---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How then to enforce peace? Not by reason…"
description: "\"How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor by education. If a man could not look at the fact of peace and the fact of war and choose the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg"
---

#  How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor…

![“How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor by education. If a man could not look at the fact of peace and the fact of war and choose the former in preference to the latter, what additional argument could persuade him? What could be more eloquent as a condemnation of war than war…” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg)

> “How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor by education. If a man could not look at the fact of peace and the fact of war and choose the former in preference to the latter, what additional argument could persuade him? What could be more eloquent as a condemnation of war than war itself? What tremendous feat of dialectic could carry with it a tenth the power of a single gutted ship with its ghastly cargo?”

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

## About This Quote

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

Peace cannot be imposed by logic or schooling; it requires a conscious choice to reject war, which itself demonstrates its own absurdity.

**In simple terms:** Peace needs a moral choice, not just arguments.

Key Takeaway

Choose peace over war.

Themes

peace war morality choice

Mood

reflective serious

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- political negotiations
- education curricula
- conflict resolution training
- personal decision making

Key Concepts

dialectic ethics human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal values guide your stance on war?
- Can rational discourse ever outweigh emotional conviction?

A Different Perspective

Peace may be idealistic without enforceable mechanisms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Cargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cargo/) [Condemnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemnation/) [Condemnation War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemnation-war-1947760/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Eloquent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eloquent/) [Enforce Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforce-peace-1947759/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Latter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/latter/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-reason-1947758/) [Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preference/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-choose-1947761/)

## Related quotes

> [“How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor by education. If a man could not look at the fact of peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason-certainly-nor-by-education-if-2/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Force is often used to enforce peace and an A bomb did bring world war 2 to a shuddering halt. The funniest people sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhie-sharma/force-is-often-used-to-enforce-peace-and-an-a-bomb-did-bring-world/)

[Nidhie Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhie-sharma/)

> [Oh, but Masha, can’t you see? You are. An Ivan has come. That is like saying, Midnight has struck. It is time for bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/oh-but-masha-can-t-you-see-you-are-an-ivan-has-come-that-is-like/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [Very few people choose war. They choose selfishness and the result was war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/very-few-people-choose-war-they-choose-selfishness-and-the-result-was/)

[David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/)

> [“Because if you see people as enemies or obstacles or traps, you will be at constant war with them and with yourself. Whereas if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/because-if-you-see-people-as-enemies-or-obstacles-or-traps-you-will/)

[Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/)

> [The world has been abnormal for so long that we've forgotten what it's like to live in a peaceful and reasonable climate. If there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/the-world-has-been-abnormal-for-so-long-that-we-ve-forgotten-what-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Israel was seen as having demonstrated unmistakably it wanted peace, and the reason it wasn't available, achievable was because Arafat wouldn't accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ross/israel-was-seen-as-having-demonstrated-unmistakably-it-wanted-peace/)

[Dennis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ross/)

> [“If there is to be any peace or reason, we have to create it in our own hearts and homes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-there-is-to-be-any-peace-or-reason-we-have-to-create-it-in-our-own/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [The Nobel Prize is an honor unique in the world in having found its way into the hearts and minds of simple people everywhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/the-nobel-prize-is-an-honor-unique-in-the-world-in-having-found-its/)

[George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/)

> [In a way, if and individual assumes the risk of placing himself in the middle of a war to communicate to the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/in-a-way-if-and-individual-assumes-the-risk-of-placing-himself-in-the/)

[James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/)

> [The world has made everything else and still it can't make peace. And the reason it can't make peace is because of the evil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-dixon/the-world-has-made-everything-else-and-still-it-can-t-make-peace-and/)

[Willie Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-dixon/)

> [Pay little attention to discouragement as possible. Plough ahead as a steamer does, rough or smooth - rain or shine. To carry your cargo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/pay-little-attention-to-discouragement-as-possible-plough-ahead-as-a/)

[Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/)

> [If Cargo is a catalyst to spark policy, that would be great. The more we're able to use it as an educational tool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-mortimer/if-cargo-is-a-catalyst-to-spark-policy-that-would-be-great-the-more/)

[Kareem Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-mortimer/)

> [We produce motor drive electronics; we produce cargo systems for large narrow-body and wide-body airplanes and, more importantly, the emergency escape chute that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-r-chenevert/we-produce-motor-drive-electronics-we-produce-cargo-systems-for-large/)

[Louis R. Chenevert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-r-chenevert/)

> [By 2020, cargo loops should be working. By 2022, we should have people transport working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shervin-pishevar/by-2020-cargo-loops-should-be-working-by-2022-we-should-have-people/)

[Shervin Pishevar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shervin-pishevar/)

## More by Isaac Asimov

> [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

[Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

## More Argument quotes

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

> [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/)

[Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/)

> [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/)

[Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

[Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor by education. If a man could not look at the fact of peace and the fact of war and choose the former in preference to the latter, what additional argument could persuade him? What could be more eloquent as a condemnation of war than war itself? What tremendous feat of dialectic could carry with it a tenth the power of a single gutted ship with its ghastly cargo?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isaac Asimov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason-certainly-nor-by-education-if/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Argument"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason-certainly-nor-by-education-if/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0aa/isaac-asimov-309_argument_how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason_1791117.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How then to enforce peace? Not by reason, certainly, nor by education. If a man could not look at the fact…” — Isaac Asimov",
                "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": "Isaac Asimov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How then to enforce peace? Not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason-certainly-nor-by-education-if/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/how-then-to-enforce-peace-not-by-reason-certainly-nor-by-education-if/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
