--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To deal with the true causes of war one…" description: "\"To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by recognizing as of prime relevancy to the solution of the problem the familiar fact that civilizat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg" --- # To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by… ![“To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by recognizing as of prime relevancy to the solution of the problem the familiar fact that civilization is a partial, incomplete, and, to a great extent, superficial modification of barbarism.” quote by Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg) > “To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by recognizing as of prime relevancy to the solution of the problem the familiar fact that civilization is a partial, incomplete, and, to a great extent, superficial modification of barbarism.” [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War stems from civilization's superficial veneer over barbarism; recognizing this is key to peace. **In simple terms:** Civilization masks deeper barbarism. Key Takeaway Address underlying barbaric tendencies. Themes war civilization barbarism Mood analytical serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - conflict resolution - education - media analysis Key Concepts political theory human nature Questions to Reflect On - What superficial aspects hide deeper conflicts? - How can societies confront barbaric roots? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Barbarism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barbarism/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Causes of war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-of-war/) [Causes War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-war-1545807/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Partial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-partial-4995597/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Fact Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-civilization-1049260/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Incomplete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incomplete/) [Modification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modification/) [Partial Incomplete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partial-incomplete-4995598/) [Prime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Recognizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognizing/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Superficial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superficial/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Lightly armed nations can move toward war just as easily as those which are armed to the teeth, and they will do so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-quidde/lightly-armed-nations-can-move-toward-war-just-as-easily-as-those/) [Ludwig Quidde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-quidde/) > [No war can end war except a total war which leaves no human creature on earth. Each war creates the causes of war: hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-popkin/no-war-can-end-war-except-a-total-war-which-leaves-no-human-creature/) [Zelda Popkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-popkin/) > [Real peace is more than the absence of war; it is an absence of the causes of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peace-pilgrim/real-peace-is-more-than-the-absence-of-war-it-is-an-absence-of-the/) [Peace Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peace-pilgrim/) > [Peace is the result of an inner state of harmony. It is not obtained by eliminating anything external, it is inside ourselves that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omraam-mikhael-aivanhov/peace-is-the-result-of-an-inner-state-of-harmony-it-is-not-obtained/) [Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omraam-mikhael-aivanhov/) > [War is the usual condition of Europe. A thirty years' supply of causes of war is always on hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kropotkin/war-is-the-usual-condition-of-europe-a-thirty-years-supply-of-causes/) [Peter Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kropotkin/) > [Instead of hating the people you think are war-makers, hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/instead-of-hating-the-people-you-think-are-war-makers-hate-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [According to the first image of international relations, the locus of the important causes of war is found in the nature and behavior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-waltz/according-to-the-first-image-of-international-relations-the-locus-of/) [Kenneth Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-waltz/) > [I used to think that the causes of war were predominantly economic. I came to think that they were more psychological. I am now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/i-used-to-think-that-the-causes-of-war-were-predominantly-economic-i/) [B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [The best defence of peace is not power, but the removal of the causes of war, and international agreements which will put peace on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-b-pearson/the-best-defence-of-peace-is-not-power-but-the-removal-of-the-causes/) [Lester B. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-b-pearson/) > [The more one observes, the more clearly does he see that it is in the soil of pure science that are found the origins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-more-one-observes-the-more-clearly-does-he-see-that-it-is-in-the/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [The universal regard for money is the one hopeful fact in our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-universal-regard-for-money-is-the-one-hopeful-fact-in-our-2/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact that if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships, the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/today-we-are-faced-with-the-pre-eminent-fact-that-if-civilization-is/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“He realized that the ritualized world he had dismissed as feminine was in fact civilization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-willow-wilson-2/he-realized-that-the-ritualized-world-he-had-dismissed-as-feminine/) [G Willow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-willow-wilson-2/) > [The fact is, that civilization requires slaves. Unless there are slaves to do the ugly, horrible, uninteresting work, culture and contemplation become almost impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-fact-is-that-civilization-requires-slaves-unless-there-are-slaves/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [We shall never be able to remove suspicion and fear as potential causes of war until communication is permitted to flow, free and open,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/we-shall-never-be-able-to-remove-suspicion-and-fear-as-potential/) [Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/) ## More by Elihu Root > [I guess you will have to go to jail. If that is the result of not understanding the Income Tax Law, I will meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/i-guess-you-will-have-to-go-to-jail-if-that-is-the-result-of-not/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [Human life is held in much higher esteem, and the taking of it, whether in private quarrel or by judicial procedure, is looked upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/human-life-is-held-in-much-higher-esteem-and-the-taking-of-it-whether/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [The line of least resistance in the progress of civilization is to make that theoretical postulate real by the continually increasing force of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/the-line-of-least-resistance-in-the-progress-of-civilization-is-to/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [It is not uncommon in modern times to see governments straining every nerve to keep the peace, and the people whom they represent, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/it-is-not-uncommon-in-modern-times-to-see-governments-straining-every/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [Politics is the practical exercise of the art of self-government, and somebody must attend to it if we are to have self-government; somebody must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/politics-is-the-practical-exercise-of-the-art-of-self-government-and/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [Nobody knows through how many thousands of years fighting men have made a place for themselves while the weak and peaceable have gone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/nobody-knows-through-how-many-thousands-of-years-fighting-men-have/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [Prejudice and passion and suspicion are more dangerous than the incitement of self-interest or the most stubborn adherence to real differences of opinion regarding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/prejudice-and-passion-and-suspicion-are-more-dangerous-than-the/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [The attractive idea that we can now have a parliament of man with authority to control the conduct of nations by legislation or an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/the-attractive-idea-that-we-can-now-have-a-parliament-of-man-with/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [The mere assemblage of peace loving people to interchange convincing reasons for their common faith, mere exhortation and argument to the public in favor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/the-mere-assemblage-of-peace-loving-people-to-interchange-convincing/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [The popular tendency is to listen approvingly to the most extreme statements and claims of politicians and orators who seek popularity by declaring their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/the-popular-tendency-is-to-listen-approvingly-to-the-most-extreme/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [In the first place, when there is a policy of intentional aggression, inspired by a desire to get possession of the territory or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/in-the-first-place-when-there-is-a-policy-of-intentional-aggression/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [The framers of the Constitution realized that . . . there needed to be some guardian of the sober second thought, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/the-framers-of-the-constitution-realized-that-there-needed-to-be-some/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [Human nature must have come much nearer perfection than it is now, or will be in many generations, to exclude from such a control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/human-nature-must-have-come-much-nearer-perfection-than-it-is-now-or/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [It is not a question of religion, or of creed, or of party; it is a question of declaring and maintaining the great American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/it-is-not-a-question-of-religion-or-of-creed-or-of-party-it-is-a/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) > [About half the practice of a decent lawyer is telling would-be clients that they are damned fools and should shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/about-half-the-practice-of-a-decent-lawyer-is-telling-would-be/) [Elihu Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) [Explore all 39 Elihu Root quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/) ## 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": "To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by recognizing as of prime relevancy to the solution of the problem the familiar fact that civilization is a partial, incomplete, and, to a great extent, superficial modification of barbarism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elihu Root" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one-must-begin-by-recognizing-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Barbarism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one-must-begin-by-recognizing-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/elihu-root-16522_barbarism_to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one_2227295.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by recognizing as of prime relevancy to the solution of…” — Elihu Root", "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": "Elihu Root", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elihu-root/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To deal with the true causes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one-must-begin-by-recognizing-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elihu-root/to-deal-with-the-true-causes-of-war-one-must-begin-by-recognizing-as/#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 } } ] } ```