--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact he was no longer persuaded that…" description: "\"“In fact he was no longer persuaded that blood and revolution made useful tools for altering the concepts in a person’s mind. Who said it?—probably Con..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/denis-johnson-2135_peace_in-fact-he-was-no-longer-persuaded-that_2897347.png" --- # In fact he was no longer persuaded that blood and… ![“In fact he was no longer persuaded that blood and revolution made useful tools for altering the concepts in a person’s mind. Who said it?—probably Confucius—” I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of a man by violence.” Peace was here, peace was now…” quote by Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/denis-johnson-2135_peace_in-fact-he-was-no-longer-persuaded-that_2897347.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/denis-johnson-2135_peace_in-fact-he-was-no-longer-persuaded-that_2897347.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/denis-johnson-2135_peace_in-fact-he-was-no-longer-persuaded-that_2897347.png) > ““In fact he was no longer persuaded that blood and revolution made useful tools for altering the concepts in a person’s mind. Who said it?—probably Confucius—” I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of a man by violence.” Peace was here, peace was now. Peace promised in any other time or place was a lie.”” [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence cannot reshape a person’s mind; true change requires non‑violent, reflective means. **In simple terms:** Force cannot change thoughts; reflection can. Key Takeaway Embrace peaceful transformation. Themes peace nonviolence mindset change Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - conflict resolution - education - leadership development Key Concepts Philosophy psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What non‑violent approaches can you apply to change beliefs? - How can reflection replace aggression in your life? A Different Perspective Non‑violent methods may be slower and face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Who said it? – probably Confucius – “I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/who-said-it-probably-confucius-i-can-t-beat-a-sculpture-from-a-stone/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Ritual may be vital to reaction, but it is also the life blood of revolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-i-kertzer/ritual-may-be-vital-to-reaction-but-it-is-also-the-life-blood-of/) David I. Kertzer > [“For until ye are willing to lose thyself in service, ye may not indeed know that peace which He has promised to give--to all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/for-until-ye-are-willing-to-lose-thyself-in-service-ye-may-not-indeed/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“In some sense, he said, a community was a giant collection of habits occurring among thousands of people that, depending on how they’re influenced,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/in-some-sense-he-said-a-community-was-a-giant-collection-of-habits/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Violence or Peace...it's up to humanity to pick the road it wants to walk down. The choice is completely ours!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/violence-or-peace-it-s-up-to-humanity-to-pick-the-road-it-wants-to/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [It just was a gradual development over the years. I mean last year was 'all you need is love.' This year, it's 'all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/it-just-was-a-gradual-development-over-the-years-i-mean-last-year-was/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Peace isn't the mere absence of violence; peace must come from inner peace. And inner peace comes from taking others’ interests into account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/peace-isn-t-the-mere-absence-of-violence-peace-must-come-from-inner/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Violence generates more violence; hatred produces more hatred. Peace cannot be conquered. Peace cannot be the result of violence. Peace comes to us only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/violence-generates-more-violence-hatred-produces-more-hatred-peace/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/world-peace-must-develop-from-inner-peace-peace-is-not-just-mere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Peace is not the absence of violence, peace is an act of controlled violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/peace-is-not-the-absence-of-violence-peace-is-an-act-of-controlled/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Islam doesn't promote violence or peace. Islam is just a religion, and like every religion in the world, it depends on what you bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/islam-doesn-t-promote-violence-or-peace-islam-is-just-a-religion-and/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [We shouldn't have room for violence, we are peace-loving people, and we should stay in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiku-sharda/we-shouldn-t-have-room-for-violence-we-are-peace-loving-people-and-we/) [Kiku Sharda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiku-sharda/) > [“I want to acknowledge everyone who believes in peace. Peace through non-violence, rather than the peace we’ve been sold”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-jane-rose/i-want-to-acknowledge-everyone-who-believes-in-peace-peace-through/) [Helen Jane Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-jane-rose/) > [Peace is not just the absence of violence,peace is when the flowers bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amrita-pritam/peace-is-not-just-the-absence-of-violence-peace-is-when-the-flowers/) [Amrita Pritam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amrita-pritam/) > [Armed violence and peace cannot coexist. We need to overcome the challenges we face and seek practical solutions. We must replace the culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/armed-violence-and-peace-cannot-coexist-we-need-to-overcome-the/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) ## More by Denis Johnson > [“You’ve never felt good. Your suffering protects you. Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/you-ve-never-felt-good-your-suffering-protects-you-pain-is-the-ransom/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“He had laid his head back until his scalp had contacted his spine, that far back, and opened his throat, and a sound rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-had-laid-his-head-back-until-his-scalp-had-contacted-his-spine/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Everything is arranged," John Robertson told me. Thank God." I forgot to mention that we appear to have one small problem," he said. Okay..."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/everything-is-arranged-john-robertson-told-me-thank-god-i-forgot-to/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [Before this moment I'd lived as a mind. Body, heart, soul, intellect, so we care ourselves into parts. But the whole of us, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/before-this-moment-i-d-lived-as-a-mind-body-heart-soul-intellect-so/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [He got right down in the dark between heartbeats, and rested there. And then he saw that another one wasn't going to come. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-got-right-down-in-the-dark-between-heartbeats-and-rested-there-and/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I’d been staying at the Holiday Inn with my girlfriend, honestly the most beautiful woman I’d even known, for three days under a phony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-d-been-staying-at-the-holiday-inn-with-my-girlfriend-honestly-the/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“All of this while I left lifted by a strange new medium, a strange element--I now tell you that I was newly buoyant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/all-of-this-while-i-left-lifted-by-a-strange-new-medium-a-strange/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“He didn’t know what country he was in, but he was at home in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-didn-t-know-what-country-he-was-in-but-he-was-at-home-in-the/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“There's a dizzying thrill in a philosophy that can only be tested by suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/there-s-a-dizzying-thrill-in-a-philosophy-that-can-only-be-tested-by/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I really enjoy writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-really-enjoy-writing-novels-it-s-like-the-ocean-you-can-just-build/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Who said it? – probably Confucius – “I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/who-said-it-probably-confucius-i-can-t-beat-a-sculpture-from-a-stone/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“A bus came. I climbed aboard and sat on the plastic seat while the things of our city turned in the windows like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/a-bus-came-i-climbed-aboard-and-sat-on-the-plastic-seat-while-the/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [I knew every raindrop by its name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-knew-every-raindrop-by-its-name/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“To find the people who've became truly sane, seek among those who've managed to do without sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/to-find-the-people-who-ve-became-truly-sane-seek-among-those-who-ve/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“eventually these encounters forced him to acknowledge the reality of fate, and the truth inherent in things of the imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/eventually-these-encounters-forced-him-to-acknowledge-the-reality-of/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) [Explore all 183 Denis Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) ## More Peace quotes > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) W.J. Turner > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Achieving mental harmony is one of the greatest goals and experiences in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kambiz-mostofizadeh/achieving-mental-harmony-is-one-of-the-greatest-goals-and-experiences/) [Kambiz Mostofizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kambiz-mostofizadeh/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [“There is no fortune greater than peace; there is no force greater than peace; there is no excellent tapas greater than peace; there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muruganar/there-is-no-fortune-greater-than-peace-there-is-no-force-greater-than/) [Muruganar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muruganar/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. It is not about one thing in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-is-like-a-fire-one-man-may-start-it-but-it-will-spread-all-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,655 Peace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In fact he was no longer persuaded that blood and revolution made useful tools for altering the concepts in a person’s mind. Who said it?—probably Confucius—” I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of a man by violence.” Peace was here, peace was now. 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