--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bombing, particularly from the…" description: "\"Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the receiving end, is not 'communication.' Bombs result in death and destruction.\" — H. R. McMaster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/h-r-mcmaster-16254_bombing_bombing-particularly-from-the-perspectiv_1088652.jpg" --- # Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the… ![“Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the receiving end, is not 'communication.' Bombs result in death and destruction.” quote by H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/h-r-mcmaster-16254_bombing_bombing-particularly-from-the-perspectiv_1088652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/h-r-mcmaster-16254_bombing_bombing-particularly-from-the-perspectiv_1088652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/285/h-r-mcmaster-16254_bombing_bombing-particularly-from-the-perspectiv_1088652.jpg) > “Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the receiving end, is not 'communication.' Bombs result in death and destruction.” [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bombing causes death and destruction, not communication. **In simple terms:** Bombs kill, they don’t convey messages. Key Takeaway Seek non‑violent ways to convey messages. Themes war communication ethics Mood critical serious Type ethical political When to use this quote - policy making - military planning - peace activism - media reporting Key Concepts military strategy non‑violent conflict resolution humanitarian law Questions to Reflect On - Can violence ever convey a message effectively? - What alternatives exist for conflict resolution? A Different Perspective In some contexts, force is used as a deterrent, complicating the moral view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bombing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombing/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) ## Related quotes > [ This \[U.S.\] bombing in Libya. So what are we doing in Libya? We just dropped some bombs on someone who we found is a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-t-flynn/this-u-s-bombing-in-libya-so-what-are-we-doing-in-libya-we-just/) [Michael T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-t-flynn/) > [The only place you and I disagree is with regard to the bombing. You're so goddamned concerned about the civilians, and I (in contrast)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/the-only-place-you-and-i-disagree-is-with-regard-to-the-bombing-you/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [A faithful person who prays regularly does not go and plant bombs here and there. It is just people who pretend to be Muslims,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harun-yahya/a-faithful-person-who-prays-regularly-does-not-go-and-plant-bombs/) [Harun Yahya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harun-yahya/) > [ The use of \[the atomic bombs\] at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-d-leahy/the-use-of-the-atomic-bombs-at-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-was-of-no/) William D. Leahy > [Only the power of unbounded love practiced in regard to all human beings can defeat the forces of interhuman strife, and can prevent the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pitirim-sorokin/only-the-power-of-unbounded-love-practiced-in-regard-to-all-human/) [Pitirim Sorokin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pitirim-sorokin/) > [I did not feel proud of our country, seeing that we were bombing peasant villages, that we were not just hitting military targets, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-did-not-feel-proud-of-our-country-seeing-that-we-were-bombing/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [In a war you have to take up arms and people will get killed, and I can support that kind of action by petrol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-daly/in-a-war-you-have-to-take-up-arms-and-people-will-get-killed-and-i/) [Tim Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-daly/) > [I had been conscious of depression and so I voiced to (Sec. Of War Stimson) my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-had-been-conscious-of-depression-and-so-i-voiced-to-sec-of-war/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [In the time just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when Perfidia opens, we were pre-psychologized. There were no concepts of identity, no politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/in-the-time-just-before-the-bombing-of-pearl-harbor-when-perfidia/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I had been a guerrilla leader in World War II. And I used to say that the way to fight the guerrilla was with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-hilsman/i-had-been-a-guerrilla-leader-in-world-war-ii-and-i-used-to-say-that/) [Roger Hilsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-hilsman/) > [I am back in LA now. And I keep thinking back to my time in New York after the bombings… I was crying so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-am-back-in-la-now-and-i-keep-thinking-back-to-my-time-in-new-york/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [Bombing Syria will achieve nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/bombing-syria-will-achieve-nothing/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) ## More by H. R. McMaster > [Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associated-with-vietnam-was-highly/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [We confuse activity with progress, and that's always dangerous, especially in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/we-confuse-activity-with-progress-and-that-s-always-dangerous/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [What is certain about the future is that even the best efforts to predict the conditions of future war will prove erroneous. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/what-is-certain-about-the-future-is-that-even-the-best-efforts-to/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [We often operate effectively on the physical battleground but not on the psychological battleground. We fail to communicate our resolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/we-often-operate-effectively-on-the-physical-battleground-but-not-on/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Consequences of linear thinking in Afghanistan and Iraq included overestimating indigenous forces' capabilities, underestimating the enemy, and the associated expectation that the coalition could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/consequences-of-linear-thinking-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-included/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [The war in Vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the New York Times or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/the-war-in-vietnam-was-not-lost-in-the-field-nor-was-it-lost-on-the/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [When we came to Iraq, we didn't understand the complexity - what it meant for a society to live under a brutal dictatorship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/when-we-came-to-iraq-we-didn-t-understand-the-complexity-what-it/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [I think any of us who have been involved in the mission of Iraq have developed a great deal of affection for the Iraqi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/i-think-any-of-us-who-have-been-involved-in-the-mission-of-iraq-have/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Muslims who commit terrorist acts are perverting their religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/muslims-who-commit-terrorist-acts-are-perverting-their-religion/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Because war is a competition involving life and death, and in which national security and vital interests are at stake, establishing an objective other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/because-war-is-a-competition-involving-life-and-death-and-in-which/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [What we can afford least is to define the problem of future war as we would like it to be and, by doing so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/what-we-can-afford-least-is-to-define-the-problem-of-future-war-as-we/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Offensive operations and hunting down the enemy is an integral part of any counterinsurgency approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/offensive-operations-and-hunting-down-the-enemy-is-an-integral-part/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Be skeptical of concepts that divorce war from its political nature, particularly those that promise fast, cheap victory through technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/be-skeptical-of-concepts-that-divorce-war-from-its-political-nature/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [Although combat operations unseated the Taliban and the Saddam Hussein regime, a poor understanding of the recent histories of the Afghan and Iraqi peoples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/although-combat-operations-unseated-the-taliban-and-the-saddam/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [It is important to understand how leaders have adapted and thought about war and warfare across their careers. 'The Autobiography of General Ulysses S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/it-is-important-to-understand-how-leaders-have-adapted-and-thought/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) [Explore all 40 H. R. McMaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) ## More Bombing quotes > [While the 1963 Birmingham church bombing is the most historic, there also was a series of church burnings in the 1990s. Recognition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthea-butler/while-the-1963-birmingham-church-bombing-is-the-most-historic-there/) [Anthea Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthea-butler/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stated that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are 'among the most unspeakable crimes in history.' I took no position on just where they stand on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-stated-that-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-are-among-the-most-unspeakable/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Bombing Syria will achieve nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/bombing-syria-will-achieve-nothing/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [I am back in LA now. And I keep thinking back to my time in New York after the bombings… I was crying so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stein/i-am-back-in-la-now-and-i-keep-thinking-back-to-my-time-in-new-york/) [Ben Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stein/) > [I had been a guerrilla leader in World War II. And I used to say that the way to fight the guerrilla was with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-hilsman/i-had-been-a-guerrilla-leader-in-world-war-ii-and-i-used-to-say-that/) [Roger Hilsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-hilsman/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Clinton's bombing campaign has caused all of these problems to explode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/clinton-s-bombing-campaign-has-caused-all-of-these-problems-to-explode/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [“Be back presently, Florence!” he called to his wife, and stumped out the front door into the noise and panic of a London bombing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brazytis/be-back-presently-florence-he-called-to-his-wife-and-stumped-out-the/) [Sarah Brazytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brazytis/) > [If liberals had been in charge of the Arizona memorial, it would probably have featured an exhaustive exhibit about the internment of Japanese Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-charen/if-liberals-had-been-in-charge-of-the-arizona-memorial-it-would/) [Mona Charen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-charen/) > [WASHINGTON - Ever since President Obama ordered American warplanes to begin bombing terrorist targets in Iraq and Syria last year, members of Congress have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baker/washington-ever-since-president-obama-ordered-american-warplanes-to/) [Peter Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baker/) > [If you're against globalisation, it doesn't achieve much by sort of bombing the head offices of Shell or Nestle. You unsettle people much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/if-you-re-against-globalisation-it-doesn-t-achieve-much-by-sort-of/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Ideas are very important to the shaping of society. In fact, they are more powerful than bombings or armies or guns. And this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/ideas-are-very-important-to-the-shaping-of-society-in-fact-they-are/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [In some ways more painful is the fact that their experience appears to be fading from the collective memory of humankind. Having never experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadatoshi-akiba/in-some-ways-more-painful-is-the-fact-that-their-experience-appears/) Tadatoshi Akiba > [“Some wars are about bombing. For the people of the Baltics, this war was about believing. In 1991, after fifty years of brutal occupation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruta-sepetys/some-wars-are-about-bombing-for-the-people-of-the-baltics-this-war/) [Ruta Sepetys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruta-sepetys/) [Browse all 336 Bombing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the receiving end, is not 'communication.' Bombs result in death and destruction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. R. 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