--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even an inaccurate missile is quite a…" description: "\"Even an inaccurate missile is quite a deterrent.\" — Caspar Weinberger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg" --- # Even an inaccurate missile is quite a deterrent. ![“Even an inaccurate missile is quite a deterrent.” quote by Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg) > “Even an inaccurate missile is quite a deterrent.” [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even an imperfect weapon can deter adversaries because its perceived threat influences behavior. **In simple terms:** Even inaccurate missiles deter enemies. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of perception in deterrence. Themes deterrence military strategy perception Mood strategic cautious Type political military When to use this quote - defense planning - international relations - policy making Key Concepts psychology of threat strategic signaling Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived threat shape conflict? - What are ethical limits of deterrence? A Different Perspective Reliance on inaccurate weapons can risk accidental escalation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Missile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missile/) ## Related quotes > [I'm proud to say that there is not a single Russian nuclear missile pointed at an American child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-m-proud-to-say-that-there-is-not-a-single-russian-nuclear-missile/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“It's funny how these days, when every household has its own inter-continental ballistic missile, you hardly even think about them. . . . A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-tan/it-s-funny-how-these-days-when-every-household-has-its-own-inter/) [Shaun Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-tan/) > [A cruise missile is more important than Head Start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/a-cruise-missile-is-more-important-than-head-start/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Assign Yogi Berra to Cape Canaveral; he could handle any missile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/assign-yogi-berra-to-cape-canaveral-he-could-handle-any-missile/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [“The greatest missile in the world is useless...unless it's targeted. A torpedo is adrift unless it has someplace to go. An arrow is pointless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/the-greatest-missile-in-the-world-is-useless-unless-it-s-targeted-a/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [The point is, once they have a missile that can hit the United States, we are now back in the kind of game we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/the-point-is-once-they-have-a-missile-that-can-hit-the-united-states/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [You should be a missile and go and destroy your opponent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlson-gracie/you-should-be-a-missile-and-go-and-destroy-your-opponent/) [Carlson Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlson-gracie/) > [What happened in the missile crisis in October 1962 has been prettified to make it look as if acts of courage and thoughtfulness abounded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/what-happened-in-the-missile-crisis-in-october-1962-has-been/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [A missile is a missile. It makes no great difference whether you are killed by a missile fired from the Soviet Union or from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-abel/a-missile-is-a-missile-it-makes-no-great-difference-whether-you-are/) Elie Abel > [If the present White House leadership runs the gauntlet of common sense and the people's will for peace and challenges us by starting MX…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitriy-ustinov/if-the-present-white-house-leadership-runs-the-gauntlet-of-common/) Dmitriy Ustinov > [Upon my word, I think the truth is the hardest missile one can be pelted with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/upon-my-word-i-think-the-truth-is-the-hardest-missile-one-can-be/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Britain has invented a new missile. It's called the civil servant - it doesn't work and it can't be fired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-walker/britain-has-invented-a-new-missile-it-s-called-the-civil-servant-it/) Walter Walker > [I actually have the Arcade PC at home, and it has 5,500 games on it. Everything from the old school, Galaga, Tron, Missile Command,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-corrales/i-actually-have-the-arcade-pc-at-home-and-it-has-5-500-games-on-it/) [Diego Corrales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-corrales/) > [You seemed to me to be soaring far up in the blue - to be sailing in the bright light, over the heads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/you-seemed-to-me-to-be-soaring-far-up-in-the-blue-to-be-sailing-in/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Let them bomb Japan with that nasty missile. Their missile cannot load a nuclear warhead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shintar-ishihara/let-them-bomb-japan-with-that-nasty-missile-their-missile-cannot-load/) Shintaro Ishihara ## More by Caspar Weinberger > [It took the Gulf War to demonstrate that America did want more than one friend in the Mideast, and also was willing to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/it-took-the-gulf-war-to-demonstrate-that-america-did-want-more-than/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [When in doubt, grab power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/when-in-doubt-grab-power/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [We must recognize that personal freedoms diminish as the welfare state grows. The price of more and more public programs is less and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/we-must-recognize-that-personal-freedoms-diminish-as-the-welfare/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [Here rests the soul of our nation - here also should be our conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/here-rests-the-soul-of-our-nation-here-also-should-be-our-conscience/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [I have had a long unabashed love affair with dogs that stretches back to early childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/i-have-had-a-long-unabashed-love-affair-with-dogs-that-stretches-back/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [Kelso and Adler's book could start a revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/kelso-and-adler-s-book-could-start-a-revolution/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [Sanctions and negotiations can be very ineffective, and indeed foolish, unless the people you are talking with and negotiating with and trying to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/sanctions-and-negotiations-can-be-very-ineffective-and-indeed-foolish/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) > [I think women are too valuable to be in combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/i-think-women-are-too-valuable-to-be-in-combat/) [Caspar Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) [Explore all 9 Caspar Weinberger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/) ## More Deterrent quotes > [Fraud will always exist. Enforcement of anti-fraud laws is a useful deterrent, but in the end there's no substitute for investor vigilance. Government regulations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/fraud-will-always-exist-enforcement-of-anti-fraud-laws-is-a-useful/) [John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [The Cold War philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), which prevented the former Soviet Union and the United States from using the nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/the-cold-war-philosophy-of-mutual-assured-destruction-mad-which/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [Today the greatest single deterrent to knowledge of Jesus is His familiarity. Because we think we know Him, we pass Him by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-kirkland/today-the-greatest-single-deterrent-to-knowledge-of-jesus-is-his/) Winifred Kirkland > [If somebody plans to carry out a series of murders... then this is obviously an evil and pre-meditated attack and in that case, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-davis/if-somebody-plans-to-carry-out-a-series-of-murders-then-this-is/) [David Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-davis/) > [You know what an effective deterrent to crime is? Jail! And do you know what kind of criminal penalty actually makes people think twice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/you-know-what-an-effective-deterrent-to-crime-is-jail-and-do-you-know/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [Christ's work is a kind of deterrent to us, and a way of upholding the justice of God's divine government of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/christ-s-work-is-a-kind-of-deterrent-to-us-and-a-way-of-upholding-the/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [“…a dog the best deterrent to an intruder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mizushima/a-dog-the-best-deterrent-to-an-intruder/) Margaret Mizushima > [Sometimes the greatest deterrent to a great marriage is believing you have a perfect marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/sometimes-the-greatest-deterrent-to-a-great-marriage-is-believing-you/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [Judicial execution can never cancel or remove the atrocity it seeks to punish; it can only add a second atrocity to the original one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/judicial-execution-can-never-cancel-or-remove-the-atrocity-it-seeks/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [The will to disbelieve is the strongest deterrent to wider horizons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-holzer/the-will-to-disbelieve-is-the-strongest-deterrent-to-wider-horizons/) [Hans Holzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-holzer/) > [A nuclear program has arguably worked as a deterrent for North Korea and other states - would Moammar Gadhafi have been deposed and summarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/a-nuclear-program-has-arguably-worked-as-a-deterrent-for-north-korea/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [The Federal Budget can and should be made an instrument of prosperity and stability, not a deterrent to recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-federal-budget-can-and-should-be-made-an-instrument-of-prosperity/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [And so it's no surprise that people who object to the death penalty on pure moral grounds also think it has no deterrent effect,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/and-so-it-s-no-surprise-that-people-who-object-to-the-death-penalty/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Why should Iran have a deterrent strategy? Well, it's surrounded by hostile enemies. Both of its borders have been under occupation by a hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/why-should-iran-have-a-deterrent-strategy-well-it-s-surrounded-by/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) Browse all 112 Deterrent quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even an inaccurate missile is quite a deterrent.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Caspar Weinberger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-deterrent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deterrent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-deterrent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef7/caspar-weinberger-44397_deterrent_even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-de_645106.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even an inaccurate missile is quite a deterrent.” — Caspar Weinberger", "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": "Caspar Weinberger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caspar-weinberger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even an inaccurate missile is quite...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-deterrent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caspar-weinberger/even-an-inaccurate-missile-is-quite-a-deterrent/#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 } } ] } ```