--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have to build bridges that are…" description: "\"We have to build bridges that are stronger than the bombs that other people might throw\" — Eboo Patel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png" --- # We have to build bridges that are stronger than the bombs… ![“We have to build bridges that are stronger than the bombs that other people might throw” quote by Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png) > “We have to build bridges that are stronger than the bombs that other people might throw” [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must create connections that outlast conflict and hostility. **In simple terms:** Build stronger connections than conflict. Key Takeaway Focus on building bridges, not walls. Themes peacebuilding community interfaith Mood hopeful serious Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - neighbourhood projects - global diplomacy - online forums Key Concepts conflict resolution social cohesion collective resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can you sustain bridge‑building efforts? - What actions turn conflict into collaboration? A Different Perspective Bridges can be fragile if not continuously nurtured. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [What I do is the opposite of building walls. I build bridges. A bridge is something that connects instead of separating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/what-i-do-is-the-opposite-of-building-walls-i-build-bridges-a-bridge/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [We have to Build Bridges of Peace Instead of building Walls of Wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/we-have-to-build-bridges-of-peace-instead-of-building-walls-of-wars/) [Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/) > [We didn't build our bridges simply to avoid walking on water. Nothing so obvious. A bridge is a meeting place. A neutral place. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-didn-t-build-our-bridges-simply-to-avoid-walking-on-water-nothing/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I like to build bridges... not walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-to-build-bridges-not-walls/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think that music is the only thing that is going to change minds and build bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snow-tha-product/i-think-that-music-is-the-only-thing-that-is-going-to-change-minds/) [Snow Tha Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snow-tha-product/) > [Throughout my ministry, I have sought to build bridges between Jews and Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/throughout-my-ministry-i-have-sought-to-build-bridges-between-jews/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Looking out at that crowd, I imagined those who had not yet arrived, minority students who, in years to come, would make this multitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/looking-out-at-that-crowd-i-imagined-those-who-had-not-yet-arrived/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [It's fascinating to me how they build bridges or tunnels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/it-s-fascinating-to-me-how-they-build-bridges-or-tunnels/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) > [Americans are at our best when we build bridges between us, not walls around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-swalwell/americans-are-at-our-best-when-we-build-bridges-between-us-not-walls/) [Eric Swalwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-swalwell/) > [Should and would build no bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/should-and-would-build-no-bridges/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [I vowed we would defy the national politics of hyperpolarization and partisan divides and instead, build bridges of partnership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/i-vowed-we-would-defy-the-national-politics-of-hyperpolarization-and/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) > [“With stones, you can build walls to separate people or build bridges to unite them! Do the second thing in the name of ethics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/with-stones-you-can-build-walls-to-separate-people-or-build-bridges/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [Let us build bridges, my friends, build bridges to human dignity across that gulf that separates black America from white America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/let-us-build-bridges-my-friends-build-bridges-to-human-dignity-across/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) ## More by Eboo Patel > [Finding Mecca in America weaves social theory and concrete ethnography into a significant contribution on Muslims in the United States, illuminating broader questions about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/finding-mecca-in-america-weaves-social-theory-and-concrete/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [I think that we live in a remarkably networked world. The problem with that, of course, is that tensions can travel in nanoseconds across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-think-that-we-live-in-a-remarkably-networked-world-the-problem-with/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [“In one of the moments when my father was feeling especially righteous about his “Muslim-ness,” I overheard him expressing concern to my mother that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/in-one-of-the-moments-when-my-father-was-feeling-especially-righteous/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Religious pluralism is neither mere coexistence nor forced consensus. It is a form of proactive cooperation that affirms the identity of the constituent communities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/religious-pluralism-is-neither-mere-coexistence-nor-forced-consensus/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [“I realized that it was precisely because of America’s glaring imperfections that I should seek to participate in its progress, carve a place in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-realized-that-it-was-precisely-because-of-america-s-glaring/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [A social entrepreneur is somebody who knows how to make an idea reality, and one of the great ideas of our time is pluralism.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/a-social-entrepreneur-is-somebody-who-knows-how-to-make-an-idea/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Show me a religion that doesn't care about compassion. Show me a religion that doesn't care about stewardship of the environment. Show me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/show-me-a-religion-that-doesn-t-care-about-compassion-show-me-a/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [To see the other side, to defend another people, not despite your tradition but because of it, is the heart of pluralism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/to-see-the-other-side-to-defend-another-people-not-despite-your/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [When thousands of people discover that their story is also someone else's story, they have the chance to write a new story together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/when-thousands-of-people-discover-that-their-story-is-also-someone/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Religious extremists want to show us that the only possibility is for us to kill each other, so September 11 is not only heinous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/religious-extremists-want-to-show-us-that-the-only-possibility-is-for/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [I as a Muslim believe deeply in the differences that are within Islam. But I also take seriously the idea that we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-as-a-muslim-believe-deeply-in-the-differences-that-are-within-islam/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [I thought about the meaning of pluralism in a world where the forces that seek to divide us are strong. I came to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-thought-about-the-meaning-of-pluralism-in-a-world-where-the-forces/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Too many people think that the faith line divides Muslims and Christians or Jews and Hindus, or just to say that there is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/too-many-people-think-that-the-faith-line-divides-muslims-and/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [A social entrepreneur is somebody who knows how to make an idea reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/a-social-entrepreneur-is-somebody-who-knows-how-to-make-an-idea-2/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Everywhere I go - from villages outside Kandy, Sri Lanka, to community centers in Amman, Jordan, to offices at the State Department in Washington,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/everywhere-i-go-from-villages-outside-kandy-sri-lanka-to-community/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) [Explore all 30 Eboo Patel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) ## More Bombs quotes > [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/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [We're not going to cure terrorism and spread peace and goodwill in the Middle East by killing innocent people, or I'm not even saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-re-not-going-to-cure-terrorism-and-spread-peace-and-goodwill-in/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [I call on the Iranian people: it is not too late to replace the corrupt regime and return to your glorious Persian heritage, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/i-call-on-the-iranian-people-it-is-not-too-late-to-replace-the/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I had a very well-respected writer ask me point blank to my face whether it actually mattered to me. Now, without wanting to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-furyk/i-had-a-very-well-respected-writer-ask-me-point-blank-to-my-face/) [Jim Furyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-furyk/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-are-cameras-nowadays-that-have-been-developed-to-tell-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) [Browse all 1,253 Bombs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have to build bridges that are stronger than the bombs that other people might throw", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eboo Patel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-stronger-than-the-bombs-that-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bombs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-stronger-than-the-bombs-that-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/eboo-patel-20781_bombs_we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-strong_244212.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have to build bridges that are stronger than the bombs that other people might throw” — Eboo Patel", "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": "Eboo Patel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have to build bridges that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-stronger-than-the-bombs-that-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/we-have-to-build-bridges-that-are-stronger-than-the-bombs-that-other/#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 } } ] } ```