---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...he was not so much a human as a civil…"
description: "\"“...he was not so much a human as a civil war.”\" — H.G. Wells"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg"
---

#  ...he was not so much a human as a civil war.

![“...he was not so much a human as a civil war.” quote by H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg)

> ““...he was not so much a human as a civil war.””

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The character is dehumanized, likened to a civil war, reflecting internal conflict and loss of identity.

**In simple terms:** Humanity reduced to internal conflict.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and heal inner wars.

Themes

identity conflict humanity war

Mood

thoughtful somber

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- mental health therapy
- team dynamics
- political strife

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism dehumanization

Questions to Reflect On

- What internal battles shape your actions?
- How does conflict affect self‑perception?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex personal struggles.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Civil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-civil-4327865/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/)

[Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/)

> [Cape Cod baseball dates back to the time of the Civil War. A poster at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown touts a round-trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-leavy/cape-cod-baseball-dates-back-to-the-time-of-the-civil-war-a-poster-at/)

[Jane Leavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-leavy/)

> [Air power and military are meant to fight the enemy and not your own citizens... How do you differentiate a Maoist?... It will create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kishore-chandra-deo/air-power-and-military-are-meant-to-fight-the-enemy-and-not-your-own/)

[Kishore Chandra Deo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kishore-chandra-deo/)

> [Yes, the small village that we live in, in Virginia, is a very interesting place, in terms of its Civil War history, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/yes-the-small-village-that-we-live-in-in-virginia-is-a-very/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [During the 1980s, international interest in the Nicaraguan war was intense. No conflict since the Spanish civil war had provoked such passion around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/during-the-1980s-international-interest-in-the-nicaraguan-war-was/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [I am the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. My mother is a survivor of both polio and of the Igbo genocide during her country's civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/i-am-the-daughter-of-nigerian-immigrants-my-mother-is-a-survivor-of/)

[Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/)

> [I think you can go back in history and look at what the effect in Asia and the world was of a divided, fractured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/i-think-you-can-go-back-in-history-and-look-at-what-the-effect-in/)

[Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/)

> [Something often neglected in popular accounts of the Wild West is the extent to which its dramas were colored by the politics and personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-krist/something-often-neglected-in-popular-accounts-of-the-wild-west-is-the/)

[Gary Krist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-krist/)

> [Prior to the Civil War, most libraries were either privately owned or housed in universities or churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/prior-to-the-civil-war-most-libraries-were-either-privately-owned-or/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [Whatever the reasons may be, I was very much affected by events of the 1930s - the Spanish Civil War, for example, though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/whatever-the-reasons-may-be-i-was-very-much-affected-by-events-of-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I wrote my first script, which was 50 pages, at age 15. It was about two brothers in love with the same nurse while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-wrote-my-first-script-which-was-50-pages-at-age-15-it-was-about-two/)

[Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/)

> [In Finland, we learned quite a lot from our own civil war. The wounds were visible when I was a boy, but my generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harri-holkeri/in-finland-we-learned-quite-a-lot-from-our-own-civil-war-the-wounds/)

[Harri Holkeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harri-holkeri/)

> [I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. So growing up, my view of Israel was completely negative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-doueiri/i-was-a-child-during-the-lebanese-civil-war-and-i-remember-israeli/)

[Ziad Doueiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-doueiri/)

> [We are losing each day an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyad-allawi/we-are-losing-each-day-an-average-50-to-60-people-throughout-the/)

[Iyad Allawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyad-allawi/)

> [As for Vietnam, what matters is that Kennedy successfully resisted pressure to send anything more than military advisers, a stance that was a likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/as-for-vietnam-what-matters-is-that-kennedy-successfully-resisted/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

## More by H.G. Wells

> [“I was grotesque to the theatrical pitch, a stage miser, but I was certainly not a physical impossibility”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-was-grotesque-to-the-theatrical-pitch-a-stage-miser-but-i-was/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Eight-and-twenty years,' said I, 'I have lived, and never a ghost have I seen as yet.' The old woman sat staring hard into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/eight-and-twenty-years-said-i-i-have-lived-and-never-a-ghost-have-i/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“That is the germ of my great discovery. But you are wrong to say that we cannot move about in Time. For instance, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/that-is-the-germ-of-my-great-discovery-but-you-are-wrong-to-say-that/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“What was needed now was not bravery, but circumspection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/what-was-needed-now-was-not-bravery-but-circumspection/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [ “The thing \[Henry James'\] novel is about is always there. It is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-thing-henry-james-novel-is-about-is-always-there-it-is-like-a/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Don't follow you,' said Filby.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/don-t-follow-you-said-filby/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as vanished bison and the dodo,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/we-must-remember-what-ruthless-and-utter-destruction-our-own-species/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“I grieved to think how brief the dream of the human intellect had been. It had committed suicide. It had set itself steadfastly towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-grieved-to-think-how-brief-the-dream-of-the-human-intellect-had/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Because this island is full of inimical phenomena.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/because-this-island-is-full-of-inimical-phenomena/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“What right have they to hope? They work ill and they want the reward of those who work well. The hope of mankind -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/what-right-have-they-to-hope-they-work-ill-and-they-want-the-reward/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“So long as you are alive you are just the moment, perhaps, but when you are dead then you are all your life from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/so-long-as-you-are-alive-you-are-just-the-moment-perhaps-but-when-you/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“An unpleasant odour would not be objected to, it is not objected to now in many continental hotels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/an-unpleasant-odour-would-not-be-objected-to-it-is-not-objected-to/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“In the early evening time Dr. Kemp was sitting in his study in the belvedere on the hill overlooking Burdock. It was a pleasant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/in-the-early-evening-time-dr-kemp-was-sitting-in-his-study-in-the/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“The whole world will be intelligent, educated, and co-operating; things will move faster and faster towards the subjugation of Nature. In the end, wisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/the-whole-world-will-be-intelligent-educated-and-co-operating-things/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“For three centuries the life of the Hebrews was like the life of a man who insists upon living in the middle of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/for-three-centuries-the-life-of-the-hebrews-was-like-the-life-of-a/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

[Explore all 246 H.G. Wells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

## More Civil quotes

> [Using a broad brushstroke, I think Libertarian - most of America are socially accepting and fiscally responsible. I'm in that category. I think, broadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/using-a-broad-brushstroke-i-think-libertarian-most-of-america-are/)

[Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/)

> [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/)

[Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/)

> [In the summer of 1964, my sister and I went to South Ballston, Virginia, to stay with my aunt and her kids. They passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/in-the-summer-of-1964-my-sister-and-i-went-to-south-ballston-virginia/)

[Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/)

> [I support gay unions. I think the government should get out of the marriage business completely - leave marriages to the churches. And grant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-support-gay-unions-i-think-the-government-should-get-out-of-the/)

[Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/)

> [Civil servants take forever to do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wambaugh/civil-servants-take-forever-to-do-anything/)

[Joseph Wambaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wambaugh/)

> [Protecting the rights of service members was an important part of my work as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/protecting-the-rights-of-service-members-was-an-important-part-of-my/)

[Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/)

> [We are losing each day an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyad-allawi/we-are-losing-each-day-an-average-50-to-60-people-throughout-the/)

[Iyad Allawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyad-allawi/)

> [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/)

[Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/)

> [I was on the state board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-hill/i-was-on-the-state-board-of-directors-of-the-american-civil-liberties/)

[Betty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-hill/)

> [I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. So growing up, my view of Israel was completely negative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-doueiri/i-was-a-child-during-the-lebanese-civil-war-and-i-remember-israeli/)

[Ziad Doueiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-doueiri/)

> [In Finland, we learned quite a lot from our own civil war. The wounds were visible when I was a boy, but my generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harri-holkeri/in-finland-we-learned-quite-a-lot-from-our-own-civil-war-the-wounds/)

[Harri Holkeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harri-holkeri/)

> [I wrote my first script, which was 50 pages, at age 15. It was about two brothers in love with the same nurse while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-fukunaga/i-wrote-my-first-script-which-was-50-pages-at-age-15-it-was-about-two/)

[Cary Fukunaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-fukunaga/)

> [Whatever the reasons may be, I was very much affected by events of the 1930s - the Spanish Civil War, for example, though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/whatever-the-reasons-may-be-i-was-very-much-affected-by-events-of-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Prior to the Civil War, most libraries were either privately owned or housed in universities or churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/prior-to-the-civil-war-most-libraries-were-either-privately-owned-or/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [It was a privilege to serve as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, a role that allowed me to enforce the Civil Rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/it-was-a-privilege-to-serve-as-the-assistant-attorney-general-for/)

[Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/)

[Browse all 390 Civil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...he was not so much a human as a civil war.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "H.G. Wells"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-war/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Civil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-war/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/h-g-wells-2-1299_civil-war_he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-wa_2121365.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...he was not so much a human as a civil war.” — H.G. Wells",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "H.G. Wells",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...he was not so much a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-war/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/he-was-not-so-much-a-human-as-a-civil-war/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
