--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly nothing is easier than to…" description: "\"Certainly nothing is easier than to rewrite history. If we had made Taiwan a separate state, it would have led to a fundamental conflict with China, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/henry-a-kissinger-1068_china_certainly-nothing-is-easier-than-to-rewr_2966748.jpg" --- # Certainly nothing is easier than to rewrite history. If we… ![“Certainly nothing is easier than to rewrite history. If we had made Taiwan a separate state, it would have led to a fundamental conflict with China, and probably to war. Certainly in the long term, it would have led to war.” quote by Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/henry-a-kissinger-1068_china_certainly-nothing-is-easier-than-to-rewr_2966748.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/henry-a-kissinger-1068_china_certainly-nothing-is-easier-than-to-rewr_2966748.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3d/henry-a-kissinger-1068_china_certainly-nothing-is-easier-than-to-rewr_2966748.jpg) > “Certainly nothing is easier than to rewrite history. If we had made Taiwan a separate state, it would have led to a fundamental conflict with China, and probably to war. Certainly in the long term, it would have led to war.” [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Altering Taiwan's status would inevitably trigger conflict with China, highlighting the fragility of geopolitical changes. **In simple terms:** Changing Taiwan's status risks war. Key Takeaway Consider long‑term consequences. Themes geopolitics conflict statehood Mood cautious analytical Type strategic historical When to use this quote - policy planning - diplomatic negotiations - risk assessment Key Concepts national sovereignty strategic stability Questions to Reflect On - What diplomatic alternatives exist? - How can history inform current decisions? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Fundamental Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamental-conflict-4547260/) [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Taiwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-taiwan-4547259/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Rewrite History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewrite-history-321662/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Taiwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taiwan/) [Taiwan Separate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taiwan-separate-3553216/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [In the short term, it would not have made it possible to resume relations, because in the Chinese mind, the humiliation of China started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/in-the-short-term-it-would-not-have-made-it-possible-to-resume/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Strikingly consistent across all of the battles in Sudan's history has been a fundamental conflict over what are and what are not seen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/strikingly-consistent-across-all-of-the-battles-in-sudan-s-history/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [I have said there are three principles that should be followed. One, we should maintain the "one China" policy that every American president has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-have-said-there-are-three-principles-that-should-be-followed-one-we/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [I have great respect for the Taiwanese. They have done an extraordinary job. But it was not a sustainable position to say that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/i-have-great-respect-for-the-taiwanese-they-have-done-an/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [The defining issue is that the government in Taiwan was considered to be the government of all of China, and the authorities in Beijing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-defining-issue-is-that-the-government-in-taiwan-was-considered-to/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Of course, in principle, they're against it. We are the ones that keep asking them what they think about it. I think their basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/of-course-in-principle-they-re-against-it-we-are-the-ones-that-keep/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [America has made it very clear in several administrations that if there is an attack by China on Taiwan, the United States is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/america-has-made-it-very-clear-in-several-administrations-that-if/) [Henry A. 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Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Well it did not make excessive sense to say that 20 million people are the recognized government of a billion people that have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/well-it-did-not-make-excessive-sense-to-say-that-20-million-people/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [What China would do, I cannot predict. China has all but given up the claim to the use of force, except in the circumstance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/what-china-would-do-i-cannot-predict-china-has-all-but-given-up-the/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Taiwan will probably not declare independence. The question isn't independence. The issue is whether Taiwan will declare itself as a sovereign separate state. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/taiwan-will-probably-not-declare-independence-the-question-isn-t/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [“If you had your time all over again…? She was keen to know. You can't rewrite history. I have no idea what I'd do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/if-you-had-your-time-all-over-again-she-was-keen-to-know-you-can-t/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [The beauty of being the person behind the pen is that you get to rewrite history, but people who read my lyrics think they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/the-beauty-of-being-the-person-behind-the-pen-is-that-you-get-to/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) ## More by Henry A. Kissinger > [90% of politicians give the other 10% a bad name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/90-of-politicians-give-the-other-10-a-bad-name/) [Henry A. 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And, therefore, they want to be taken seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-russian-people-at-least-the-ones-i-know-have-pride-in-being-a/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [There are only two reasons to sit in the back row of an airplane: Either you have diarrhea, or you're anxious to meet people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/there-are-only-two-reasons-to-sit-in-the-back-row-of-an-airplane/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [John Paul II was one of the greatest men of the last century. Perhaps the greatest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/john-paul-ii-was-one-of-the-greatest-men-of-the-last-century-perhaps/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Does anyone have any questions for my answers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/does-anyone-have-any-questions-for-my-answers/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Taiwan will probably not declare independence. The question isn't independence. The issue is whether Taiwan will declare itself as a sovereign separate state. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/taiwan-will-probably-not-declare-independence-the-question-isn-t/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [China is a country with a record of continuous self-government going back 4,000 years, the only society that has achieved this. One must start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/china-is-a-country-with-a-record-of-continuous-self-government-going/) [Henry A. 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Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) [Browse all 3,827 China quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Certainly nothing is easier than to rewrite history. If we had made Taiwan a separate state, it would have led to a fundamental conflict with China, and probably to war. Certainly in the long term, it would have led to war.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry A. 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