--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It takes more than a few generations to…" description: "\"It takes more than a few generations to change a human nation. Those who are intent to bring (change) will do so.\" — Elie Wiesel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png" --- # It takes more than a few generations to change a human… ![“It takes more than a few generations to change a human nation. Those who are intent to bring (change) will do so.” quote by Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png) > “It takes more than a few generations to change a human nation. Those who are intent to bring (change) will do so.” [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Changing a nation requires generations; intentional, sustained effort is needed to bring about lasting transformation. **In simple terms:** Long‑term, purposeful change. Key Takeaway Commit to persistent effort. Themes social change generational effort intentional action Mood reflective urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education reform - grassroots movements - policy development - cultural shifts Key Concepts historical progress collective responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What actions can individuals take today? - How can we keep momentum across generations? A Different Perspective Change can be stalled by entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bring Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bring-change/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-human/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Generations Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations-change-1786835/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nation Intent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-intent-1786836/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Takes Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-generations-789091/) ## Related quotes > [My sense of humor will always stand in the way of my seeing myself, my family, my race or my nation as the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/my-sense-of-humor-will-always-stand-in-the-way-of-my-seeing-myself-my/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [“As we age, we are bound to find comfort from the notion that it takes generations for a way of life to fade. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/as-we-age-we-are-bound-to-find-comfort-from-the-notion-that-it-takes/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [It only takes twenty generations of selective breeding to create large differences or appearance and behavior in other mammals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/it-only-takes-twenty-generations-of-selective-breeding-to-create/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Every age and every nation has certain characteristic vices, which prevail almost universally, which scarcely any person scruples to avow, and which even rigid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/every-age-and-every-nation-has-certain-characteristic-vices-which/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [We are going to have to go through generations of change before we see the impact of females taking a role in the workplace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-wolff/we-are-going-to-have-to-go-through-generations-of-change-before-we/) [Susie Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-wolff/) > [I realized then that the generations may change but the strength of our nation remains solid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-d-hull/i-realized-then-that-the-generations-may-change-but-the-strength-of/) [Jane D. Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-d-hull/) > [Things change in different countries as people grow, and as generations change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-elizabeth/things-change-in-different-countries-as-people-grow-and-as/) [Shannon Elizabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-elizabeth/) > [Really, each era has its own false nostalgia. We all put a picket fence up around something. For my generation it was the '50s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ross/really-each-era-has-its-own-false-nostalgia-we-all-put-a-picket-fence-2/) [Gary Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ross/) > [It takes four generations to recover from every act of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-adamson/it-takes-four-generations-to-recover-from-every-act-of-violence/) [Rebecca Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-adamson/) > [“Who we are takes generations to create and doesn’t end with death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-siegel/who-we-are-takes-generations-to-create-and-doesn-t-end-with-death/) [Stanley Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-siegel/) > [To become a world-class university takes a lot of time. There are simply no shortcuts. People tend to assume, and I have encountered this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/to-become-a-world-class-university-takes-a-lot-of-time-there-are/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [“And isn’t it funny, she thought, that it takes two generations to kill off a man? … First him, and then his memory. …”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ann-grau/and-isn-t-it-funny-she-thought-that-it-takes-two-generations-to-kill/) [Shirley Ann Grau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ann-grau/) > [Any change in customs ... takes generations to accomplish, and must come about by general consent. Even a superficial study of sociology shows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-fenwick/any-change-in-customs-takes-generations-to-accomplish-and-must-come/) [Millicent Fenwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-fenwick/) > [Once the fabric of a just society is undone, it takes generations to weave it back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/once-the-fabric-of-a-just-society-is-undone-it-takes-generations-to/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [One act of violence takes four generations to heal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/one-act-of-violence-takes-four-generations-to-heal/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More by Elie Wiesel > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [One more stab to the heart, one more reason to hate. One less reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/one-more-stab-to-the-heart-one-more-reason-to-hate-one-less-reason-to/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/what-all-these-victims-need-above-all-is-to-know-that-they-are-not/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I feel that books, just like people, have a destiny. Some invite sorrow, others joy, some both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-feel-that-books-just-like-people-have-a-destiny-some-invite-sorrow/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [ \[Chinese\] are a huge empire now, you'll soon be - in a few years two billion people in the world. So, you should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/chinese-are-a-huge-empire-now-you-ll-soon-be-in-a-few-years-two/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Did I write it so as not to go mad or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/did-i-write-it-so-as-not-to-go-mad-or-on-the-contrary-to-go-mad-in/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Take the story of Cain and Abel. Why were we given that story? Scientifically, you may have an explanation for it, but I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/take-the-story-of-cain-and-abel-why-were-we-given-that-story/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/mankind-must-remember-that-peace-is-not-god-s-gift-to-his-creatures/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [The world? The world is not interested in us. Today, everything is possible, even the crematoria...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-world-the-world-is-not-interested-in-us-today-everything-is/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/every-question-possessed-a-power-that-was-lost-in-the-answer/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/his-cold-eyes-stared-at-me-at-last-he-said-wearily-i-have-more-faith/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [As you know, I describe Shirat ha-Yam as part of an epic story that has qualities of history and which also has qualities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/as-you-know-i-describe-shirat-ha-yam-as-part-of-an-epic-story-that/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Every Jew, somewhere in his being, should set apart a zone of hate -healthy virile hate- for what the German personifies and for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/every-jew-somewhere-in-his-being-should-set-apart-a-zone-of-hate/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/did-hope-help-us-to-survive-or-not-too-many-families-clung-to-it-all/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) [Explore all 662 Elie Wiesel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [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/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It takes more than a few generations to change a human nation. Those who are intent to bring (change) will do so.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elie Wiesel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to-change-a-human-nation-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to-change-a-human-nation-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/elie-wiesel-341_change_it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to_2582153.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It takes more than a few generations to change a human nation. Those who are intent to bring (change) will…” — Elie Wiesel", "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": "Elie Wiesel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It takes more than a few...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to-change-a-human-nation-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/it-takes-more-than-a-few-generations-to-change-a-human-nation-those/#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 } } ] } ```