--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's no such thing as the United…" description: "\"There's no such thing as the United Nations,\" — John Bolton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png" --- # There's no such thing as the United Nations, ![“There's no such thing as the United Nations,” quote by John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png) > “There's no such thing as the United Nations,” [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claims the UN lacks real power or cohesion, suggesting it is ineffective. **In simple terms:** The UN is ineffective. Key Takeaway Question its impact. Themes politics international relations skepticism Mood critical skeptical Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy debates - academic discussions - media commentary Key Concepts institutional analysis power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Does the UN’s structure limit its effectiveness? - How could reforms improve its influence? A Different Perspective The UN does provide humanitarian aid and diplomatic channels. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Thing United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-united-5864769/) [United](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united/) [United nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-nations/) ## Related quotes > [The main thing that endears the United Nations to member governments, and so enables it to survive, is its proven capacity to fail, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-cruise-o-brien/the-main-thing-that-endears-the-united-nations-to-member-governments/) [Conor Cruise O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-cruise-o-brien/) > [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/) [Marc Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-morano/) > [To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/to-that-world-assembly-of-sovereign-states-the-united-nations-our/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Food prices are often kept artificially high. The result is that the Millennium Development Goals set out by the United Nations at the start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/food-prices-are-often-kept-artificially-high-the-result-is-that-the/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/we-stand-today-at-the-threshold-of-a-great-event-both-in-the-life-of/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [As the highest ranking American official in the United Nations organization, I came to understand thoroughly that the national constitutional processes of the member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-thornburgh/as-the-highest-ranking-american-official-in-the-united-nations/) [Dick Thornburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-thornburgh/) > [I'm an internationalist. I'd like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-m-an-internationalist-i-d-like-to-see-our-troops-dispersed-through/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [I've been vegan for 15 years, and it turns out it makes a very big impact on the environment to eat fewer animal products,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/i-ve-been-vegan-for-15-years-and-it-turns-out-it-makes-a-very-big/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [The right course is for the Palestinians and the Israelis to sit down at the table together. The Palestinians need to recognize that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/the-right-course-is-for-the-palestinians-and-the-israelis-to-sit-down/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [UNESCO is the conscience of the United Nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-mayor-zaragoza/unesco-is-the-conscience-of-the-united-nations/) [Federico Mayor Zaragoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-mayor-zaragoza/) > [He tried to fool the United Nations and did for 12 years by hiding these weapons. And so, it's going to take time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/he-tried-to-fool-the-united-nations-and-did-for-12-years-by-hiding/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [Because when I have been busy at the United Nations during crises, it has meant working day and night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-frederick/because-when-i-have-been-busy-at-the-united-nations-during-crises-it/) [Pauline Frederick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-frederick/) > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [The core issue here is that the Israeli government refuses to commit to terms of reference for the negotiations that are based on international…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/the-core-issue-here-is-that-the-israeli-government-refuses-to-commit/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) ## More by John Bolton > [There is no excuse for waste, fraud, and abuse in the Defense Department budget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-is-no-excuse-for-waste-fraud-and-abuse-in-the-defense/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [You know, as somebody who writes op-eds and appears on the television, I appreciate as well as anybody that... there is a limit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/you-know-as-somebody-who-writes-op-eds-and-appears-on-the-television/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [The solution to North Korea is the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. China could influence the North; it supplies 80 to 90 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/the-solution-to-north-korea-is-the-reunification-of-the-korean/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [If I were doing the Security Council today, I'd have one permanent member, the United States, because that's the real reflection of the distribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/if-i-were-doing-the-security-council-today-i-d-have-one-permanent/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [There's no such thing as the United Nations. If the U.N. secretary building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nations-if-the-u-n-secretary/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [Just like Sept. 11, only with nuclear weapons this time, that's the threat. I think that is the threat. I think it's just facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/just-like-sept-11-only-with-nuclear-weapons-this-time-that-s-the/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [My philosophy is not a bean-counting, accounting 'look at this.' It is a philosophy that smaller government is better government, and government that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/my-philosophy-is-not-a-bean-counting-accounting-look-at-this-it-is-a/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [If Iran obtains nuclear weapons, then almost certainly Saudi Arabia will do the same, as will Egypt, Turkey and perhaps others in the region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/if-iran-obtains-nuclear-weapons-then-almost-certainly-saudi-arabia/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [Iran is barely over 50% Persian, and Arabs, Baluchis, Azeris, Kurds and many other groups feel left out of the society. That regime has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/iran-is-barely-over-50-persian-and-arabs-baluchis-azeris-kurds-and/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [Well, you could take several stories off the buildings of most U.S. government agencies and we'd all probably be better for it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/well-you-could-take-several-stories-off-the-buildings-of-most-u-s/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [There's no religious test under the constitution. That's what it says. Period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-religious-test-under-the-constitution-that-s-what-it-says/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [Reform is not a one-night stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/reform-is-not-a-one-night-stand/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [The Iranian government is the government that supplied the arms on the Karin-A to the Palestinian Authority several years ago, they are the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/the-iranian-government-is-the-government-that-supplied-the-arms-on/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [You don't need to spend tens of millions of dollars on political consultants to tell you what you think when you already know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/you-don-t-need-to-spend-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-on-political/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [North Korea is going to get away with keeping its nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/north-korea-is-going-to-get-away-with-keeping-its-nuclear-weapons/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) [Explore all 106 John Bolton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) ## More Nations quotes > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [Imagination is the greatest nation in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/imagination-is-the-greatest-nation-in-the-world/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [ When the fountains of government \[borrowing\] abundance began to dry up, when through lack of funds and the impossibility of negotiating fresh loans the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/when-the-fountains-of-government-borrowing-abundance-began-to-dry-up/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Tell me how much a nation knows about its own language, and I will tell you how much that nation knows about its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/tell-me-how-much-a-nation-knows-about-its-own-language-and-i-will/) [John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/) [Browse all 8,022 Nations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's no such thing as the United Nations,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Bolton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nations/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nations/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-bolton-4806_nations_there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nati_3187357.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There's no such thing as the United Nations,” — John Bolton", "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 Bolton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There's no such thing as the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nations/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-united-nations/#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 } } ] } ```