--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A sane person doesn't think war is a good…" description: "\"A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea. I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go loo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/bruce-cockburn-9323_feel_a-sane-person-doesn-t-think-war-is-a-goo_3206592.jpg" --- # A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea. I'm not a… ![“A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea. I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go looking for those things.” quote by Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/bruce-cockburn-9323_feel_a-sane-person-doesn-t-think-war-is-a-goo_3206592.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/bruce-cockburn-9323_feel_a-sane-person-doesn-t-think-war-is-a-goo_3206592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/107/bruce-cockburn-9323_feel_a-sane-person-doesn-t-think-war-is-a-goo_3206592.jpg) > “A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea. I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go looking for those things.” [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker distinguishes between being anti‑war in principle and recognizing that some conflicts are unavoidable, yet warns against seeking them out. **In simple terms:** War can be necessary but should not be pursued. Key Takeaway Avoid unnecessary conflict. Themes war ethics pragmatism Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political decisions - military interventions - personal relationships Key Concepts realism moral dilemma Questions to Reflect On - When is it justified to fight? - How can we prevent seeking war? A Different Perspective War may cause lasting trauma and moral injury. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-idea/) [I feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-feel/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Pacifist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifist/) [Pacifist Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifist-feel-2048366/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Sane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sane/) [Sane Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sane-person/) [Situations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations/) [Situations Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations-fighting-5507321/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-war/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go looking for those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/i-m-not-a-pacifist-i-feel-that-there-are-situations-where-fighting-is/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [I've become more forgiving, even though I have no patience at all for denial, justification of wrong, rationalization. I've become virtually a pacifist, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-oppenheimer/i-ve-become-more-forgiving-even-though-i-have-no-patience-at-all-for/) [Joshua Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-oppenheimer/) > [A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/a-sane-person-doesn-t-think-war-is-a-good-idea/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [“Only a truly sane person would ask if he were mad." Avieyar, TheDreamMakers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diem-burden/only-a-truly-sane-person-would-ask-if-he-were-mad-avieyar/) [Diem Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diem-burden/) > [An individual who can freely and with a clear heart do things because they're fun is a very sane person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/an-individual-who-can-freely-and-with-a-clear-heart-do-things-because/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [One can only guess the amount of magic mushrooms a sane person would have to consume to believe that a frisbee constituted a genuine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-thomas/one-can-only-guess-the-amount-of-magic-mushrooms-a-sane-person-would/) [Mark Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-thomas/) > [Politicians were like talking dogs in a circus: the fact that they existed was uncommonly interesting, but no sane person would actually believe what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/politicians-were-like-talking-dogs-in-a-circus-the-fact-that-they/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“How do people know they are sane? Can a person be gripped by lunacy, only to be released a short time later, never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-remy/how-do-people-know-they-are-sane-can-a-person-be-gripped-by-lunacy/) [Dee Remy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-remy/) > [If the ability to tell right from wrong should have anything to do with the ability to think, then we must be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/if-the-ability-to-tell-right-from-wrong-should-have-anything-to-do/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“No sane person could witness what they saw every day in the field, or carry out the acts of violence they were tasked with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronie-kendig/no-sane-person-could-witness-what-they-saw-every-day-in-the-field-or/) [Ronie Kendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronie-kendig/) > [“What's your definition of sanity, Skipper?’ ‘The ability to swim,’ said Sparrow. Ramsey felt a cold shock, as though he had been immersed suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-s-your-definition-of-sanity-skipper-the-ability-to-swim-said/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [I'm not Britney Spears, so I still have a life. I can go certain places without getting hounded by little 5-year-olds. So I'm very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mya/i-m-not-britney-spears-so-i-still-have-a-life-i-can-go-certain-places/) [Mya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mya/) > [“...they were all, if the truth was only known, a little bit off in their heads. What possible reason could a sane person have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/they-were-all-if-the-truth-was-only-known-a-little-bit-off-in-their/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I don't really trust a sane person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-alzado/i-don-t-really-trust-a-sane-person/) [Lyle Alzado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-alzado/) > [“I didn't say he wasn't a good employer, just that he's not going to be awarded a Sane Person of the Year award.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-macalister/i-didn-t-say-he-wasn-t-a-good-employer-just-that-he-s-not-going-to-be/) [Katie MacAlister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-macalister/) ## More by Bruce Cockburn > [It sounds strange to say it, but you can be in a war zone and have a lot of fun. Even though war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/it-sounds-strange-to-say-it-but-you-can-be-in-a-war-zone-and-have-a/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/i-d-always-loved-poetry-and-i-d-always-loved-writing-music-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [My models for graceful aging are guys like John Lee Hooker and Mississippi John Hurt, who never stopped working till they dropped, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/my-models-for-graceful-aging-are-guys-like-john-lee-hooker-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > ['Gifts' was just a short little one-verse song that I used to close shows in the '60s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/gifts-was-just-a-short-little-one-verse-song-that-i-used-to-close/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Music itself isn't enough to completely wear down my stash of anger. And I don't have all that much more to be angry about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/music-itself-isn-t-enough-to-completely-wear-down-my-stash-of-anger/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [In between effect and cause and just beyond the range of normal sight, this glittering joker was dancing in the dragon's jaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/in-between-effect-and-cause-and-just-beyond-the-range-of-normal-sight/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [When you know even for a moment That it's your time Then you can walk with the power Of a thousand generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/when-you-know-even-for-a-moment-that-it-s-your-time-then-you-can-walk/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [A number of Iraqis told us they had welcomed the U.S. forces as liberators initially but in the intervening months, they had come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/a-number-of-iraqis-told-us-they-had-welcomed-the-u-s-forces-as/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [The people who have impressed me most - and the closest I've come to having heroes - are the people who have devoted their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/the-people-who-have-impressed-me-most-and-the-closest-i-ve-come-to/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Sometimes I catch myself doing something that I've already done. The more I've done, the more that's likely to happen. Then I just throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/sometimes-i-catch-myself-doing-something-that-i-ve-already-done-the/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Anger is energy, and you've got to find a place to put it that works for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/anger-is-energy-and-you-ve-got-to-find-a-place-to-put-it-that-works/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Wave the flag, wave the Bible, wave your sex or your business degree, whatever you want, just don't wave that thing at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/wave-the-flag-wave-the-bible-wave-your-sex-or-your-business-degree/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [“Got to kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/got-to-kick-at-the-darkness-till-it-bleeds-daylight/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [All these years of thinking, ending up like this: In front of all this beauty, understanding nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/all-these-years-of-thinking-ending-up-like-this-in-front-of-all-this/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Everybody wants to see justice done, to somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/everybody-wants-to-see-justice-done-to-somebody-else/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) [Explore all 73 Bruce Cockburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) ## More Feel quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/) [Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [You make me feel brand new today. Even my day is full of trials and pain…Thanks for everything...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lantapi/you-make-me-feel-brand-new-today-even-my-day-is-full-of-trials-and/) [Richard Lantapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lantapi/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I don't know how people feel,that's the beauty of TV, is they can see us, but we can't see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-don-t-know-how-people-feel-that-s-the-beauty-of-tv-is-they-can-see/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) [Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea. 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