark chant that will carry you perpetuating you to the dawn of eternal growths and blossomings in this chant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forugh-farrokhzad/my-whole-being-is-a-dark-chant-that-will-carry-you-perpetuating-you/) Forugh Farrokhzad > [President Trump is right to get out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and impose economic sanctions in order to force a more legitimate agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-hyde-smith/president-trump-is-right-to-get-out-of-the-iran-nuclear-deal-and/) [Cindy Hyde-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-hyde-smith/) > [A nuclear-weapons armed Iran is not in anyone's human-rights interests. That is a direct threat to the lives and the livelihoods and the stability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/a-nuclear-weapons-armed-iran-is-not-in-anyone-s-human-rights/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Wasn't Saddam destroyed? Wasn't Gaddafi liquidated? Didn't Milosevic go to the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived. Kim Jong-un isn't doing too badly, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/wasn-t-saddam-destroyed-wasn-t-gaddafi-liquidated-didn-t-milosevic-go/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) [Browse all 1,422 Iran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brent Scowcroft" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran-is-patience/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Iran" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran-is-patience/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfc/brent-scowcroft-11772_iran_i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran_2246735.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.” — Brent Scowcroft", "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": "Brent Scowcroft", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think above all, what we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran-is-patience/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/i-think-above-all-what-we-need-with-iran-is-patience/#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 } } ] } ```