--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sure, intellectually, she knew that…" description: "\"“Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism was the superior way of life. The problem was that it was a lot like communism in that it was only perfec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg" --- # Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism was the… ![“Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism was the superior way of life. The problem was that it was a lot like communism in that it was only perfect on paper. Put it in the real world and things fell apart fast because it depended on the good will and behavior of people for it to work.” quote by Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg) > ““Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism was the superior way of life. The problem was that it was a lot like communism in that it was only perfect on paper. Put it in the real world and things fell apart fast because it depended on the good will and behavior of people for it to work.”” [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pacifism may look ideal in theory but fails when it relies on universal goodwill, which is unrealistic in practice. **In simple terms:** Idealism breaks when it depends on everyone being good. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of idealistic systems. Themes idealism realism human nature politics Mood cautious critical reflective Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - peace movements - policy design - community building - conflict resolution Key Concepts Utopianism pragmatism social contract Questions to Reflect On - Can a system work without assuming perfect behavior? - How to design institutions that tolerate imperfection? A Different Perspective Idealistic approaches often ignore human selfishness and power dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intellectually Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectually-knew-1066770/) [Knew Pacifism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-pacifism-3895354/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Communism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-communism-830124/) [Pacifism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifism/) [Pacifism Superior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifism-superior-3895355/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [“Intellectually, she knew no one really died of a broken heart. Emotionally, she suspected some could.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/intellectually-she-knew-no-one-really-died-of-a-broken-heart/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Intellectually, they knew a great deal. Practically, they chose to know almost nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/intellectually-they-knew-a-great-deal-practically-they-chose-to-know/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The Western societies which espouse free market capitalism survive by the pursuit of greed and, in their own way, like Communism, throw into leadership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/the-western-societies-which-espouse-free-market-capitalism-survive-by/) [Davis McCaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-mccaughey/) > [“There were jokes under fascism and the Nazis too, but those systems did not create an absurd, laugh-a-minute reality like communism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lewis/there-were-jokes-under-fascism-and-the-nazis-too-but-those-systems/) [Ben Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lewis/) > [I don't like Communism because it hands out wealth through rationing books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-communism-because-it-hands-out-wealth-through-rationing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don''t know if I like communism, and I don''t know if I like socialism. But I know that the Breakfast for Children Program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hampton/i-don-t-know-if-i-like-communism-and-i-don-t-know-if-i-like-socialism/) [Fred Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hampton/) > ['Collective' sounds like communism, but we do work and live in a society where there is a collective well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-colmes/collective-sounds-like-communism-but-we-do-work-and-live-in-a-society/) [Alan Colmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-colmes/) > [The economic system that the United States has is an evil empire. It's an economic system that's not fair, not just, and it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/the-economic-system-that-the-united-states-has-is-an-evil-empire-it-s/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [Sharia has a ruling system, an economic system, a policy and social system, a foreign policy and judiciary system to be implemented, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjem-choudary/sharia-has-a-ruling-system-an-economic-system-a-policy-and-social/) [Anjem Choudary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjem-choudary/) > [“Fugitive Peace (Sonnet 2219) In the opera of war, peace is fugitive - thinking soldiers are no good to state, either you kill without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fugitive-peace-sonnet-2219-in-the-opera-of-war-peace-is-fugitive/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“I think about something I once heard on the radio. About Abraham and Isaac." "I was afraid you'd say something like that." "You asked."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-kazinski/i-think-about-something-i-once-heard-on-the-radio-about-abraham-and/) [A.J. Kazinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-kazinski/) > [I am not a terrorist, but neither am I a pacifist. I am simply a regular guy from the Palestinian street advocating only what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marwan-barghouti/i-am-not-a-terrorist-but-neither-am-i-a-pacifist-i-am-simply-a/) [Marwan Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marwan-barghouti/) > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. The ethos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/pacifism-as-a-mass-movement-aims-to-avoid-suffering-pacifists-often/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) > [“Nonviolence is the very essence of the gospels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-iswolsky/nonviolence-is-the-very-essence-of-the-gospels/) [Helene Iswolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helene-iswolsky/) > [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## More by Evan C. Currie > [“on the armor shut behind him, cutting the master chief off for a moment as the suit booted up. From”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/on-the-armor-shut-behind-him-cutting-the-master-chief-off-for-a/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“We don't bolt, Ensign ... We advance cautiously to the front and quickly to the rear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/we-don-t-bolt-ensign-we-advance-cautiously-to-the-front-and-quickly/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“I’ll not ask another generation to shoulder my burden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/i-ll-not-ask-another-generation-to-shoulder-my-burden/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“Very few things in the living universe are truely inert. So those with the eyes to see it, can precieve a very different realm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/very-few-things-in-the-living-universe-are-truely-inert-so-those-with/) [Evan c. currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“They didn't fear... They were fear!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/they-didn-t-fear-they-were-fear/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“It is always easier to curse in another language than your own!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/it-is-always-easier-to-curse-in-another-language-than-your-own/) [Evan c. currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“The main difference between a fighter pilot and God is that God doesn't think he was a fighter pilot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/the-main-difference-between-a-fighter-pilot-and-god-is-that-god-doesn/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“Evolution wasn’t a blueprint; it was a series of mistakes that occasionally turned out to be beneficial. And the doctor knew those were few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/evolution-wasn-t-a-blueprint-it-was-a-series-of-mistakes-that/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“Let’s not worry about when we go down, Commander. Let’s just worry about what kind of company we keep when we do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/let-s-not-worry-about-when-we-go-down-commander-let-s-just-worry/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“The difference between courage and stupidity is measured only by success and survival,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/the-difference-between-courage-and-stupidity-is-measured-only-by/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“There was just something very crystalizing about bullets whining over your head; it tended to put questions of morality in perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/there-was-just-something-very-crystalizing-about-bullets-whining-over/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“Sometime you end with your god but usually the numbers were the best path. Knowing when to draw the line was the hardest skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/sometime-you-end-with-your-god-but-usually-the-numbers-were-the-best/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“... they couldn't do it the easy way, so they cut through the problem and made another option.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/they-couldn-t-do-it-the-easy-way-so-they-cut-through-the-problem-and/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“If we survive this, I'm going to have a very serious talk with the techs back home about what constitutes "need to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/if-we-survive-this-i-m-going-to-have-a-very-serious-talk-with-the/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) > [“There are some things in this universe that are better left unknown. Some knowledge changes you. That knowledge exact a terrible toll!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/there-are-some-things-in-this-universe-that-are-better-left-unknown/) [Evan C. Currie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) [Explore all 21 Evan C. Currie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [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/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism was the superior way of life. The problem was that it was a lot like communism in that it was only perfect on paper. Put it in the real world and things fell apart fast because it depended on the good will and behavior of people for it to work.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evan C. Currie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifism-was-the-superior-way-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifism-was-the-superior-way-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb7/evan-c-currie-25672_life_sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifi_2866083.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism was the superior way of life. The problem was that it was a lot…” — Evan C. Currie", "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": "Evan C. Currie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-c-currie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sure, intellectually, she knew that pacifism...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifism-was-the-superior-way-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-c-currie/sure-intellectually-she-knew-that-pacifism-was-the-superior-way-of/#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 } } ] } ```