--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [...] from what I'd been able to…" description: "\"“[...] from what I'd been able to ascertain online, the Swiss were a reassuringly practical people. They had a long, proud history of staying out of wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/gavin-extence-17798_history_from-what-i-d-been-able-to-ascertain-onl_1498372.jpg" --- # \[...\] from what I'd been able to ascertain online, the… ![“[...] from what I'd been able to ascertain online, the Swiss were a reassuringly practical people. They had a long, proud history of staying out of wars, preferring to devote themselves to more constructive endeavours like science, secure banking and building extremely accurate clocks.” quote by Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/gavin-extence-17798_history_from-what-i-d-been-able-to-ascertain-onl_1498372.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/gavin-extence-17798_history_from-what-i-d-been-able-to-ascertain-onl_1498372.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/gavin-extence-17798_history_from-what-i-d-been-able-to-ascertain-onl_1498372.jpg) > ““\[...\] from what I'd been able to ascertain online, the Swiss were a reassuringly practical people. They had a long, proud history of staying out of wars, preferring to devote themselves to more constructive endeavours like science, secure banking and building extremely accurate clocks.”” [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Swiss are portrayed as pragmatic, avoiding conflict and focusing on constructive pursuits such as science, finance, and precision engineering. **In simple terms:** Swiss value practicality and peace over war. Key Takeaway Embrace practical, peaceful contributions. Themes practicality peace innovation precision finance Mood respectful analytical Type observational descriptive When to use this quote - career choices - financial planning - engineering projects - conflict resolution Key Concepts neutralism economic stability scientific progress Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance peace with security? - What practical fields can you contribute to? A Different Perspective Peaceful stance may limit defensive readiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Online Swiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/online-swiss-5487596/) [Practical People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practical-people-323314/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Swiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swiss/) [Swiss Reassuringly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swiss-reassuringly-5487595/) [Wars Preferring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars-preferring-5487597/) ## Related quotes > [The Dutch are a very practical people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/famke-janssen/the-dutch-are-a-very-practical-people/) [Famke Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/famke-janssen/) > [Ohioans are practical. We're a can-do people. Give us a problem, we'll give you a solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-taft/ohioans-are-practical-we-re-a-can-do-people-give-us-a-problem-we-ll/) [Bob Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-taft/) > [“We’re so useful, we practical people. We hold it altogether. But we’re seen as killjoys, somehow. Most unfair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-trollope/we-re-so-useful-we-practical-people-we-hold-it-altogether-but-we-re/) [Joanna Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-trollope/) > [Unlike diamonds, watches were practical. They were for people on the run, people with appointments to keep and schedules to meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/unlike-diamonds-watches-were-practical-they-were-for-people-on-the/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Technical know-how of the experts must be transformed into practical do-how of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-c-james-yen/technical-know-how-of-the-experts-must-be-transformed-into-practical/) [Y. C. James Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-c-james-yen/) > [My parents are very practical people and they told me, 'If this comedy thing is an actual career and a job that you want,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/my-parents-are-very-practical-people-and-they-told-me-if-this-comedy/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [The English, being the most practical people in the world, came up with parliamentary democracy and codified football and Cadbury's Creme Egg. And yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/the-english-being-the-most-practical-people-in-the-world-came-up-with/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [The well adjusted make poor prophets. A pleasant existence blinds us to the possibilities of drastic change. We cling to what we call our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-well-adjusted-make-poor-prophets-a-pleasant-existence-blinds-us/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Practical people would be more practical if they would take a little more time for dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-mcevoy/practical-people-would-be-more-practical-if-they-would-take-a-little/) [J. P. McEvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-mcevoy/) > [“We need to a new word to describe Swiss happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-need-to-a-new-word-to-describe-swiss-happiness/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [ If you could call me buff, my version of buff was when I finished that film \[Swiss Army Man\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/if-you-could-call-me-buff-my-version-of-buff-was-when-i-finished-that/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [I like the Swiss because by and large they are more humane than the other people aming whom I have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-like-the-swiss-because-by-and-large-they-are-more-humane-than-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [... the running shoe ... could be called the Swiss Army knife of footwear ... What appeal is there to a shoe whose only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-pond/the-running-shoe-could-be-called-the-swiss-army-knife-of-footwear/) [Mimi Pond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-pond/) > [We wouldn't want to be like the Swiss, would we? That would be awful! We'd be rich!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/we-wouldn-t-want-to-be-like-the-swiss-would-we-that-would-be-awful-we/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) ## More by Gavin Extence > [ The most important thing I learned \[...\] was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-that-when-a-person-dies-he/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“The first thing I learned that day was this: what you think you know about a person is only a fraction of the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-first-thing-i-learned-that-day-was-this-what-you-think-you-know/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [In the long history of human affairs, common sense doesn’t have the greatest track record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-the-long-history-of-human-affairs-common-sense-doesn-t-have-the/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Well, for each of us the brain creates a whole, unique universe. It contains everything we know. Everything we see or touch. Everything we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/well-for-each-of-us-the-brain-creates-a-whole-unique-universe-it/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Funerals aren't for the dead. They're for the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/funerals-aren-t-for-the-dead-they-re-for-the-living/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“They called our arrangement a 'Death Pact' - but, really, that's not a phrase that tells you anything important. It's just the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/they-called-our-arrangement-a-death-pact-but-really-that-s-not-a/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [I knew how many zeroes there were in a quintillion, but I thought that algebra lived in ponds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/i-knew-how-many-zeroes-there-were-in-a-quintillion-but-i-thought-that/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“It was a uniquely human problem, something no other animal had to put up with, this ability to suffer in multiple tenses – simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/it-was-a-uniquely-human-problem-something-no-other-animal-had-to-put/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“The more I thought about Jocelyn's theory, the less bizarre it seemed. Yes, there were things about it that were absolutely cuckoo - Mrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-more-i-thought-about-jocelyn-s-theory-the-less-bizarre-it-seemed/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“It's possible to find order in chaos, and it's equally possible to find chaos underlying apparent order. Order and chaos are slippery concepts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/it-s-possible-to-find-order-in-chaos-and-it-s-equally-possible-to/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Acknowledging reality for myself was one thing. Having to explain what as happening - and what was going to happen - to another person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/acknowledging-reality-for-myself-was-one-thing-having-to-explain-what/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“In life, there are no true beginnings or endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/in-life-there-are-no-true-beginnings-or-endings/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“... The Sirens of Titan …. … ‘That’s a funny name for a book,’ I said with a gulp. ‘Are those women going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-sirens-of-titan-that-s-a-funny-name-for-a-book-i-said-with-a-gulp/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“Don't you think it's good to serve your country?' I asked. 'No, I don't,' Mr Peterson said. 'I think it's good to serve your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/don-t-you-think-it-s-good-to-serve-your-country-i-asked-no-i-don-t-mr/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [“People talk about dark moods, black moods, all the time. But depression isn’t a dark mood. It’s an ash-grey mood, or possibly some type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/people-talk-about-dark-moods-black-moods-all-the-time-but-depression/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) [Explore all 36 Gavin Extence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“[...] from what I'd been able to ascertain online, the Swiss were a reassuringly practical people. 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