--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to…" description: "\"Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to face death, to conquer and master it, to come out of it alive -- a peculiar form of denial of our mortality?\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png" --- # Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to face death, to… ![“Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to face death, to conquer and master it, to come out of it alive -- a peculiar form of denial of our mortality?” quote by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png) > “Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to face death, to conquer and master it, to come out of it alive -- a peculiar form of denial of our mortality?” [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War confronts mortality, forcing individuals to deny death yet simultaneously master survival, revealing a paradox of denial and resilience. **In simple terms:** War forces denial of death and mastery. Key Takeaway Recognize death to master life. Themes mortality war psychology Mood somber thoughtful Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - combat zones - medical triage - personal crisis Key Concepts existentialism denial resilience Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting death change perspective? - Can denial be a survival tool? A Different Perspective Denial may prevent healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Conquer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquer/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Denial Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial-mortality-1658010/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peculiar/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-need-235856/) ## Related quotes > [“Vitality is not the denial of mortality, but the grown-up way of facing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/vitality-is-not-the-denial-of-mortality-but-the-grown-up-way-of/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“Death is the hardest question, and in an age that gives short shrift to the transmission of wisdom from old to young, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sasse/death-is-the-hardest-question-and-in-an-age-that-gives-short-shrift/) [Ben Sasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sasse/) > [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/) > [The main thing I say on war is that we need to obey the law and formally declare war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/the-main-thing-i-say-on-war-is-that-we-need-to-obey-the-law-and/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [To win this war, we need a commander in chief, not a professor of law standing at the lectern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/to-win-this-war-we-need-a-commander-in-chief-not-a-professor-of-law/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [Winston Churchill aroused this nation in heroic fashion to save civilisation in World War Two. We have everything we need except political will, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/winston-churchill-aroused-this-nation-in-heroic-fashion-to-save/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [To wage war, we need a commander in chief who has made tough calls in tough times and stood up to be held accountable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/to-wage-war-we-need-a-commander-in-chief-who-has-made-tough-calls-in/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I say when you get into a war, you should win as quick as you can, because your losses become a function of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-say-when-you-get-into-a-war-you-should-win-as-quick-as-you-can/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [To make war all you need is intelligence. 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He’s the only medic that knows how to be on the road when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/i-ain-t-taking-no-chances-with-any-of-it-he-s-coming-he-s-the-only/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [When the country is at war, you need to support the president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-hall/when-the-country-is-at-war-you-need-to-support-the-president/) [Ralph Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-hall/) > [“I have same answer about one a quation every body thinking as long as you think about the war as long as you wanna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-answer-about-whole-thngs/i-have-same-answer-about-one-a-quation-every-body-thinking-as-long-as/) [One Answer about Whole Thngs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-answer-about-whole-thngs/) > [The experience of a lot of us women is that too much money is being spent on militarism and war. We need human security:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mairead-corrigan/the-experience-of-a-lot-of-us-women-is-that-too-much-money-is-being-2/) [Mairead Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mairead-corrigan/) > [With proper tactics, nuclear war need not be as destructive as it appears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/with-proper-tactics-nuclear-war-need-not-be-as-destructive-as-it/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Peace need not be impracticable, and war need not be inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/peace-need-not-be-impracticable-and-war-need-not-be-inevitable/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) ## More by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross > [Watching a peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of a million lights in a vast sky that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/watching-a-peaceful-death-of-a-human-being-reminds-us-of-a-falling/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/death-is-staring-too-long-into-the-burning-sun-and-the-relief-of/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [There is not much sense in suffering, since drugs can be given for pain, itching, and other discomforts. 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We need to step into it, really to get to know it, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-need-time-to-move-through-the-pain-of-loss-we-need-to-step-into-it/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [We have to ask ourselves whether medicine is to remain a humanitarian and respected profession or a new but depersonalized science in the service…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-have-to-ask-ourselves-whether-medicine-is-to-remain-a-humanitarian/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“The reality is people have always died in large numbers in natural disasters such as avalanches, earthquakes, and tornadoes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/the-reality-is-people-have-always-died-in-large-numbers-in-natural/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [Everything in this life has a purpose, there are no mistakes, no coincidences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/everything-in-this-life-has-a-purpose-there-are-no-mistakes-no/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [We run after values that, at death, become zero. At the end of your life, nobody asks you how many degrees you have, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/we-run-after-values-that-at-death-become-zero-at-the-end-of-your-life/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [In the so-called civilized world, children are physically, sexually and/or emotionally abused; they are the leaders of our future. When children are raised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/in-the-so-called-civilized-world-children-are-physically-sexually-and/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [I look for mystery and try to decipher it while knowing it is an impossible task. I look for memory, where Mystery lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/i-look-for-mystery-and-try-to-decipher-it-while-knowing-it-is-an/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“Are we all destined to die as failures? Just”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/are-we-all-destined-to-die-as-failures-just/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“You can become a channel and a source of great inner strength. But you must give up everything in order to gain everything. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/you-can-become-a-channel-and-a-source-of-great-inner-strength-but-you/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [You have to temper the iron. Every hardship is an opportunity that you are given, an opportunity to grow. To grow is the sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/you-have-to-temper-the-iron-every-hardship-is-an-opportunity-that-you/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) [Explore all 176 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. 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"That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to face death, to conquer and master it, to come out of it alive -- a peculiar form of denial of our mortality?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elisabeth Kubler-Ross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-to-face-death-to-conquer-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-to-face-death-to-conquer-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43a/elisabeth-kubler-ross-1892_alive_is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-t_2567145.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is war perhaps nothing else but a need to face death, to conquer and master it, to come out of it alive -- a…” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross", "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": "Elisabeth Kubler-Ross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is war perhaps nothing else but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-to-face-death-to-conquer-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/is-war-perhaps-nothing-else-but-a-need-to-face-death-to-conquer-and/#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 } } ] } ```