--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws…" description: "\"Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws that successfully govern a peaceful and democratic society do not interfere with the only law bombs know, whi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg" --- # Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws that… ![“Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws that successfully govern a peaceful and democratic society do not interfere with the only law bombs know, which is the law of gravity.” quote by Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg) > “Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws that successfully govern a peaceful and democratic society do not interfere with the only law bombs know, which is the law of gravity.” [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bombs obey only gravity, highlighting the stark contrast between natural law and human moral codes. **In simple terms:** Bombs follow physics, not ethics. Key Takeaway Acknowledge the immutable nature of physical forces. Themes war ethics physics Mood serious thoughtful Type cautionary analytical When to use this quote - military strategy - peace negotiations - policy making - education Key Concepts gravity moral relativism Questions to Reflect On - Can moral frameworks ever control destructive technology? - How do we reconcile natural laws with ethical imperatives? A Different Perspective Physical laws cannot be altered by legislation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism/) [Barbarism Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism-laws-4227425/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Bombs Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs-know-2889310/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Democratic society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-society/) [Govern Peaceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/govern-peaceful-4227427/) [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Interfere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interfere/) [Isms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isms/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-bombs-4227426/) [Law Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-gravity/) [Militarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/militarism/) [Nuclear weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-weapons/) [Peaceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaceful/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [As the bullets fly, As the bombs go off around us, Know well, You are not alone in this War, For I have your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/as-the-bullets-fly-as-the-bombs-go-off-around-us-know-well-you-are/) [The Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-forgotten/) > [What can bombs know of the illuminated fields so golden with heaven in your heart’s sacred lands?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/what-can-bombs-know-of-the-illuminated-fields-so-golden-with-heaven/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [It's not like there's a law against flying." "Yes there is. The law of gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/it-s-not-like-there-s-a-law-against-flying-yes-there-is-the-law-of/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [The floating vapour is just as true an illustration of the law of gravity as the falling avalanche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/the-floating-vapour-is-just-as-true-an-illustration-of-the-law-of/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [No king or minister could have instructed Newton to discover the law of gravity, for they did not know and could not know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/no-king-or-minister-could-have-instructed-newton-to-discover-the-law/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [“We live in a universe in which there are laws, just as there is a law of gravity. If you fall off a building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickael-bernard-beckwith/we-live-in-a-universe-in-which-there-are-laws-just-as-there-is-a-law/) [Mickael Bernard Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickael-bernard-beckwith/) > [“The law of gravity and gravity itself did not exist before Isaac Newton." ...and what that means is that that law of gravity exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/the-law-of-gravity-and-gravity-itself-did-not-exist-before-isaac/) [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) > [An apple fell and Newton discovered the law of gravity. Hundreds of bombs fell on Palestine and no one discovered the law of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danish/an-apple-fell-and-newton-discovered-the-law-of-gravity-hundreds-of/) [Danish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danish/) > [You know how sometimes you lie in bed at night and think, “What if the law of gravity just wears out and lets go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-may/you-know-how-sometimes-you-lie-in-bed-at-night-and-think-what-if-the/) [Elaine May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-may/) > [The laws of God, like the law of gravity, do not depend upon how I feel about them. They are inexorable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hahn/the-laws-of-god-like-the-law-of-gravity-do-not-depend-upon-how-i-feel/) [Scott Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hahn/) > [If laws were real they wouldn’t need to be enforced, because if they were real they couldn’t be broken. Try breaking the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-rice/if-laws-were-real-they-wouldn-t-need-to-be-enforced-because-if-they/) [Boyd Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-rice/) > [“He was always running or bounding, never just walking. He seemed always at the point of defeating the law of gravity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/he-was-always-running-or-bounding-never-just-walking-he-seemed-always/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Painting something that defies the law of the land is good. Painting something that defies the law of the land and the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/painting-something-that-defies-the-law-of-the-land-is-good-painting/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [“I may wish to return to my home in England, and I stand in New York, but ever since I was born I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-ian-thomas/i-may-wish-to-return-to-my-home-in-england-and-i-stand-in-new-york/) [W. Ian Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-ian-thomas/) > [So, I'm not the only one who believes that there is such a thing as "the law of gravity," and if it's a law,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/so-i-m-not-the-only-one-who-believes-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) ## More by Clare Boothe Luce > [my definition of the ideal man is 'that particular man with whom a woman happens to be in love at that particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/my-definition-of-the-ideal-man-is-that-particular-man-with-whom-a/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [the only time travelers are really gay is when they are traveling for no good reason at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/the-only-time-travelers-are-really-gay-is-when-they-are-traveling-for/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Home is where you hang your architect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/home-is-where-you-hang-your-architect/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Autobiography is mostly alibiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/autobiography-is-mostly-alibiography/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [I don't have any warm personal enemies. All the SOBs have died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/i-don-t-have-any-warm-personal-enemies-all-the-sobs-have-died/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Thoughts have no sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/thoughts-have-no-sex/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [ \[In politics\] no good deed goes unpunished ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/in-politics-no-good-deed-goes-unpunished/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [I refuse the compliment that I think like a man, thought has no sex, one either thinks or one does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/i-refuse-the-compliment-that-i-think-like-a-man-thought-has-no-sex/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, 'She doesn't have what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/because-i-am-a-woman-i-must-make-unusual-efforts-to-succeed-if-i-fail/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [A great man is one sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/a-great-man-is-one-sentence/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Watergate is the great liberal illusion that you can have public virtue without private morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/watergate-is-the-great-liberal-illusion-that-you-can-have-public/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [I wish I were a virgin again. The only fun I ever had was holding out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/i-wish-i-were-a-virgin-again-the-only-fun-i-ever-had-was-holding-out/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Rich women are not too put upon by their children. You don't have to do all the things for a child that those women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/rich-women-are-not-too-put-upon-by-their-children-you-don-t-have-to/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [H. L. Mencken told me once that he answered all his mail, pleasant and unpleasant, with just one line, 'You may be right.' That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/h-l-mencken-told-me-once-that-he-answered-all-his-mail-pleasant-and/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Since the birth of our nation, the steady performance of the Marine Corps in fighting America's battles has made it the very symbol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/since-the-birth-of-our-nation-the-steady-performance-of-the-marine/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) [Explore all 88 Clare Boothe Luce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) ## More Barbarism quotes > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Liberty is the condition of progress. Without Liberty, there remains only barbarism. Without Liberty, there can be no civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/liberty-is-the-condition-of-progress-without-liberty-there-remains/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“Odd, don't you think? I have seen war, and invasions and riots. I have heard of massacres and brutalities beyond imagining, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/odd-don-t-you-think-i-have-seen-war-and-invasions-and-riots-i-have/) [Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/) > [Christianity has carried civilization along with it, whithersoever it has gone; and, as if to show that the latter does not depend on physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/christianity-has-carried-civilization-along-with-it-whithersoever-it/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [ \[Much\] as war attracts me and fascinates my mind with its tremendous situations, I feel more deeply every year . . . what vile… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/much-as-war-attracts-me-and-fascinates-my-mind-with-its-tremendous/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations. Man's capacity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/educational-exchange-can-turn-nations-into-people-contributing-as-no/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Human history, like all great movements, was cyclical, and returned to the point of beginning. The idea of indefinite progress in a right line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bellamy/human-history-like-all-great-movements-was-cyclical-and-returned-to/) [Edward Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bellamy/) > [You think that a wall as solid as the earth separates civilization from barbarism. I tell you the division is a thread, a sheet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buchan/you-think-that-a-wall-as-solid-as-the-earth-separates-civilization/) [John Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buchan/) > [Barbarism is the absence of standards to which appeal can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/barbarism-is-the-absence-of-standards-to-which-appeal-can-be-made/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [“The language of sword is less powerful than the language of word, but most of the people understand the language of sword with greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/the-language-of-sword-is-less-powerful-than-the-language-of-word-but/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [There is so much that must be done in a civilized barbarism like war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/there-is-so-much-that-must-be-done-in-a-civilized-barbarism-like-war/) [Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/) > [There is a barbarism in the American soul, and we must protect some of it by law. To root it out is to endanger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/there-is-a-barbarism-in-the-american-soul-and-we-must-protect-some-of/) [Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/) > [In discussing Barbarism and Christianity I have actually been discussing the Fall of Rome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/in-discussing-barbarism-and-christianity-i-have-actually-been/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/what-we-now-want-is-closer-contact-and-better-understanding-between/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [“Magic begins in superstition, and ends in science. ... At every step the history of civilization teaches us how slight and superficial a structure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/magic-begins-in-superstition-and-ends-in-science-at-every-step-the/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) [Browse all 238 Barbarism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws that successfully govern a peaceful and democratic society do not interfere with the only law bombs know, which is the law of gravity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clare Boothe Luce" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws-that-successfully-govern-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barbarism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws-that-successfully-govern-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/clare-boothe-luce-7669_barbarism_bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws_1294198.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bombs know no ism but barbarism. The laws that successfully govern a peaceful and democratic society do not…” — Clare Boothe Luce", "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": "Clare Boothe Luce", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Bombs know no ism but barbarism....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws-that-successfully-govern-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/bombs-know-no-ism-but-barbarism-the-laws-that-successfully-govern-a/#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 } } ] } ```