--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The International Control Commission…" description: "\"The International Control Commission isn't doing anything, it's never done anything. What good does it do to be on it or not? Before opening the embass..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/indira-gandhi-1113_decision_the-international-control-commission-isn_1051755.jpg" --- # The International Control Commission isn't doing anything… ![“The International Control Commission isn't doing anything, it's never done anything. What good does it do to be on it or not? Before opening the embassy in Hanoi, I gave it a lot of thought, but it wasn't really a painful decision. American policy in Vietnam is what it is, in Saigon the situation…” quote by Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/indira-gandhi-1113_decision_the-international-control-commission-isn_1051755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/indira-gandhi-1113_decision_the-international-control-commission-isn_1051755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98d/indira-gandhi-1113_decision_the-international-control-commission-isn_1051755.jpg) > “The International Control Commission isn't doing anything, it's never done anything. What good does it do to be on it or not? Before opening the embassy in Hanoi, I gave it a lot of thought, but it wasn't really a painful decision. American policy in Vietnam is what it is, in Saigon the situation is anything but normal, and I'm happy to have done what I did.” [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critique of a powerless international body and personal justification of policy decisions. **In simple terms:** A commission ineffective; personal decisions matter. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of institutions, act responsibly. Themes politics policy institutional failure Mood skeptical reflective Type political analytical When to use this quote - diplomacy - policy formulation - ethical reflection Key Concepts realism agency decision making Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess the value of participation in ineffective bodies? - What alternative actions could be taken? A Different Perspective Institutions may still influence outcomes despite inefficacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Hanoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanoi/) [Saigon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saigon/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) ## Related quotes > [Humanity will... be confronted with dangers of unprecedented character unless, in due time, measures can be taken to forestall a disastrous competition in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/humanity-will-be-confronted-with-dangers-of-unprecedented-character/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [President Obama has made the Asia Pacific region a focus of his foreign policy, and Vietnam - a large, growing economy in the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rhodes/president-obama-has-made-the-asia-pacific-region-a-focus-of-his/) [Ben Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rhodes/) > [It is a key fact about American policy in Vietnam that the withdrawel of American troops was built into it from the start. None…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-schell/it-is-a-key-fact-about-american-policy-in-vietnam-that-the-withdrawel/) [Jonathan Schell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-schell/) > [The Communist leaders in Moscow, Peking and Hanoi must fully understand that the United States considers the freedom of South Viet Nam vital to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/the-communist-leaders-in-moscow-peking-and-hanoi-must-fully/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [We asked Jane Fonda if she would like to meet American pilots in Hanoi, but she refused, she didn't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanoi-hannah/we-asked-jane-fonda-if-she-would-like-to-meet-american-pilots-in/) [Hanoi Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanoi-hannah/) > [Curtis Le May wants to bomb Hanoi and Haiphong. You know how he likes to go around bombing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/curtis-le-may-wants-to-bomb-hanoi-and-haiphong-you-know-how-he-likes/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [ The one consistent policy running through this \[Clinton\] administration is the love it has lavished on Marxists -- food aid for North Korea, diplomatic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-feder/the-one-consistent-policy-running-through-this-clinton-administration/) [Don Feder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-feder/) > [Our objective in South Vietnam has never been the annihilation of the enemy. It has been to bring about a recognition in Hanoi that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/our-objective-in-south-vietnam-has-never-been-the-annihilation-of-the/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Hanoi Rocks was our baby and we were the core and we started the band. All those years that went to waste because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-monroe/hanoi-rocks-was-our-baby-and-we-were-the-core-and-we-started-the-band/) [Michael Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-monroe/) > [“On Ho Chi Minh's desk in Hanoi on the day he died lay a biography of John Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/on-ho-chi-minh-s-desk-in-hanoi-on-the-day-he-died-lay-a-biography-of/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [Let's note, that in what I consider the most disgraceful performance abroad by an American official in my lifetime - something not exampled since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/let-s-note-that-in-what-i-consider-the-most-disgraceful-performance/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [ The important point was that whatever errors America had made \[in Vietnam\] "we are so powerful \[according to Secretary Kissinger\] that Hanoi is simply… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shawcross/the-important-point-was-that-whatever-errors-america-had-made-in/) [William Shawcross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shawcross/) > [The influence of Sun Tzu on other North Vietnamese military strategists is harder to answer. Certainly many of the key leaders in Hanoi were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-duiker/the-influence-of-sun-tzu-on-other-north-vietnamese-military/) [William J. Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [“Hanoi’s leaders were virtuoso songbirds of propaganda. They lived in a bubble. There were no voices of dissent in their society to check or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bowden/hanoi-s-leaders-were-virtuoso-songbirds-of-propaganda-they-lived-in-a/) [Mark Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bowden/) > [Why should American atrocities be merely unsettling, but a trip to Hanoi unconscionable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/why-should-american-atrocities-be-merely-unsettling-but-a-trip-to/) [Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/) ## More by Indira Gandhi > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I'm not ambitious. Not a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-m-not-ambitious-not-a-bit/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [In all societies that have applied a form of socialism, a certain degree of social economic equality has been achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/in-all-societies-that-have-applied-a-form-of-socialism-a-certain/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I cannot understand how anyone can be an Indian and not be proud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-cannot-understand-how-anyone-can-be-an-indian-and-not-be-proud/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Even today to be civilised is held to be synonymous with being westernised. Advanced countries devote large resources to formulating and spreading ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/even-today-to-be-civilised-is-held-to-be-synonymous-with-being/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [To me the function of politics is to make possible the desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/to-me-the-function-of-politics-is-to-make-possible-the-desirable/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [To become capable, one must have faith in oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/to-become-capable-one-must-have-faith-in-oneself/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [If we offer something to Bangladesh, it's obvious that Bangladesh is offering something to us. And why shouldn't Bangladesh be able to keep its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/if-we-offer-something-to-bangladesh-it-s-obvious-that-bangladesh-is/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [The India I want, I'll never tire of repeating, is a more just and less poor India, one entirely free of foreign influences. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/the-india-i-want-i-ll-never-tire-of-repeating-is-a-more-just-and-less/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Satisfied is a word I use only in reference to my country, and I'll never be satisfied for my country. For this reasons I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/satisfied-is-a-word-i-use-only-in-reference-to-my-country-and-i-ll/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I always wanted to have children - if it had been up to me, I would have had eleven. It was my husband who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-always-wanted-to-have-children-if-it-had-been-up-to-me-i-would-have/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Defeats are always pitiful. Victories are always last resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/defeats-are-always-pitiful-victories-are-always-last-resources/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/to-be-liberated-woman-must-feel-free-to-be-herself-not-in-rivalry-to/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [We do not wish to impoverish the environment any further, and yet we cannot for a moment forget the grim poverty of large numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/we-do-not-wish-to-impoverish-the-environment-any-further-and-yet-we/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) [Explore all 290 Indira Gandhi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) [Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The International Control Commission isn't doing anything, it's never done anything. What good does it do to be on it or not? Before opening the embassy in Hanoi, I gave it a lot of thought, but it wasn't really a painful decision. 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