---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The United States has become addicted to…"
description: "\"The United States has become addicted to violence, and this dependency is fueled increasingly by its willingness to wage war at home and abroad. War in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg"
---

#  The United States has become addicted to violence, and…

![“The United States has become addicted to violence, and this dependency is fueled increasingly by its willingness to wage war at home and abroad. War in this instance is not merely the outgrowth of polices designed to protect the security and well-being of the United States.” quote by Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg)

> “The United States has become addicted to violence, and this dependency is fueled increasingly by its willingness to wage war at home and abroad. War in this instance is not merely the outgrowth of polices designed to protect the security and well-being of the United States.”

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## About This Quote

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

Society's reliance on violence grows as war is used domestically and internationally, undermining true security.

**In simple terms:** Violence is a harmful habit for a nation.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and reduce violent dependencies.

Themes

violence policy national security

Mood

critical concerned

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- government decisions
- media coverage
- public protests
- education curricula

Key Concepts

militarism social critique political economy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does domestic violence shape foreign policy?
- What alternatives to war exist?

A Different Perspective

Violence may be seen as a quick solution but often creates long‑term harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dependency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependency/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-being/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/)

## Related quotes

> [“In part because Americans were fearful of enemies within, they went looking for enemies abroad. War and conquest have served to distract nations from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-thomas/in-part-because-americans-were-fearful-of-enemies-within-they-went/)

[Evan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-thomas/)

> [Those who would wage war, should first eliminate all domestic enemies before proceeding to attack the external foe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/those-who-would-wage-war-should-first-eliminate-all-domestic-enemies/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [The tragedy is that, as modern viewers, we've completely lost touch with what it physically takes to wage a war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/the-tragedy-is-that-as-modern-viewers-we-ve-completely-lost-touch/)

[Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/)

> [“I'm hip to their game, hip to the science of war Propoganda makes me fight but what am I fightin for? My way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-m-hip-to-their-game-hip-to-the-science-of-war-propoganda-makes-me/)

[Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/)

> [The world cannot continue to wage war like physical giants and to seek peace like intellectual pygmies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-o-connor/the-world-cannot-continue-to-wage-war-like-physical-giants-and-to/)

Basil O'Connor

> [We are unnecessarily wasting our precious resources in wars... if we must wage war, we have to do it on unemployment, disease, poverty, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atal-bihari-vajpayee/we-are-unnecessarily-wasting-our-precious-resources-in-wars-if-we/)

[Atal Bihari Vajpayee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atal-bihari-vajpayee/)

> [When adults wage war, children perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/when-adults-wage-war-children-perish/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [My home policy: I wage war; my foreign policy: I wage war. All the time I wage war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-clemenceau/my-home-policy-i-wage-war-my-foreign-policy-i-wage-war-all-the-time-i/)

[Georges Clemenceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-clemenceau/)

> [There was a time when I didn’t at any minute have the slightest idea how I could reach the next one. Yes, one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-was-a-time-when-i-didn-t-at-any-minute-have-the-slightest-idea/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [We need to wage this war against ISIS from the air, on the ground, and online, in cyberspace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-wage-this-war-against-isis-from-the-air-on-the-ground-and/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [“Those with inner peace do not battle themselves. Nor do they wage war with others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/those-with-inner-peace-do-not-battle-themselves-nor-do-they-wage-war/)

[Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/)

> [“It is not enough to say, 'We must not wage war.' It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-is-not-enough-to-say-we-must-not-wage-war-it-is-necessary-to-love/)

[Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/)

> [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [The reality is no one knows how much it will cost us to wage war with Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/the-reality-is-no-one-knows-how-much-it-will-cost-us-to-wage-war-with/)

[Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

## More by Henry Giroux

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [What must be addressed in the most immediate sense is the threat that the emerging police state in the United States poses not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/what-must-be-addressed-in-the-most-immediate-sense-is-the-threat-that/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Today's neoliberalism has a number of byproducts. We have massive forms of inequality developing because there are no longer any concessions. There's a war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/today-s-neoliberalism-has-a-number-of-byproducts-we-have-massive/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [At the start of the second decade of the 21st century, young people all over the world are demonstrating against a variety of issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/at-the-start-of-the-second-decade-of-the-21st-century-young-people/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [America is at war with itself because it's basically declared war not only on any sense of democratic idealism, but it's declared war on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/america-is-at-war-with-itself-because-it-s-basically-declared-war-not/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [All too often the worst thing that can happen to the young is to depoliticize them. When that happens, not only are young people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/all-too-often-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-to-the-young-is-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The generation of youth in the early 21st century has no way of grasping if they will ever be free from the gnawing sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-generation-of-youth-in-the-early-21st-century-has-no-way-of/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [History remains an open horizon that cannot be dismissed through appeals to the end of history or end of ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/history-remains-an-open-horizon-that-cannot-be-dismissed-through/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [I mean, we're not talking about simply racism, we're taking about white supremacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/i-mean-we-re-not-talking-about-simply-racism-we-re-taking-about-white/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Historical memory is a potent weapon in fighting against the desert of organized forgetting and implies a rethinking of the role that artists, intellectuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/historical-memory-is-a-potent-weapon-in-fighting-against-the-desert/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [The fight for education and justice is inseparable from the struggle for economic equality, human dignity and security, and the challenge of developing American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-fight-for-education-and-justice-is-inseparable-from-the-struggle/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If the ongoing struggles waged by young people are to matter, demonstrations and protests must give way to more sustainable organizations that develop alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/if-the-ongoing-struggles-waged-by-young-people-are-to-matter/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Many conservatives see higher education as a threat to their reactionary and corporate oriented interests and would like to defund higher education, privatize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/many-conservatives-see-higher-education-as-a-threat-to-their/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [Everyone is now a customer or client, and every relationship is ultimately judged in bottom-line, cost-effective terms. Freedom is no longer about equality, social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/everyone-is-now-a-customer-or-client-and-every-relationship-is/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

[Explore all 323 Henry Giroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

## More Dependency quotes

> [A lot of energy is lost to false teachers. Wherever dependency is created, energy is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-lot-of-energy-is-lost-to-false-teachers-wherever-dependency-is/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The second most common misconception about love is the idea that dependency is love...Its effect is seen most dramatically in an individual who makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/the-second-most-common-misconception-about-love-is-the-idea-that/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [I do not want to get rid of the safety net, I want to get rid of dependency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-do-not-want-to-get-rid-of-the-safety-net-i-want-to-get-rid-of/)

[Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/)

> [Dependency arguments often come from elites - either aid agencies or governments - and say something about attitudes to poor people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/dependency-arguments-often-come-from-elites-either-aid-agencies-or/)

[Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/)

> [In such a government as ours no man is appointed to an office because he is the fittest for it--nor hardly in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/in-such-a-government-as-ours-no-man-is-appointed-to-an-office-because/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The exploitation agenda advocated by liberals is modeled after the dependency-inducing design of the drug dealer's business model: "We'll supply the first hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-mcglowan/the-exploitation-agenda-advocated-by-liberals-is-modeled-after-the/)

Angela McGlowan

> [“The rich man is always sold to the institution which makes him rich.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-rich-man-is-always-sold-to-the-institution-which-makes-him-rich/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“The rise or fall, success or failure of your dreams is largely dependent on the association you build yourself around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-rise-or-fall-success-or-failure-of-your-dreams-is-largely/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [If you depend on your company to take care of your retirement, your future income will be divided by five. Take care of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/if-you-depend-on-your-company-to-take-care-of-your-retirement-your/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [A careless way of sauntering across the earth and breaking open its treasures, a terrible dependency on sucking out the world's best juices for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/a-careless-way-of-sauntering-across-the-earth-and-breaking-open-its/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“This context dependency means that rather than causing X, testosterone amplifies the power of something else to cause X.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/this-context-dependency-means-that-rather-than-causing-x-testosterone/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [I was particularly talking with respect to aid, because that to me is one area that can make people so dependent, and unfortunately, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-was-particularly-talking-with-respect-to-aid-because-that-to-me-is/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [It science involves an intelligent and persistent endeavor to revise current beliefs so as to weed out what is erroneous, to add to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/it-science-involves-an-intelligent-and-persistent-endeavor-to-revise/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [To me, DIY means minimizing dependency on what others make for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/to-me-diy-means-minimizing-dependency-on-what-others-make-for-me/)

[Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/)

> [We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharron-angle/we-re-supposed-to-depend-upon-god-for-our-protection-and-our/)

[Sharron Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharron-angle/)

[Browse all 201 Dependency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dependency/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The United States has become addicted to violence, and this dependency is fueled increasingly by its willingness to wage war at home and abroad. War in this instance is not merely the outgrowth of polices designed to protect the security and well-being of the United States.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Giroux"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to-violence-and-this-dependency/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dependency"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to-violence-and-this-dependency/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd0/henry-giroux-945_dependency_the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to_2376368.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The United States has become addicted to violence, and this dependency is fueled increasingly by its…” — Henry Giroux",
                "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": "Henry Giroux",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The United States has become addicted...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to-violence-and-this-dependency/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/the-united-states-has-become-addicted-to-violence-and-this-dependency/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
