--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no such thing as a war against…" description: "\"There's no such thing as a war against terrorism. It's idiotic. These are slogans. These are lies. It's advertising, which is the only art form we ever..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/gore-vidal-466_advertising_there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-war-against-t_2545652.jpg" --- # There's no such thing as a war against terrorism. It's… ![“There's no such thing as a war against terrorism. It's idiotic. These are slogans. These are lies. It's advertising, which is the only art form we ever invented and developed.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/gore-vidal-466_advertising_there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-war-against-t_2545652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/gore-vidal-466_advertising_there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-war-against-t_2545652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/gore-vidal-466_advertising_there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-war-against-t_2545652.jpg) > “There's no such thing as a war against terrorism. It's idiotic. These are slogans. These are lies. It's advertising, which is the only art form we ever invented and developed.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement condemns the concept of a war on terrorism as a deceptive slogan, equating it to advertising and false narratives. **In simple terms:** War on terrorism is a false slogan. Key Takeaway Question political narratives. Themes politics media truth war Mood critical skeptical Type analytical political When to use this quote - policy analysis - public discourse - media literacy - activism Key Concepts propaganda critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do slogans shape public opinion? - What alternatives exist to combat terrorism? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex security issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Slogans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slogans/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [In my firm, we dealt in lies. Advertising is that ... the skilful use of the truth to mislead, to spoil, to debase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-jameson/in-my-firm-we-dealt-in-lies-advertising-is-that-the-skilful-use-of/) [Storm Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-jameson/) > [An endless war against terrorism can tend to inflate the terrorists, because being at war is attractive to some angry, unemployed, disaffected youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/an-endless-war-against-terrorism-can-tend-to-inflate-the-terrorists/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [We are living in an era in which billions of people are grappling to promote communication, tolerance, and understanding over the more destructive forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/we-are-living-in-an-era-in-which-billions-of-people-are-grappling-to/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [We are in a war on terrorism. We need to conduct that war and take it to the terrorists, not here at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-l-thomas/we-are-in-a-war-on-terrorism-we-need-to-conduct-that-war-and-take-it/) [Craig L. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-l-thomas/) > [Look, fundamentally there are two sets of questions that apply in the war against terrorism. The one set of questions deals with the, "Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/look-fundamentally-there-are-two-sets-of-questions-that-apply-in-the/) [Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/) > [“More than ever, we ordinary civilians are the foot soldiers in the war on terrorism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bird/more-than-ever-we-ordinary-civilians-are-the-foot-soldiers-in-the-war/) [Chris Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bird/) > [I know what the counterterrorism feels like because I was there. But I also operated within limits. And within the United States government, we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-know-what-the-counterterrorism-feels-like-because-i-was-there-but-i/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [You cannot win a War on Terrorism. It's like having a war on jealousy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/you-cannot-win-a-war-on-terrorism-it-s-like-having-a-war-on-jealousy/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [It is all too evident that our nation, and the governments of other countries, require all the help they can get in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/it-is-all-too-evident-that-our-nation-and-the-governments-of-other/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [I think it's very hard to fight the war on terrorism if we're in retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/i-think-it-s-very-hard-to-fight-the-war-on-terrorism-if-we-re-in/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [The war against terrorism is terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/the-war-against-terrorism-is-terrorism/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Those are the things that, in the wrong hands - and certainly in our war on terrorism we also must attack proliferation and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-shelton/those-are-the-things-that-in-the-wrong-hands-and-certainly-in-our-war/) [Hugh Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-shelton/) > [It's probably time to end the global war on terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/it-s-probably-time-to-end-the-global-war-on-terrorism/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [I share the Presidents commitment to fighting and winning the war on terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-shelby/i-share-the-presidents-commitment-to-fighting-and-winning-the-war-on/) [Richard Shelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-shelby/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. 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In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. 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Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. 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