--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pacifism is a tenable position, provided…" description: "\"“Pacifism is a tenable position, provided that you are prepared to live with the consequences.”\" — George Orwell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/george-orwell-57_pacifism_pacifism-is-a-tenable-position-provided_298008.jpg" --- # Pacifism is a tenable position, provided that you are… ![“Pacifism is a tenable position, provided that you are prepared to live with the consequences.” quote by George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/george-orwell-57_pacifism_pacifism-is-a-tenable-position-provided_298008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/george-orwell-57_pacifism_pacifism-is-a-tenable-position-provided_298008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/946/george-orwell-57_pacifism_pacifism-is-a-tenable-position-provided_298008.jpg) > ““Pacifism is a tenable position, provided that you are prepared to live with the consequences.”” [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pacifism is viable only if one accepts the inevitable consequences of non‑violent stance. **In simple terms:** Pacifism works if you accept its outcomes. Key Takeaway Consider the costs before adopting pacifism. Themes peace ethics consequences Mood serious thoughtful Type philosophical pragmatic When to use this quote - war zones - civil protest - policy advocacy - personal safety planning Key Concepts political philosophy moral dilemmas strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - Are you prepared to face potential harm for peace? - What alternatives exist when pacifism seems impractical? A Different Perspective Real‑world conflicts may force compromises, challenging pure pacifist ideals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pacifism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifism/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) ## Related quotes > [Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/since-pacifists-have-more-freedom-of-action-in-countries-where-traces/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [ “If \[pacifists\] imagine that one can somehow "overcome" the German army by lying on one's back, let them go on imagining it, but let… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-pacifists-imagine-that-one-can-somehow-overcome-the-german-army-by/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Creeds like pacifism or anarchism, which seem on the surface to imply a complete renunciation of power, rather encourage this habit of mind. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/creeds-like-pacifism-or-anarchism-which-seem-on-the-surface-to-imply/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Pacifism is objectively pro-Fascist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/pacifism-is-objectively-pro-fascist/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We believe half-instinctively that evil always defeats itself in the long run. Pacifism is founded largely on this belief. Don't resist evil, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/we-believe-half-instinctively-that-evil-always-defeats-itself-in-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Pacifism is a psychological curiosity rather than a political movement. Some of the extremer pacifists, starting out with a complete renunciation of violence, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/pacifism-is-a-psychological-curiosity-rather-than-a-political/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“It is difficult to see how Gandhi's methods could be applied in a country where opponents of the regime disappear in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-is-difficult-to-see-how-gandhi-s-methods-could-be-applied-in-a/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“All in all it is difficult not to feel that pacifism, as it appears among a section of the intelligentsia, is secretly inspired by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-in-all-it-is-difficult-not-to-feel-that-pacifism-as-it-appears/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [ “The young officers who had come back \[from WW1\], hardened by their terrible experience and disgusted by the attitude of the younger generation to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-young-officers-who-had-come-back-from-ww1-hardened-by-their/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [ “Moreover \[pacifists\] do not as a rule condemn violence as such, but only violence used in defence of western countries” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/moreover-pacifists-do-not-as-a-rule-condemn-violence-as-such-but-only/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The majority of pacifists either belong to obscure religious sects or are simply humanitarians who object to taking life and prefer not to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-majority-of-pacifists-either-belong-to-obscure-religious-sects-or/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Despotic governments can stand 'moral force' till the cows come home; what they fear is physical force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/despotic-governments-can-stand-moral-force-till-the-cows-come-home/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [ “The idea that you can somehow remain aloof from and superior to the struggle \[World War II\], while living on food which British sailors… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-idea-that-you-can-somehow-remain-aloof-from-and-superior-to-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“In foreign politics many intellectuals follow the principle that any faction backed by Britain must be in the wrong. As a result, ‘enlightened’ opinion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-foreign-politics-many-intellectuals-follow-the-principle-that-any/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Pacifism is objectively pro-fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side, you automatically help out that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/pacifism-is-objectively-pro-fascist-this-is-elementary-common-sense/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More by George Orwell > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The actual writing would be easy. 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In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/don-t-you-see-that-the-whole-aim-of-newspeak-is-to-narrow-the-range/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on--that is, badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/windmill-or-no-windmill-he-said-life-would-go-on-as-it-had-always/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/man-is-the-only-creature-that-consumes-without-producing-he-does-not/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [And the bigger the fall, the bigger the joke. It would be better fun to throw a custard pie at a bishop than at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-the-bigger-the-fall-the-bigger-the-joke-it-would-be-better-fun-to/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Any writer or journalist who wants to retain his integrity finds himself thwarted by the general drift of society rather than by active persecution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/any-writer-or-journalist-who-wants-to-retain-his-integrity-finds/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) [Explore all 1,657 George Orwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) ## More Pacifism quotes > [“... 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/) > [“Nonviolence is the very essence of the gospels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-iswolsky/nonviolence-is-the-very-essence-of-the-gospels/) Helene Iswolsky > [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/) > [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 > [“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/) > [“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/) > [“It is night at the front, a shadow, a shot. The Jew who has just fired hears a moan... "And then, mother, the hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-schwarz-bart/it-is-night-at-the-front-a-shadow-a-shot-the-jew-who-has-just-fired/) Andre Schwarz-Bart > [I really believe that Bob Dylan and others have speeded up the changes. Pacifism has found a voice at last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-really-believe-that-bob-dylan-and-others-have-speeded-up-the/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/since-pacifists-have-more-freedom-of-action-in-countries-where-traces/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The friends of Galtieri, Saddam Hussein, Mullah Omar and Milosevic make unconvincing defenders of humanitarian values, and it can be seen that their inept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-friends-of-galtieri-saddam-hussein-mullah-omar-and-milosevic-make/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I know there are some Christians who believe that war and their participation in it are morally wrong. While I respect their views and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/i-know-there-are-some-christians-who-believe-that-war-and-their/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [I'm sort of exploring where pacifism and socialism come into conflict. How do you reconcile a passionate rejection of might and violence with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-m-sort-of-exploring-where-pacifism-and-socialism-come-into-conflict/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [“I am not a committed pacifist. 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