--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leaned on by Turkey and understandably…" description: "\"Leaned on by Turkey and understandably wary of false equivalences - for not every death is a massacre, and not every war is genocidal - Israel connives..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg" --- # Leaned on by Turkey and understandably wary of false… ![“Leaned on by Turkey and understandably wary of false equivalences - for not every death is a massacre, and not every war is genocidal - Israel connives in Armenian genocide denial.” quote by Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg) > “Leaned on by Turkey and understandably wary of false equivalences - for not every death is a massacre, and not every war is genocidal - Israel connives in Armenian genocide denial.” [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Not every death or war qualifies as a massacre or genocide; careful distinction prevents false equivalence and denialism. **In simple terms:** Distinguish between casualties and genocides; avoid false equivalence. Key Takeaway Apply precise language when discussing conflict. Themes conflict analysis historical truth ethics Mood analytical cautious Type academic critical When to use this quote - academic research - policy making - public education - human rights advocacy Key Concepts genocide denial media framing political discourse Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define a genocide? - How do we balance nuance with moral urgency? A Different Perspective Over-simplification can obscure real atrocities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armenian genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armenian-genocide/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genocide/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I have issued the command, and I'll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad, that our war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-have-issued-the-command-and-i-ll-have-anybody-who-utters-but-one/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Turks continued their previous policy. They would not stop committing massive and most awful massacres that even Leng Timur would not dare to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/turks-continued-their-previous-policy-they-would-not-stop-committing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The legacy of the Armenian Genocide is woven into the fabric of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-schiff/the-legacy-of-the-armenian-genocide-is-woven-into-the-fabric-of/) [Adam Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-schiff/) > [Like the genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians which followed it ... the lessons of the Holocaust must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/like-the-genocide-of-the-armenians-before-it-and-the-genocide-of-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-morgenthau-sr/when-the-turkish-authorities-gave-the-orders-for-these-deportations/) Henry Morgenthau, Sr > [In April, 1915, the Ottoman Government began to put into execution throughout Turkey a systematic and carefully-prepared plan to exterminate the Armenian race. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-adams-gibbons/in-april-1915-the-ottoman-government-began-to-put-into-execution/) Herbert Adams Gibbons > [The whole plan of extermination was nothing less than a cold blooded, calculated political measure, having for its object the annihilation of a superior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fridtjof-nansen/the-whole-plan-of-extermination-was-nothing-less-than-a-cold-blooded/) [Fridtjof Nansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fridtjof-nansen/) > [The idea of telling the story of the Armenian genocide - or, really, any other genocide - and repeating those stories is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/the-idea-of-telling-the-story-of-the-armenian-genocide-or-really-any/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [These left-overs from the former Young Turk Party, who should have been made to account for the millions of our Christian subjects who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/these-left-overs-from-the-former-young-turk-party-who-should-have/) [Mustafa Kemal Ataturk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/) > [Speaker, with mixed emotions we mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish genocide of the Armenian people. In taking notice of the shocking events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/speaker-with-mixed-emotions-we-mark-the-50th-anniversary-of-the/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [If Turkey is prepared to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, then its leaders can proceed immediately to direct dialogue with its counterparts in Armenia to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-foley/if-turkey-is-prepared-to-acknowledge-the-armenian-genocide-then-its/) [Mark Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-foley/) > [When I had to say something that I didn't like to Turkey, but of which I was sure, I said it, with the consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/when-i-had-to-say-something-that-i-didn-t-like-to-turkey-but-of-which/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The AXA and New York Life settlements are important building blocks not only toward seeking financial recovery for the losses resulting from the Armenian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-geragos/the-axa-and-new-york-life-settlements-are-important-building-blocks/) [Mark Geragos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-geragos/) > [We are confident that the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations can become the greatest input of the recent decades in achieving peace and stability in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/we-are-confident-that-the-normalization-of-armenia-turkey-relations/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) > [I am ashamed of my nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djemal-pasha/i-am-ashamed-of-my-nation/) [Djemal Pasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djemal-pasha/) ## More by Howard Jacobson > [Everything is allowable in literature, but what is not allowable in criticism is objection on the grounds of probability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/everything-is-allowable-in-literature-but-what-is-not-allowable-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [There's a simple arithmetical logic at work. Build more unaffordable and not always architecturally sympathetic apartments, watch the rents rise, the tarts leave, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/there-s-a-simple-arithmetical-logic-at-work-build-more-unaffordable/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The novel is a thing of irony and ambiguity. That's at the heart of 'J', a world that has stopped arguing with itself. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-novel-is-a-thing-of-irony-and-ambiguity-that-s-at-the-heart-of-j/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [I was a 'reverence for life' man - 'see life steadily and see it whole' - in my days as a lecturer in English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-was-a-reverence-for-life-man-see-life-steadily-and-see-it-whole-in/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [How Donald Trump has come so far with so few words - how he even managed to keep up conversationally with all those beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/how-donald-trump-has-come-so-far-with-so-few-words-how-he-even/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [It is a nonsense to me when people come along and tell me not to be pessimistic; or that culture has always been going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/it-is-a-nonsense-to-me-when-people-come-along-and-tell-me-not-to-be/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [For me a Writing Day was an occasion for self-reproach and panic, a time to lament the passing of the years, stare out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/for-me-a-writing-day-was-an-occasion-for-self-reproach-and-panic-a/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Even the wordiest of men know there's a time to button it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/even-the-wordiest-of-men-know-there-s-a-time-to-button-it/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [That a nation's statuary will reflect beliefs and attitudes that are no longer current or congenial hardly needs arguing. In most instances, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/that-a-nation-s-statuary-will-reflect-beliefs-and-attitudes-that-are/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“Was he a bad man or just a foolish one? He didn't feel bad to himself. As a husband he believed himself to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/was-he-a-bad-man-or-just-a-foolish-one-he-didn-t-feel-bad-to-himself/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The young come in many guises: vigorous and passionate, vindictive and mean-spirited. And not every person over 65 is dozing in a retirement home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-young-come-in-many-guises-vigorous-and-passionate-vindictive-and/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [To a philosopher like Nietzsche, the Jew is culpable not for rejecting Christianity but for inventing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/to-a-philosopher-like-nietzsche-the-jew-is-culpable-not-for-rejecting/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Shakespeare's always been sitting on my back, since I began reading. And, certainly, as a writer, he's who I hear all the time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/shakespeare-s-always-been-sitting-on-my-back-since-i-began-reading/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [A novelist should make you realize nothing is stable. If you don't believe anything with robustness, you're doing something more radical than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/a-novelist-should-make-you-realize-nothing-is-stable-if-you-don-t/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [The Stop The War Coalition is a sort of home to Jew-haters because its hate music about Israel is so catchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/the-stop-the-war-coalition-is-a-sort-of-home-to-jew-haters-because/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) [Explore all 235 Howard Jacobson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) ## More Armenian genocide quotes > [“The fallout caused by denial was inherited by later generations of Armenians, linking them to the fateful days of 1915, and compelling them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bobelian/the-fallout-caused-by-denial-was-inherited-by-later-generations-of/) Michael Bobelian > [I have issued the command, and I'll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad, that our war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-have-issued-the-command-and-i-ll-have-anybody-who-utters-but-one/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [We are confident that the normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations can become the greatest input of the recent decades in achieving peace and stability in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/we-are-confident-that-the-normalization-of-armenia-turkey-relations/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) > [The AXA and New York Life settlements are important building blocks not only toward seeking financial recovery for the losses resulting from the Armenian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-geragos/the-axa-and-new-york-life-settlements-are-important-building-blocks/) [Mark Geragos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-geragos/) > [“The Lebanese government has officially recognized the Armenian genocide, but nowhere is there any official memorial to the victims of the World War I famine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farshee/the-lebanese-government-has-officially-recognized-the-armenian/) [Louis Farshee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farshee/) > [When I had to say something that I didn't like to Turkey, but of which I was sure, I said it, with the consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/when-i-had-to-say-something-that-i-didn-t-like-to-turkey-but-of-which/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [On my father's side, I'm descended from immigrants, one of whom was a Syrian refugee from the Armenian genocide, and my mother was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/on-my-father-s-side-i-m-descended-from-immigrants-one-of-whom-was-a/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [If Turkey is prepared to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, then its leaders can proceed immediately to direct dialogue with its counterparts in Armenia to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-foley/if-turkey-is-prepared-to-acknowledge-the-armenian-genocide-then-its/) [Mark Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-foley/) > [Speaker, with mixed emotions we mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish genocide of the Armenian people. In taking notice of the shocking events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/speaker-with-mixed-emotions-we-mark-the-50th-anniversary-of-the/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/concealing-or-denying-evil-is-like-allowing-a-wound-to-keep-bleeding/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [These left-overs from the former Young Turk Party, who should have been made to account for the millions of our Christian subjects who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/these-left-overs-from-the-former-young-turk-party-who-should-have/) [Mustafa Kemal Ataturk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/) > [The idea of telling the story of the Armenian genocide - or, really, any other genocide - and repeating those stories is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/the-idea-of-telling-the-story-of-the-armenian-genocide-or-really-any/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [The whole plan of extermination was nothing less than a cold blooded, calculated political measure, having for its object the annihilation of a superior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fridtjof-nansen/the-whole-plan-of-extermination-was-nothing-less-than-a-cold-blooded/) [Fridtjof Nansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fridtjof-nansen/) > [In April, 1915, the Ottoman Government began to put into execution throughout Turkey a systematic and carefully-prepared plan to exterminate the Armenian race. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-adams-gibbons/in-april-1915-the-ottoman-government-began-to-put-into-execution/) Herbert Adams Gibbons > [When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-morgenthau-sr/when-the-turkish-authorities-gave-the-orders-for-these-deportations/) Henry Morgenthau, Sr [Browse all 49 Armenian genocide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armenian-genocide/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Leaned on by Turkey and understandably wary of false equivalences - for not every death is a massacre, and not every war is genocidal - Israel connives in Armenian genocide denial.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Jacobson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-wary-of-false-equivalences-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Armenian genocide" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-wary-of-false-equivalences-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e49/howard-jacobson-1484_armenian-genocide_leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-w_2443583.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Leaned on by Turkey and understandably wary of false equivalences - for not every death is a massacre, and…” — Howard Jacobson", "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": "Howard Jacobson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Leaned on by Turkey and understandably...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-wary-of-false-equivalences-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/leaned-on-by-turkey-and-understandably-wary-of-false-equivalences-for/#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 } } ] } ```