---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can't let the terrorists win. No…"
description: "\"We can't let the terrorists win. No matter how softly we toss the ball to them, they miss it every time.\" — John Alejandro King"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg"
---

#  We can't let the terrorists win. No matter how softly we…

![“We can't let the terrorists win. No matter how softly we toss the ball to them, they miss it every time.” quote by John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg)

> “We can't let the terrorists win. No matter how softly we toss the ball to them, they miss it every time.”

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

## About This Quote

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

Advocates for firm stance against terrorism, emphasizing that attempts to appease them fail.

**In simple terms:** Terrorists cannot be appeased; they always fail.

Key Takeaway

Maintain a firm, uncompromising position.

Themes

security politics conflict determination

Mood

determined serious

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- policy debates
- public statements
- media interviews
- counter‑terrorism planning

Key Concepts

terrorism strategic communication resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- Is a hardline approach always effective?
- How can we balance firmness with diplomacy?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex geopolitical realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ball Miss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball-miss-6042202/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Let Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-terrorists-1311839/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) [Terrorists Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists-win-241104/) [Toss Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toss-ball-6042203/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [I think one of the great dangers here is going and categorizing anybody from one religion as a terrorist. That's not true... That would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/i-think-one-of-the-great-dangers-here-is-going-and-categorizing/)

[Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/)

> [We're told to go on living our lives as usual, because to do otherwise is to let the terrorists win, and really, what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/we-re-told-to-go-on-living-our-lives-as-usual-because-to-do-otherwise/)

[Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/)

> [You're going to see a million people here who have the courage to come and not let terrorists win, and that's exactly what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/you-re-going-to-see-a-million-people-here-who-have-the-courage-to/)

[Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/)

> [If you don't win and the terrorists win, Syria wouldn't exist anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/if-you-don-t-win-and-the-terrorists-win-syria-wouldn-t-exist-anymore/)

[Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/)

> [We will not let terrorists change our way of life; we will not live in fear; and we will not undermine the civil liberties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-schiff/we-will-not-let-terrorists-change-our-way-of-life-we-will-not-live-in/)

[Adam Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-schiff/)

> [We cannot let terrorists hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-cannot-let-terrorists-hold-this-nation-hostile-or-hold-our-allies/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [We need to keep our eye on ISIS. That's why I want to have an intelligence surge that protects us here at home, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-keep-our-eye-on-isis-that-s-why-i-want-to-have-an/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [I'm a former federal prosecutor, I've fought terrorists and won and when we get back in the White House we will fight terrorists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-a-former-federal-prosecutor-i-ve-fought-terrorists-and-won-and/)

[Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/)

> [It is crucial that civil liberties in this country be preserved, otherwise the terrorists will win the battle against American values without firing another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/it-is-crucial-that-civil-liberties-in-this-country-be-preserved/)

[Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/)

> [When you lie about your age, the terrorists win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-leifer/when-you-lie-about-your-age-the-terrorists-win/)

[Carol Leifer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-leifer/)

> [It's our goddamed city! It's our goddamed country. No terrorist can take it from us for so long as we're free. Once we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/it-s-our-goddamed-city-it-s-our-goddamed-country-no-terrorist-can/)

[Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/)

> [“On the TV and in the newspapers all we hear and read is 'live your life or the terrorists win' and it sounds great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/on-the-tv-and-in-the-newspapers-all-we-hear-and-read-is-live-your/)

[Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/)

> [Terrorists have no religion, belief, or race. Having been a target of a number of terrorist attacks myself, I personally empathize with the victims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheikh-hasina/terrorists-have-no-religion-belief-or-race-having-been-a-target-of-a/)

[Sheikh Hasina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheikh-hasina/)

> [Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush-2/either-you-are-with-us-or-you-are-with-the-terrorists-from-this-day/)

[George W Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush-2/)

> [Terrorists and terrorism cannot be eliminated any more than we can rid the world of disease. There will always be those who will resort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/terrorists-and-terrorism-cannot-be-eliminated-any-more-than-we-can/)

[Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/)

## More by John Alejandro King

> [Any resemblance is coincidentally pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/any-resemblance-is-coincidentally-pure/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [If it can be prepared for, it isn't the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/if-it-can-be-prepared-for-it-isn-t-the-worst/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [I'm damned if I do, but I'm only darned if I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/i-m-damned-if-i-do-but-i-m-only-darned-if-i-don-t/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [Gut Your Trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/gut-your-trust/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [There's a famous saying: If 99% was good enough, gravity wouldn't work for 14 minutes every day. I did the calculation, and it's actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/there-s-a-famous-saying-if-99-was-good-enough-gravity-wouldn-t-work/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [The camouflage you admire doesn't deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/the-camouflage-you-admire-doesn-t-deserve-it/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [I'm all for one-world government, assuming we can find a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/i-m-all-for-one-world-government-assuming-we-can-find-a-world/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [A double standard is a scandal. A single standard is an atrocity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/a-double-standard-is-a-scandal-a-single-standard-is-an-atrocity/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [Wait, the Jesus lizard is the lizard that runs on top of the water, not the lizard that shoots blood out of its eyes?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/wait-the-jesus-lizard-is-the-lizard-that-runs-on-top-of-the-water-not/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be dusty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/let-everyone-sweep-in-front-of-his-own-door-and-the-whole-world-will/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [In the highly unlikely event he survived the drastic changes in the ratio of his volume to his surface area, by approximately the 8th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/in-the-highly-unlikely-event-he-survived-the-drastic-changes-in-the/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [America has never lost a war. We just misplaced a couple temporarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/america-has-never-lost-a-war-we-just-misplaced-a-couple-temporarily/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. If people get angry, you can always pretend you were just standing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/never-be-afraid-to-stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in-if-people-get/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [Mind-body dualism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/mind-body-dualism/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [You can tell a lot about a person by what they think you can tell a lot about a person by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-what-they-think-you-can-tell-a/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

[Explore all 65 John Alejandro King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

## More Humor quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [In my opinion, sexiness comes down to three things: chemistry, sense of humor, and treatment of waitstaff at restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhoda-janzen/in-my-opinion-sexiness-comes-down-to-three-things-chemistry-sense-of/)

[Rhoda Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhoda-janzen/)

> [“...I haven't guessed where your shirt is from yet Bane, but I don't think it'll matter once it's underwater!' Tristan looked at Bane questioningly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-k-munt/i-haven-t-guessed-where-your-shirt-is-from-yet-bane-but-i-don-t-think/)

[S.K. Munt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-k-munt/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/)

[Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/)

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/)

[Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/)

> [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/)

[TimBur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timbur/)

> [“ “Do Southerners laugh at different things than Northerners do? Yes, I say--Northerners.” Roy Blount, Jr., Roy Blount’s Book of Southern Humor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/do-southerners-laugh-at-different-things-than-northerners-do-yes-i/)

[Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/)

> [There's a difference between delivering real funny and just silly funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-rel-howery/there-s-a-difference-between-delivering-real-funny-and-just-silly/)

[Lil Rel Howery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-rel-howery/)

> [I love being my silly ole self! Lifes a lot better when you have a good sense of humor and you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-my-silly-ole-self-lifes-a-lot-better-when-you-have-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/)

[Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/)

[Browse all 33,155 Humor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We can't let the terrorists win. No matter how softly we toss the ball to them, they miss it every time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Alejandro King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matter-how-softly-we-toss-the-ball/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Humor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matter-how-softly-we-toss-the-ball/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/john-alejandro-king-10499_humor_we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matte_3218560.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We can't let the terrorists win. No matter how softly we toss the ball to them, they miss it every time.” — John Alejandro King",
                "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": "John Alejandro King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We can't let the terrorists win....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matter-how-softly-we-toss-the-ball/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/we-can-t-let-the-terrorists-win-no-matter-how-softly-we-toss-the-ball/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
