--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thought that we're in competition…" description: "\"The thought that we're in competition with Russians or with Chinese is all a mistake, and trivial. We are one species, with a world to win.\" — George Wald" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/george-wald-9544_chinese_the-thought-that-we-re-in-competition-wi_1455886.png" --- # The thought that we're in competition with Russians or… ![“The thought that we're in competition with Russians or with Chinese is all a mistake, and trivial. We are one species, with a world to win.” quote by George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/george-wald-9544_chinese_the-thought-that-we-re-in-competition-wi_1455886.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/george-wald-9544_chinese_the-thought-that-we-re-in-competition-wi_1455886.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/george-wald-9544_chinese_the-thought-that-we-re-in-competition-wi_1455886.png) > “The thought that we're in competition with Russians or with Chinese is all a mistake, and trivial. We are one species, with a world to win.” [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It argues that viewing global competition as a rivalry is misguided; humanity shares a common destiny. **In simple terms:** Global rivalry is a mistake; we share one world. Key Takeaway Promote cooperation over competition. Themes environment global cooperation humanity Mood hopeful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - climate negotiations - international policy - science collaboration Questions to Reflect On - What shared goals can unite us? - How do we shift mindsets from competition to collaboration? A Different Perspective National interests can dominate discourse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Russians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russians/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Try to think for your own why the Russians and the Chinese do not like the idea that whoever takes aggressive steps to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/try-to-think-for-your-own-why-the-russians-and-the-chinese-do-not/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [“(Several nation-states, most prominently the Russians and the Chinese, have already spent years conducting just such reconnaissance.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/several-nation-states-most-prominently-the-russians-and-the-chinese/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [The Russians and the Chinese have been absolutely clear they don't want to see Iran with a nuclear weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-russians-and-the-chinese-have-been-absolutely-clear-they-don-t/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Behind the mask of diplomatic and political cooperation and partnership with the United States and Europe, the current Russian leaders are following the strategy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoliy-golitsyn/behind-the-mask-of-diplomatic-and-political-cooperation-and/) [Anatoliy Golitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoliy-golitsyn/) > [The Chinese, the Russians, the Nazis and Saddam Hussein all agree! 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They have a world to win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-proletarians-have-nothing-to-lose-but-their-chains-they-have-a/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [All the managers in the world are here to win games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/all-the-managers-in-the-world-are-here-to-win-games/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [Whether it's good talk or bad talk about me, as long as your talking and making me the center of your world, I win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/behdad-sami/whether-it-s-good-talk-or-bad-talk-about-me-as-long-as-your-talking/) [Behdad Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/behdad-sami/) > [I get to travel all over the world and win titles everywhere I've gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-blanchard/i-get-to-travel-all-over-the-world-and-win-titles-everywhere-i-ve-gone/) [Tessa Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-blanchard/) > [God and the politicians willing, the United States can declare peace upon the world, and win it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ely-culbertson/god-and-the-politicians-willing-the-united-states-can-declare-peace/) [Ely Culbertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ely-culbertson/) > [You may be the best team in the world, but you can't win all the tournaments. That's what the media does not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-azharuddin/you-may-be-the-best-team-in-the-world-but-you-can-t-win-all-the/) [Mohammad Azharuddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-azharuddin/) > [For those who dare to dream, there is a whole world to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhirubhai-ambani/for-those-who-dare-to-dream-there-is-a-whole-world-to-win/) [Dhirubhai Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhirubhai-ambani/) > [My gymnasts are always the best-prepared in the world. And they win. In the end, that's what matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-karolyi/my-gymnasts-are-always-the-best-prepared-in-the-world-and-they-win-in/) [Bela Karolyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-karolyi/) ## More by George Wald > [Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/civilization-will-end-within-15-or-30-years-unless-immediate-action/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [So-called defense now absorbs sixty per cent of the national budget, and about twelve per cent of the Gross National Product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/so-called-defense-now-absorbs-sixty-per-cent-of-the-national-budget/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [I have lived much of my life among molecules. They are good company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/i-have-lived-much-of-my-life-among-molecules-they-are-good-company/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [Evolution advances, not by a priori design, but by the selection of what works best out of whatever choices offer. We are the products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/evolution-advances-not-by-a-priori-design-but-by-the-selection-of/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [Every creature alive on the earth today represents an unbroken line of life that stretches back to the first primitive organism to appear on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/every-creature-alive-on-the-earth-today-represents-an-unbroken-line/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [I think if a physician wrote on a death certificate that old age was the cause of death, he'd be thrown out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/i-think-if-a-physician-wrote-on-a-death-certificate-that-old-age-was/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [I am growing old, and my future, so to speak, is already behind me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/i-am-growing-old-and-my-future-so-to-speak-is-already-behind-me/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [A scientist should be the happiest of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/a-scientist-should-be-the-happiest-of-men/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [I think all of you know there is no adequate defense against massive nuclear attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/i-think-all-of-you-know-there-is-no-adequate-defense-against-massive/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [We've committed many war crimes in Vietnam - but I'll tell you something interesting about that. 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I think that what we are up against is a generation that is by no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/i-think-i-know-what-is-bothering-the-students-i-think-that-what-we/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [A physicist is an atom's way of knowing about atoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/a-physicist-is-an-atom-s-way-of-knowing-about-atoms/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [There are only two possible explanations as to how life arose: Spontaneous generation arising to evolution or a supernatural creative act of God… There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/there-are-only-two-possible-explanations-as-to-how-life-arose/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) [Explore all 72 George Wald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) ## More Chinese quotes > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. 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By and large, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/the-remarkable-thing-about-the-chinese-is-that-they-ve-operated/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The Pink Panther wasn't shown to the press for reasons that soon became apparent when I saw it at a public performance. Two people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-french/the-pink-panther-wasn-t-shown-to-the-press-for-reasons-that-soon/) [Philip French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-french/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [There is a phrase in Chinese, 'Resolve is victory.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yao-ming/there-is-a-phrase-in-chinese-resolve-is-victory/) [Yao Ming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yao-ming/) > [One thing that really interests me is-and it comes out of Chinese and Japanese painting-where you have a number of different kinds of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-heilmann/one-thing-that-really-interests-me-is-and-it-comes-out-of-chinese-and/) Mary Heilmann > [My Chinese zodiac is a dog. 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