--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the book, America had already been…" description: "\"In the book, America had already been weakened by bio terror plagues before waves of selfish violence took down the rest. But the real enemy was the ki..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/david-brin-3024_america_in-the-book-america-had-already-been-wea_1076808.png" --- # In the book, America had already been weakened by bio… ![“In the book, America had already been weakened by bio terror plagues before waves of selfish violence took down the rest. But the real enemy was the kind of male human being who nurses fantasies of violent glory at the expense of his fellow citizens.” quote by David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/david-brin-3024_america_in-the-book-america-had-already-been-wea_1076808.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/david-brin-3024_america_in-the-book-america-had-already-been-wea_1076808.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08a/david-brin-3024_america_in-the-book-america-had-already-been-wea_1076808.png) > “In the book, America had already been weakened by bio terror plagues before waves of selfish violence took down the rest. But the real enemy was the kind of male human being who nurses fantasies of violent glory at the expense of his fellow citizens.” [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal decay is accelerated by both disease and violent individuals who glorify aggression over community. **In simple terms:** Violence and disease weaken societies, especially when glorified. Key Takeaway Beware and glorifying violent fantasies. Themes societal decay violence public health morality Mood cautious critical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - policy making - community building - media analysis - education reform Key Concepts bio-terrorism psychology of aggression political philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance security with civil liberties? - What role does media play in shaping perceptions of violence? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize complex causes of societal decline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nurse/) [Plague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plague/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) ## Related quotes > [Americans in all places and levels of government have begun to consider the areas where we need to prepare ourselves from future threats, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/americans-in-all-places-and-levels-of-government-have-begun-to/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [There is a perception across the Middle East that America is weakened. I believe the perception is wrong. The United States remains the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/there-is-a-perception-across-the-middle-east-that-america-is-weakened/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [“The paramount terror that plagues humankind is to live a meaningless life of an exile, an incomplete person whom fails to experience the rapture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/the-paramount-terror-that-plagues-humankind-is-to-live-a-meaningless/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Rather a real enemy than a fake friend . rather know for sure , than be mistaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabolous/rather-a-real-enemy-than-a-fake-friend-rather-know-for-sure-than-be/) Fabolous > [If we are to put the era of nuclear terror behind us, we must struggle against the real 'enemy.' That enemy is not nuclear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/if-we-are-to-put-the-era-of-nuclear-terror-behind-us-we-must-struggle/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [There Is No Enemy Outside Your Soul.. It's Only An Image Of What You Give To Them To Think About You. The Real Enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/there-is-no-enemy-outside-your-soul-it-s-only-an-image-of-what-you/) Pacifiersucker > [“Nothing you do for them will harm the enemy, the real enemy, it will only draw in more support for them as a party.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-dabbagh/nothing-you-do-for-them-will-harm-the-enemy-the-real-enemy-it-will/) [Selma Dabbagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-dabbagh/) > [There hasn't been peace on earth because people can't seem to figure out that the real enemy is the people .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/there-hasn-t-been-peace-on-earth-because-people-can-t-seem-to-figure/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It's not about the past; it's about knowing your history so that you can fight in the present. Otherwise, you don't know who the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/it-s-not-about-the-past-it-s-about-knowing-your-history-so-that-you/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) > [Our party must continue to strike fear in the heart of the white man, our real enemy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/our-party-must-continue-to-strike-fear-in-the-heart-of-the-white-man/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) > [It's about not letting the internal enemy, the real enemy, have his way because the more he does the stronger he becomes. The film's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-ritchie/it-s-about-not-letting-the-internal-enemy-the-real-enemy-have-his-way/) [Guy Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-ritchie/) > [The secret to healthy conflict resolution isn't taking a 'you against me' stance. The secret is realizing it's 'us against Satan.' He's the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-secret-to-healthy-conflict-resolution-isn-t-taking-a-you-against/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [There is no enemy outside your SOUL,the real enemy live inside you.They're anger,greed,pride,attachment and hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-enemy-outside-your-soul-the-real-enemy-live-inside-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think that the real enemy of the music industry is illegal downloading; I think the real enemy of the music industry is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/i-don-t-think-that-the-real-enemy-of-the-music-industry-is-illegal/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“The real enemy of genius is the router in the hallway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-o-monk/the-real-enemy-of-genius-is-the-router-in-the-hallway/) A.O. Monk ## More by David Brin > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Anything done in secret is more likely to result in terrible errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/anything-done-in-secret-is-more-likely-to-result-in-terrible-errors/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Men can be brilliant and strong, they whispered to one another. But men can be mad, as well. And the mad ones can ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/men-can-be-brilliant-and-strong-they-whispered-to-one-another-but-men/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Strutting and preening is, in fact, the surest sign of an inferiority complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/strutting-and-preening-is-in-fact-the-surest-sign-of-an-inferiority/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“We aren’t a curse upon the world. We are her new eyes. Her brain, testes, ovaries . . . her ambition and her heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/we-aren-t-a-curse-upon-the-world-we-are-her-new-eyes-her-brain-testes/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [If you believe you can make a living as a writer, you already have enough ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/if-you-believe-you-can-make-a-living-as-a-writer-you-already-have/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Historically, central planners have generally done a poor job of managing economic resources - this we've known since the time of the Pharaohs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/historically-central-planners-have-generally-done-a-poor-job-of/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [A neurosis defends itself by coming up with rationalizations to explain away bizarre behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/a-neurosis-defends-itself-by-coming-up-with-rationalizations-to/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Alas, criticism has always been what human beings, especially leaders, most hate to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/alas-criticism-has-always-been-what-human-beings-especially-leaders/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [It's how creativity works. Especially in humans. For every good idea, ten thousand idiotic ones must first be posed, sifted, tried out, and discarded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/it-s-how-creativity-works-especially-in-humans-for-every-good-idea/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Tragedies such as Nevil Shute's 'On the Beach' and Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr Strangelove' are so powerful because there's an underlying assumption that this did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/tragedies-such-as-nevil-shute-s-on-the-beach-and-stanley-kubrick-s-dr/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [In contrast, markets - oft mythologized as "natural" are the most unnatural things going. Libertarians will tell you "market laws are laws of nature",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/in-contrast-markets-oft-mythologized-as-natural-are-the-most/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“Snow and soot covered the ancient tree's broken branches and seared bark. It wasn't dead, not quite yet. Here and there tiny shoots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/snow-and-soot-covered-the-ancient-tree-s-broken-branches-and-seared/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“As simple an act as reading or writing a sentence must be surrounded by perceptory nap and weave . . . an itch, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/as-simple-an-act-as-reading-or-writing-a-sentence-must-be-surrounded/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Ideologies are too seductive anyway. It does a man good to see things from a different point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/ideologies-are-too-seductive-anyway-it-does-a-man-good-to-see-things/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) [Explore all 142 David Brin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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