--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must fall on the side of de-escalation…" description: "\"We must fall on the side of de-escalation every time.\" — John Fetterman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg" --- # We must fall on the side of de-escalation every time. ![“We must fall on the side of de-escalation every time.” quote by John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg) > “We must fall on the side of de-escalation every time.” [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing calm and diplomatic responses reduces conflict escalation. **In simple terms:** Prefer de‑escalation over confrontation. Key Takeaway Practice restraint in tense situations. Themes conflict resolution patience politics Mood thoughtful calm Type political motivational When to use this quote - political debates - community disputes - law enforcement interactions Key Concepts de‑escalation strategic communication Questions to Reflect On - When is firm action necessary? - How to balance de‑escalation with decisive leadership? A Different Perspective May be seen as passive in urgent crises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Escalation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escalation/) [Escalation Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escalation-time-4376330/) [Every](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every/) [Every time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-time/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Fall Escalation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-escalation-4376329/) [Must](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/must/) [Side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [The Escalation programmers come from a completely different background, and the codebase is all STL this, boost that, fill-up-the-property list, dispatch the event, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carmack/the-escalation-programmers-come-from-a-completely-different/) [John Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carmack/) > [At today's prices for medicines, doctors and hospitals-if the latter are available at any price-only millionaires can afford to be hurt or sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/at-today-s-prices-for-medicines-doctors-and-hospitals-if-the-latter/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [When it came to the Vietnam War, Mr. McNamara was an early advocate of escalation but came to realize the flaws in the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/when-it-came-to-the-vietnam-war-mr-mcnamara-was-an-early-advocate-of/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [Our numbers have increased in Vietnam because the aggression of others has increased in Vietnam. 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Maybe that's why my tattoos are literally the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/i-don-t-mean-to-look-scary-it-s-just-kind-of-what-i-have-to-work-with/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [I'm in the camp that says that if you're to the right of South Dakota on anything, you should use that as a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/i-m-in-the-camp-that-says-that-if-you-re-to-the-right-of-south-dakota/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [I've said to workers that I don't care what you agree with me on politically - I hope it's as many things as possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/i-ve-said-to-workers-that-i-don-t-care-what-you-agree-with-me-on/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [Whether it's leaders from my own town of Braddock or leaders across the state in Bucks County or Adams County, I'm committed to always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/whether-it-s-leaders-from-my-own-town-of-braddock-or-leaders-across/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [If there's ever a boot that comes down to the union way of life or some other kind of arrangement or some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/if-there-s-ever-a-boot-that-comes-down-to-the-union-way-of-life-or/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) > [On my left arm, I have the zip code 15104. 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That's why my role on the Board of Pardons is so important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/we-can-t-let-ourselves-stop-believing-in-second-chances-for-everyone/) [John Fetterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) [Explore all 99 John Fetterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/) ## More Escalation quotes > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [The consequence could be that we would have an escalation that would take place that would not only involve many lives, but I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/the-consequence-could-be-that-we-would-have-an-escalation-that-would/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [“Confidence cannot escalate to arrogance, it only happens if the blood of pride is running through your veins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/confidence-cannot-escalate-to-arrogance-it-only-happens-if-the-blood/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [This stigma associated with drug use--the belief that bad kids use, good kids don't, and those with full-blown addiction are weak, dissolute, and pathetic--has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/this-stigma-associated-with-drug-use-the-belief-that-bad-kids-use/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [“Reinforcing feedback occurs when a change builds on itself over time. In the language of living systems, this particular kind of reinforcing feedback is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-booth-sweeney/reinforcing-feedback-occurs-when-a-change-builds-on-itself-over-time/) [Linda Booth Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-booth-sweeney/) > [Kids don't care what party they have, right? They want cake and they want to run around. Nothing else matters. But in this escalation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/kids-don-t-care-what-party-they-have-right-they-want-cake-and-they/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Declare the United States the winner and begin de-escalation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-aiken/declare-the-united-states-the-winner-and-begin-de-escalation/) [George Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-aiken/) > [For some years now, there has been proof that the devastating effects of the traumatization of children take their inevitable tollon society--a fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/for-some-years-now-there-has-been-proof-that-the-devastating-effects/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [In the 1990s - the period of the greatest escalation of the drug war - nearly 80 percent of the increase in drug arrests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/in-the-1990s-the-period-of-the-greatest-escalation-of-the-drug-war/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [I noticed at once that Depp had a dangerously energized intelligence . . . He was a suave little brute, but he had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-noticed-at-once-that-depp-had-a-dangerously-energized-intelligence/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Our numbers have increased in Vietnam because the aggression of others has increased in Vietnam. There is not, and there will not be, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/our-numbers-have-increased-in-vietnam-because-the-aggression-of/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [When it came to the Vietnam War, Mr. McNamara was an early advocate of escalation but came to realize the flaws in the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/when-it-came-to-the-vietnam-war-mr-mcnamara-was-an-early-advocate-of/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [At today's prices for medicines, doctors and hospitals-if the latter are available at any price-only millionaires can afford to be hurt or sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/at-today-s-prices-for-medicines-doctors-and-hospitals-if-the-latter/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [The Escalation programmers come from a completely different background, and the codebase is all STL this, boost that, fill-up-the-property list, dispatch the event, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carmack/the-escalation-programmers-come-from-a-completely-different/) [John Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carmack/) > [Most Americans believe that escalation will not bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end, and that's why I've proposed not just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/most-americans-believe-that-escalation-will-not-bring-the-war-in-iraq/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Browse all 45 Escalation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escalation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must fall on the side of de-escalation every time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Fetterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalation-every-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Escalation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalation-every-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/john-fetterman-6257_escalation_we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalatio_2939592.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must fall on the side of de-escalation every time.” — John Fetterman", "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 Fetterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fetterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We must fall on the side...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalation-every-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fetterman/we-must-fall-on-the-side-of-de-escalation-every-time/#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 } } ] } ```