Civilians Quote by Germaine Greer
“If the next time our governments propose to make war on a helpless civilian population we were to uncover our grief and guilt instead of our anger, how much difference might we make?”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public Lecture on War Ethics, 2015
If leaders faced grief and guilt rather than anger, they might act more compassionately, reducing harm to civilians.
In simple terms: Seeing guilt instead of anger could lessen civilian harm.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate empathy in policy decisions.
Themes
ethics
war
compassion
leadership
Mood
reflective
concerned
Type
philosophical
activist
When to use this quote
- political debates
- humanitarian interventions
- peace negotiations
Key Concepts
moral psychology
conflict resolution
emotional intelligence
Questions to Reflect On
- How can leaders be encouraged to feel grief for civilians?
- What structures can amplify empathy over anger?
A Different Perspective
Guilt may be suppressed by political narratives, limiting its impact.
![“The other thing we did as government is to open gates for the civilians to leave that [ eastern part] area [in Aleppo], and at the same time for the humanitarian convoys and help to go through those gates inside that part of Aleppo, but the terrorists publicly refused any solution, so they wanted…” quote by Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6dc/bashar-al-assad-1027_areas_the-other-thing-we-did-as-government-is_37737.jpg)
![“[General Curtis] LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side has lost. But what makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win?” quote by Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/165/robert-mcnamara-12738_burned_general-curtis-lemay-recognized-that-wha_43443.jpg)
