--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought the Vietnam war was an utter…" description: "\"I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.\" — George McGovern" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png" --- # I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated… ![“I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.” quote by George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png) > “I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.” [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He admits the Vietnam War was a total failure, making praise impossible. **In simple terms:** The war was a disaster. Key Takeaway Learn from past policy failures. Themes politics war morality Mood cautious critical Type historical political When to use this quote - policy debates - military interventions Key Concepts historical analysis public opinion Questions to Reflect On - What lessons should guide future interventions? - How can leaders admit mistakes responsibly? A Different Perspective Acknowledging failure may hinder constructive dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Say anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-anything/) [Thought Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-vietnam-4334421/) [Unmitigated Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unmitigated-disaster-4334419/) [Utter Unmitigated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utter-unmitigated-4334420/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Vietnam war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Utter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-utter-404934/) ## Related quotes > [Obviously all of us have thought about Vietnam, particularly in my generation in Australia that were part of conscription and fought there. Our friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-noyce/obviously-all-of-us-have-thought-about-vietnam-particularly-in-my/) [Phillip Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-noyce/) > [I am confirmed in my belief that war is utter destructive violent chaos. There is no "art," no "order(s)," no "just war." No matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/i-am-confirmed-in-my-belief-that-war-is-utter-destructive-violent/) [Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/) > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [War is utter damn nonsense, a vast cancer fed by lies and self seeking malignity on the part of those who don't do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/war-is-utter-damn-nonsense-a-vast-cancer-fed-by-lies-and-self-seeking/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [“Relax now. That’s the beauty of war. Utter subservience to one’s leaders absolves a soldier of the consequences of her actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-campbell/relax-now-that-s-the-beauty-of-war-utter-subservience-to-one-s/) [Alan Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-campbell/) > [The truth is that I oppose the Iraq war, just as I opposed the Vietnam War, because these two conflicts have weakened the U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/the-truth-is-that-i-oppose-the-iraq-war-just-as-i-opposed-the-vietnam/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [We seem bent upon saving the Vietnamese from Ho Chi Minh, even if we have to kill them and demolish their country to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/we-seem-bent-upon-saving-the-vietnamese-from-ho-chi-minh-even-if-we/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-was-the-guy-who-was-constantly-speaking-out-against-the-vietnam-war/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Never say anything that, down inside, you think is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/never-say-anything-that-down-inside-you-think-is-wrong/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Being a correspondent at the Vietnam war for me was about exposing myself to danger but it wasn't completely self-serving. I felt that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/being-a-correspondent-at-the-vietnam-war-for-me-was-about-exposing/) [Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/) > [With respect to where we are now, we have a voluntary army. And if we ever go back to conscription I hope that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/with-respect-to-where-we-are-now-we-have-a-voluntary-army-and-if-we/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [Many of us, whether in the jungles of Asia or on the streets of Chicago, had discovered that noble causes can lead to ignoble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/many-of-us-whether-in-the-jungles-of-asia-or-on-the-streets-of/) [Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/) > [I'm not going to say I was opposed to the Vietnam War. I'm going to say I'm opposed to war. But I'm also opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/i-m-not-going-to-say-i-was-opposed-to-the-vietnam-war-i-m-going-to/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [ “In all, the future secretary of defense and wartime vice president\[, Dick Cheney,\] would receive five deferments during the Vietnam War, protecting him from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-savage/in-all-the-future-secretary-of-defense-and-wartime-vice-president/) [Charlie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-savage/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) ## More by George McGovern > [Every Senator in this Chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This Chamber reeks of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly-responsible-for-sending-50/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a moderate liberal, a fighter for peace and justice. I never thought of myself as being all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-moderate-liberal-a-fighter-for-peace/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I was tired. I hadn't slept eight hours in two, three years. I lived on four, five hours of sleep. You can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-was-tired-i-hadn-t-slept-eight-hours-in-two-three-years-i-lived-on/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-did-frequently-refer-to-my-war-record-in-world-war-ii-but-not-in/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [It's a tough thing, to know what to do about a war that deep in your gut you feel is wrong and yet watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/it-s-a-tough-thing-to-know-what-to-do-about-a-war-that-deep-in-your/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I'm what a normal, healthy, ideal American should be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-m-what-a-normal-healthy-ideal-american-should-be-like/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-m-fed-up-to-the-ears-with-old-men-dreaming-up-wars-for-young-men-to/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie. My dad was a Methodist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up-2/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Above all, being a Democrat means having compassion for others. ... It means standing up for people who have been kept down ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/above-all-being-a-democrat-means-having-compassion-for-others-it/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I am fed up with a system which busts the pot smoker and lets the big dope racketeer go free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-am-fed-up-with-a-system-which-busts-the-pot-smoker-and-lets-the-big/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [To those who charge that liberalism has been tried and found wanting, I answer that the failure is not in the idea, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/to-those-who-charge-that-liberalism-has-been-tried-and-found-wanting/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/when-i-was-a-youngster-growing-up-in-south-dakota-we-never-referred/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [ I still love to go back to Mitchell \[his home town\] and wander up and down those streets. It just kind of reassures me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-still-love-to-go-back-to-mitchell-his-home-town-and-wander-up-and/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Truth is a habit of integrity, not a strategy of politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/truth-is-a-habit-of-integrity-not-a-strategy-of-politics/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) [Explore all 118 George McGovern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) [Tah the Trickster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tah-the-trickster/) > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) [Martha GellmanMartha Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/) [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George McGovern" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-unmitigated-disaster-so-it-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disaster" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-unmitigated-disaster-so-it-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/george-mcgovern-3955_disaster_i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-u_511560.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything…” — George McGovern", "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": "George McGovern", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I thought the Vietnam war was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-unmitigated-disaster-so-it-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-thought-the-vietnam-war-was-an-utter-unmitigated-disaster-so-it-was/#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 } } ] } ```