--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact that we are now crusaders…" description: "\"“The fact that we are now crusaders needn't blind us to the fact that for a very long time we have been, as Badger would say, echidnas. I can think of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/jan-struther-13125_live-simply_the-fact-that-we-are-now-crusaders-needn_1189289.jpg" --- # The fact that we are now crusaders needn't blind us to the… ![“The fact that we are now crusaders needn't blind us to the fact that for a very long time we have been, as Badger would say, echidnas. I can think of a hundred ways already in which the war has "brought us to our senses." But it oughtn't to need a war to make a nation paint its kerbstones white…” quote by Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/jan-struther-13125_live-simply_the-fact-that-we-are-now-crusaders-needn_1189289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/jan-struther-13125_live-simply_the-fact-that-we-are-now-crusaders-needn_1189289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/jan-struther-13125_live-simply_the-fact-that-we-are-now-crusaders-needn_1189289.jpg) > ““The fact that we are now crusaders needn't blind us to the fact that for a very long time we have been, as Badger would say, echidnas. I can think of a hundred ways already in which the war has "brought us to our senses." But it oughtn't to need a war to make a nation paint its kerbstones white, carry rear-lamps on its bicycles, and give all its slum children a holiday in the country. And it oughtn't to need a war to make us talk to each other in buses, and invent our own amusements in the evenings, and live simply, and eat sparingly, and recover the use of our legs, and get up early enough to see the sun rise. However, it has needed one: which is about the severest criticism our civilization could have.”” [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War reveals societal flaws and forces simple living, but true progress should arise without conflict, highlighting the need for critical self‑examination. **In simple terms:** War shows problems; we should improve without war. Key Takeaway Seek peace through conscious societal change. Themes peace war social critique Mood reflective determined Type political philosophical When to use this quote - community building - policy reform - education initiatives - public health campaigns Key Concepts critical reflection civilian resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster change without conflict? - What peaceful actions can replace wartime urgency? A Different Perspective The quote assumes war is the only catalyst for change, overlooking peaceful movements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Live simply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-simply/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“It oughtn't to need a war to make us talk to each other in buses, and invent our own amusements in the evenings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-oughtn-t-to-need-a-war-to-make-us-talk-to-each-other-in-buses-and-2/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [It oughtn't to need a war to make us talk to each other in buses, and invent our own amusements in the evenings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-oughtn-t-to-need-a-war-to-make-us-talk-to-each-other-in-buses-and/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Given how deeply the ways of war have penetrated our collective consciousness, it will take spiritual power to turn the issue around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/given-how-deeply-the-ways-of-war-have-penetrated-our-collective/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [While the Second World War brought about untold misery and suffering, it was also a time when the world witnessed extraordinary bravery. 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But my first obligation is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-f-kuang/i-know-the-vision-you-dreamed-of-for-this-nation-and-i-know-i-may/) [R.F. Kuang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-f-kuang/) > [Don't forget the Vietnam War was brought to us by Democrats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/don-t-forget-the-vietnam-war-was-brought-to-us-by-democrats/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [I, too, saw God through mud - The mud that cracked on cheeks when wretches smiled. War brought more glory to their eyes than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/i-too-saw-god-through-mud-the-mud-that-cracked-on-cheeks-when/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) ## More by Jan Struther > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [“It was more like a form of claustrophobia -- a dread of exchanging the freedom of her own self-imposed routine for the inescapable burden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-was-more-like-a-form-of-claustrophobia-a-dread-of-exchanging-the/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [“Mrs. Miniver suddenly understood why she was enjoying the forties so much better than she had enjoyed the thirties: it was the difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/mrs-miniver-suddenly-understood-why-she-was-enjoying-the-forties-so/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [To be put down in this world, and given only eighty years to get to know it in, is like being let loose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/to-be-put-down-in-this-world-and-given-only-eighty-years-to-get-to/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [ “...\[Y\]ou cannot successfully navigate the future unless you keep always framed beside it a small clear image of the past.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/y-ou-cannot-successfully-navigate-the-future-unless-you-keep-always/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [One is what one remembers: no more, no less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/one-is-what-one-remembers-no-more-no-less/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [In childhood the daylight always fails too soon -- except when there are going to be fireworks;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/in-childhood-the-daylight-always-fails-too-soon-except-when-there-are/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [I can't abide cats myself, but of course we have to have one in the kitchen to deal with the mice. I insisted on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/i-can-t-abide-cats-myself-but-of-course-we-have-to-have-one-in-the/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [swans ... always look as though they'd just been reading their own fan-mail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/swans-always-look-as-though-they-d-just-been-reading-their-own-fan/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [It seemed to her sometimes that the most important thing about marriage was not a home or children or a remedy against sin, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-seemed-to-her-sometimes-that-the-most-important-thing-about/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Physical weather certainly is beyond our control. ... But human weather - the psychological climate of the world - is not beyond our control.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/physical-weather-certainly-is-beyond-our-control-but-human-weather/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Scots are born exiles, and Scotland the perfect country to be exiled from. Do not imagine that I am running down Scotland. Far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/scots-are-born-exiles-and-scotland-the-perfect-country-to-be-exiled/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [It took me forty years on earth To reach this sure conclusion: There is no Heaven but clarity, No Hell except confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-took-me-forty-years-on-earth-to-reach-this-sure-conclusion-there/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [It's just as important to marry the right life as the right person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/it-s-just-as-important-to-marry-the-right-life-as-the-right-person/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Giving a party is like having a baby: its conception is more fun than its completion; and once you have begun it, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/giving-a-party-is-like-having-a-baby-its-conception-is-more-fun-than/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) [Explore all 51 Jan Struther quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) ## More Live simply quotes > [Life, it seems, will fade away Drifting further every day Getting lost within myself Nothing matters, no one else I have lost the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-it-seems-will-fade-away-drifting-further-every-day-getting-lost/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Live simply, care deeply and treat others with kindness. You never know what other people are going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/live-simply-care-deeply-and-treat-others-with-kindness-you-never-know/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [When you are content to be simply yourself, and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you. Live simply that others may simply live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/when-you-are-content-to-be-simply-yourself-and-don-t-compare-or/) [Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/) > [“Live simply, so you may simply live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-rich/live-simply-so-you-may-simply-live/) Bob Rich > [“There is nothing wrong with where we are, how we are. You spit on satisfaction, leaving you always unsettled and miserable. I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-where-we-are-how-we-are-you-spit-on/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [I am teaching you to live simply. To live with an idea is a very complicated living, it is cunning. To live simply, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-am-teaching-you-to-live-simply-to-live-with-an-idea-is-a-very/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [To know how other people behave takes intelligence, but to know myself takes wisdom. To manage other people's lives takes strength, but to manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heider/to-know-how-other-people-behave-takes-intelligence-but-to-know-myself/) [John Heider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heider/) > [The organized churches must become schools of spiritual discipline where Christians are taught how to own without treasuring (Matt. 6:21); how to possess without,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/the-organized-churches-must-become-schools-of-spiritual-discipline/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Free your heart from hatred - forgive. Free your mind from worries - most never happen. Live simply and appreciate what you have. Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/free-your-heart-from-hatred-forgive-free-your-mind-from-worries-most/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [“(Quoted in Dennis Okholm's Monk Habits for Everyday People ) Settle down in your room at a moment when you have nothing else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bloom/quoted-in-dennis-okholm-s-monk-habits-for-everyday-people-settle-down/) [Anthony Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bloom/) > [LIVE SIMPLY. DREAMS BIG BE GRATEFUL. GIVE LOVE. LAUGH LOTS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mumbaibizarre/live-simply-dreams-big-be-grateful-give-love-laugh-lots/) Mumbaibizarre > [It is desirable that a man be clad so simply that he can lay his hands on himself in the dark, and that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-desirable-that-a-man-be-clad-so-simply-that-he-can-lay-his/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I bring my attention to my hands on the steering wheel and notice how the chatter in my mind begins to fall away as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/i-bring-my-attention-to-my-hands-on-the-steering-wheel-and-notice-how/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-simply-love-generously-care-deeply-speak-kindly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/free-your-heart-from-hatred-free-your-mind-from-worries-live-simply/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 114 Live simply quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-simply/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The fact that we are now crusaders needn't blind us to the fact that for a very long time we have been, as Badger would say, echidnas. I can think of a hundred ways already in which the war has \"brought us to our senses.\" But it oughtn't to need a war to make a nation paint its kerbstones white, carry rear-lamps on its bicycles, and give all its slum children a holiday in the country. 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