---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civil war is a national crisis and also a…"
description: "\"Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma: We suffer it collectively and in isolation.\" — Hisham Matar"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png"
---

#  Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma…

![“Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma: We suffer it collectively and in isolation.” quote by Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png)

> “Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma: We suffer it collectively and in isolation.”

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

## About This Quote

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

Civil war impacts societies collectively while also inflicting personal trauma, intertwining public and private suffering.

**In simple terms:** War causes shared and personal pain.

Key Takeaway

Address both societal and individual healing.

Themes

war trauma collective memory

Mood

somber hopeful

Type

analytical empathetic

When to use this quote

- post‑conflict reconstruction
- mental health support
- community dialogue

Key Concepts

psychology social cohesion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies honor individual grief while rebuilding?
- What resources aid personal recovery after war?

A Different Perspective

Healing may be uneven across groups.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“He’d experienced it as a private trauma. Failure in American schools was demoralizing and to be avoided at all costs. American kids could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-ripley/he-d-experienced-it-as-a-private-trauma-failure-in-american-schools/)

[Amanda Ripley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-ripley/)

> [The primary cause of this national crisis is the feminization of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/the-primary-cause-of-this-national-crisis-is-the-feminization-of-men/)

[Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/)

> [Even in national crisis, it is important that we continue to stand up for our community and follow where our faith leads us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mcbath/even-in-national-crisis-it-is-important-that-we-continue-to-stand-up/)

[Lucy McBath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mcbath/)

> [I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-a-firm-believer-in-the-people-if-given-the-truth-they-can-be/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [While mass incarceration is a national crisis, it was built locally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr/while-mass-incarceration-is-a-national-crisis-it-was-built-locally/)

[James Forman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr/)

> [The actions I took at a time of national crisis in 2003 were necessary to protect lives and property and restore law and order.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gonzalo-sanchez-de-lozada/the-actions-i-took-at-a-time-of-national-crisis-in-2003-were/)

[Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gonzalo-sanchez-de-lozada/)

> [When facing a national crisis, we cannot allow a political vacuum to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihide-suga/when-facing-a-national-crisis-we-cannot-allow-a-political-vacuum-to/)

[Yoshihide Suga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihide-suga/)

> [“Thar is two things that every national crisis is bound to show up: first, a lot o' dum fools in command; second, lot o…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-thompson-seton/thar-is-two-things-that-every-national-crisis-is-bound-to-show-up/)

[Ernest Thompson Seton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-thompson-seton/)

> [During a national crisis, we as a nation become a single community and no one should take advantage of a crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/during-a-national-crisis-we-as-a-nation-become-a-single-community-and/)

[Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/)

> [I think there's going to be a tug of war in this country over who are the real patriots because at a time of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-think-there-s-going-to-be-a-tug-of-war-in-this-country-over-who-are/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [A national crisis, a political convulsion, is an opportunity, a gift to the traveler. Nothing is more revealing of a place to a stranger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/a-national-crisis-a-political-convulsion-is-an-opportunity-a-gift-to/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [COVID-19 is a national crisis, and we need a national response to address it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gideon/covid-19-is-a-national-crisis-and-we-need-a-national-response-to/)

[Sara Gideon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gideon/)

> [Obama was quite serious when he said he was going to change the world. And now he has a national crisis, a personal mandate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/obama-was-quite-serious-when-he-said-he-was-going-to-change-the-world/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

> [ It does not appear, nor is there any reason to believe that \[ Jeff Sessions\] will put policing reform front and center in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/it-does-not-appear-nor-is-there-any-reason-to-believe-that-jeff/)

[Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/)

> [Political void should never be allowed to happen at a time of national crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihide-suga/political-void-should-never-be-allowed-to-happen-at-a-time-of/)

[Yoshihide Suga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihide-suga/)

## More by Hisham Matar

> [There and then, sitting beside her and within the strength of my adoration, I felt invincible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/there-and-then-sitting-beside-her-and-within-the-strength-of-my/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [To be okay with not knowing is a sign of a mature person and a mature society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/to-be-okay-with-not-knowing-is-a-sign-of-a-mature-person-and-a-mature/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [“History remembers Mussolini as the buffoonish Fascist, the ineffective silly man of Italy who led a lame military campaign in the Second World War,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/history-remembers-mussolini-as-the-buffoonish-fascist-the-ineffective/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Grief loves the hollow; all it wants is to hear its own echo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/grief-loves-the-hollow-all-it-wants-is-to-hear-its-own-echo/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Dreams have consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/dreams-have-consequences/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Language is not just a code; you are writing into its history, into its tides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/language-is-not-just-a-code-you-are-writing-into-its-history-into-its/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [My parents were fairly laid-back, but there were certain things about which they were very strict. My brother and I were told never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-parents-were-fairly-laid-back-but-there-were-certain-things-about/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [I am terribly interested in the paragraph: the paragraph as an object, the construction, and the possibilities of what a paragraph can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/i-am-terribly-interested-in-the-paragraph-the-paragraph-as-an-object/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [My parents left Libya in 1979, escaping political repression, and settled in Cairo. I was nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-parents-left-libya-in-1979-escaping-political-repression-and/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Libyans are deeply unsettled by Gaddafi and his regime's careless contempt for human life. The dictatorship is willing to employ any methods necessary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/libyans-are-deeply-unsettled-by-gaddafi-and-his-regime-s-careless/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [My best hope is that Libya turns into a peaceful, sensible country that has all the things my father and lots of others have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-best-hope-is-that-libya-turns-into-a-peaceful-sensible-country/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Season of Migration to the North, by Tayeb Salih, is an eloquent and restrained portrait of one man's exile. It is a rare narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/season-of-migration-to-the-north-by-tayeb-salih-is-an-eloquent-and/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Turgenev's achievement lies in how he succeeded, in spite of himself, his country, and his time, in exempting his work from public duty. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/turgenev-s-achievement-lies-in-how-he-succeeded-in-spite-of-himself/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [Over the centuries, close-knit tribes have played an important part in the cohesion of Libyan society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/over-the-centuries-close-knit-tribes-have-played-an-important-part-in/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

> [My work is my shelter, particularly in these moments when things are happening fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/my-work-is-my-shelter-particularly-in-these-moments-when-things-are/)

[Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

[Explore all 116 Hisham Matar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/)

## 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

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma: We suffer it collectively and in isolation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hisham Matar"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also-a-private-trauma-we-suffer-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Civil"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also-a-private-trauma-we-suffer-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f7/hisham-matar-4118_civil_civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also_1207724.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma: We suffer it collectively and in isolation.” — Hisham Matar",
                "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": "Hisham Matar",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Civil war is a national crisis...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also-a-private-trauma-we-suffer-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/civil-war-is-a-national-crisis-and-also-a-private-trauma-we-suffer-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
