--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Achieving real, lasting change is much…" description: "\"“Achieving real, lasting change is much harder than firing weapons at a defined enemy,’ she said.”\" — Fay Abernethy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg" --- # Achieving real, lasting change is much harder than firing… ![“Achieving real, lasting change is much harder than firing weapons at a defined enemy,’ she said.” quote by Fay Abernethy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg) > ““Achieving real, lasting change is much harder than firing weapons at a defined enemy,’ she said.”” [Fay Abernethy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-abernethy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sustainable change requires deeper effort than combatting an enemy; it demands systemic transformation. **In simple terms:** Real change is harder than fighting. Key Takeaway Pursue systemic solutions. Themes environment climate change science fiction activism Mood urgent inspirational Type Change:1 Cli-fi:1 Climate-crisis:1 Eco-science-fantasy:0 First contact:0 Harder:1 Lasting change:1 Science fiction:1 Enemy Said:0 Change Harder:0 Harder Firing:0 When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community organizing - fiction writing - public debates Key Concepts political science ecology future studies Questions to Reflect On - What systemic barriers exist? - How can individuals influence large‑scale change? A Different Perspective Changing systems can be slow and complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-harder-3348000/) [Cli-fi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cli-fi-33672/) [Climate-crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-crisis/) [Eco-science-fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eco-science-fantasy-52793/) [Enemy Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-said-1426290/) [First contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-contact/) [Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder/) [Harder Firing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder-firing-4857503/) [Lasting change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-change/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [“Learning a language promoted the first tender shoots of intercultural understanding. People became familiar with previously alien concepts and, as a consequence, more open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-abernethy/learning-a-language-promoted-the-first-tender-shoots-of-intercultural/) [Fay Abernethy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-abernethy/) > [“Something to say?' said Laurent Jord was holding off from them. The same stubborn distaste was in his voice. 'Not with him here.' 'He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/something-to-say-said-laurent-jord-was-holding-off-from-them-the-same/) [C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/) > [Its is easy to spill the blood off the heart of ur enemy , but who said that u will always have ur enemies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-knight/its-is-easy-to-spill-the-blood-off-the-heart-of-ur-enemy-but-who-said/) [Kevin Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-knight/) > [“Frodo has been touched by the weapons of the Enemy,' said Strider, 'and there is some poison or evil at work that is beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/frodo-has-been-touched-by-the-weapons-of-the-enemy-said-strider-and/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [The Giants were a good team, but our biggest enemy was said to be Candlestick Park.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/the-giants-were-a-good-team-but-our-biggest-enemy-was-said-to-be/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [“Structuring an organization for change is much harder than designing a system for change. Each man must be assigned to jobs that broaden him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-p-brooks-jr/structuring-an-organization-for-change-is-much-harder-than-designing/) [Frederick P. Brooks Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-p-brooks-jr/) > [It's hard to watch people change, but it's even harder to remember who they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/it-s-hard-to-watch-people-change-but-it-s-even-harder-to-remember-who/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [It's hard to watch people change, but it's harder to remember who they used to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-hard-to-watch-people-change-but-it-s-harder-to-remember-who-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think habits and behaviors are very hard to change. And they're even harder when you're back home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-dougherty/i-think-habits-and-behaviors-are-very-hard-to-change-and-they-re-even/) [Joseph Dougherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-dougherty/) > [No matter what is going on around or within you, everything at some point must change. It's harder to accept when things are great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kandyse-mcclure/no-matter-what-is-going-on-around-or-within-you-everything-at-some/) [Kandyse McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kandyse-mcclure/) > [“The cruel injustice is that even though the world’s poor are doing essentially nothing to cause climate change, they’re going to suffer the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-cruel-injustice-is-that-even-though-the-world-s-poor-are-doing/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“You say that you love your children above everything else. And yet you are stealing their future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-thunberg/you-say-that-you-love-your-children-above-everything-else-and-yet-you/) [Greta Thunberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-thunberg/) > [“Earth doesn't need our consent to wipe us out, any more than we asked permission from corona virus. Cosmos carries no fury like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/earth-doesn-t-need-our-consent-to-wipe-us-out-any-more-than-we-asked/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Hopefulness is risky, since it is after all a form of trust, trust in the unknown and the possible, even in discontinuity. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/hopefulness-is-risky-since-it-is-after-all-a-form-of-trust-trust-in/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“The stories we hear daily tell us that we are not good enough to rise to our environmental moment. For a long time, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-irene-whittaker/the-stories-we-hear-daily-tell-us-that-we-are-not-good-enough-to-rise/) [Alice Irene Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-irene-whittaker/) ## More by Fay Abernethy > [“Learning a language promoted the first tender shoots of intercultural understanding. People became familiar with previously alien concepts and, as a consequence, more open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-abernethy/learning-a-language-promoted-the-first-tender-shoots-of-intercultural/) [Fay Abernethy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-abernethy/) [Explore all 2 Fay Abernethy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-abernethy/) ## 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. 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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": "“Achieving real, lasting change is much harder than firing weapons at a defined enemy,’ she said.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fay Abernethy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-abernethy/achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-harder-than-firing-weapons-at-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-abernethy/achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-harder-than-firing-weapons-at-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/fay-abernethy-102899_change_achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-ha_1392560.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Achieving real, lasting change is much harder than firing weapons at a defined enemy,’ she said.” — Fay Abernethy", "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": "Fay Abernethy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-abernethy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Achieving real, lasting change is much...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-abernethy/achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-harder-than-firing-weapons-at-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-abernethy/achieving-real-lasting-change-is-much-harder-than-firing-weapons-at-a/#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 } } ] } ```