--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To my mind, what we ought to have…" description: "\"To my mind, what we ought to have maintained from the beginning was the strictest neutrality. If we had done this, I do not believe we would have been ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/george-william-norris-36707_beginning_to-my-mind-what-we-ought-to-have-maintai_2550566.jpg" --- # To my mind, what we ought to have maintained from the… ![“To my mind, what we ought to have maintained from the beginning was the strictest neutrality. If we had done this, I do not believe we would have been on the verge of war at the present time.” quote by George William Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/george-william-norris-36707_beginning_to-my-mind-what-we-ought-to-have-maintai_2550566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/george-william-norris-36707_beginning_to-my-mind-what-we-ought-to-have-maintai_2550566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/george-william-norris-36707_beginning_to-my-mind-what-we-ought-to-have-maintai_2550566.jpg) > “To my mind, what we ought to have maintained from the beginning was the strictest neutrality. If we had done this, I do not believe we would have been on the verge of war at the present time.” [George William Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-norris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Strict neutrality could have prevented war; early impartiality is crucial for peace **In simple terms:** Neutrality may avert war Key Takeaway Maintain strict neutrality early Themes peace neutrality policy Mood cautious analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - foreign policy - international negotiations - early mediation Key Concepts diplomacy conflict prevention Questions to Reflect On - What compromises are necessary for peace? - Can true neutrality exist? A Different Perspective Neutrality can be unrealistic in complex conflicts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Maintained Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maintained-beginning-326029/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality/) [Neutrality Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality-believe-1517146/) [Ought Maintained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-maintained-1517147/) [Present time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-time/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Strictest Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strictest-neutrality-1517145/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“He had maintained from the beginning that he had wanted only his freedom. 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Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/) > [Unless your government is respectable, foreigners will invade your rights; and to maintain tranquillity you must be respectable; even to observe neutrality you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/unless-your-government-is-respectable-foreigners-will-invade-your/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [“I hate neutrality becouse is the worst thing that ever happened”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamzatribah/i-hate-neutrality-becouse-is-the-worst-thing-that-ever-happened/) [Hamzatribah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamzatribah/) > [Charter hired me - which, to be honest, took some humility on its part, since I have helped lead public campaigns against cable companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-ammori/charter-hired-me-which-to-be-honest-took-some-humility-on-its-part/) [Marvin Ammori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-ammori/) > [The current FCC chairman, Tom Wheeler, is highly regarded, but some distrust him because he is the former head lobbyist of both the cable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-ammori/the-current-fcc-chairman-tom-wheeler-is-highly-regarded-but-some/) [Marvin Ammori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-ammori/) > [Net neutrality isn't a government takeover of the Internet, as many of my Republican colleagues have alleged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/net-neutrality-isn-t-a-government-takeover-of-the-internet-as-many-of/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [Power doesn't corrupt. 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Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-chambers/) > [Net neutrality is at the core of what we love about the Internet. Put simply, it allows any individual or business equal access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/net-neutrality-is-at-the-core-of-what-we-love-about-the-internet-put/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) > [If you end internet neutrality and permit mergers of the big information technology corporations, that's a form of rent seeking. It's part of today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/if-you-end-internet-neutrality-and-permit-mergers-of-the-big/) [Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/) > [There's always a fine line that divides hostility from neutrality, and I don't want to pass that line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-dwight/there-s-always-a-fine-line-that-divides-hostility-from-neutrality-and/) [Ed Dwight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-dwight/) > [I believe people ought to be treated fairly under the law. I see no reason why if the marriage contract conveys certain things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-believe-people-ought-to-be-treated-fairly-under-the-law-i-see-no/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [“You can not have empty or neutral mind, as long as you work the mind will contain dreams, if you stop working it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-can-not-have-empty-or-neutral-mind-as-long-as-you-work-the-mind/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by George William Norris > [I think we ought to take the world as it is and not as we would like to have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-norris/i-think-we-ought-to-take-the-world-as-it-is-and-not-as-we-would-like/) [George William Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-norris/) > [We ought to disarm Germany completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-norris/we-ought-to-disarm-germany-completely/) [George William Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-norris/) > [Great wealth took possession of the government. 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