--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Should an individual or a government use…" description: "\"“Should an individual or a government use force at all, even in retaliation? Clearly yes; complete pacifism is self-defeating.”\" — John Hospers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hospers-30604_politics_should-an-individual-or-a-government-use_1640027.jpg" --- # Should an individual or a government use force at all… ![“Should an individual or a government use force at all, even in retaliation? Clearly yes; complete pacifism is self-defeating.” quote by John Hospers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hospers-30604_politics_should-an-individual-or-a-government-use_1640027.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hospers-30604_politics_should-an-individual-or-a-government-use_1640027.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hospers-30604_politics_should-an-individual-or-a-government-use_1640027.jpg) > ““Should an individual or a government use force at all, even in retaliation? Clearly yes; complete pacifism is self-defeating.”” [John Hospers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hospers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that absolute pacifism is unrealistic; both individuals and governments may need to use force, especially in retaliation. **In simple terms:** Force can be necessary; total pacifism fails. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of nonviolence. Themes ethics politics violence Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - self-defense - state security - law enforcement - international conflict Key Concepts just war theory moral realism Questions to Reflect On - When is force justified? - Can retaliation be moral? A Different Perspective Absolute nonviolence may ignore practical threats. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pacifism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pacifism/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“I am not a committed pacifist. I would not hold that it is under all imaginable circumstances wrong to use violence, even though use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-am-not-a-committed-pacifist-i-would-not-hold-that-it-is-under-all/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I'm sort of exploring where pacifism and socialism come into conflict. How do you reconcile a passionate rejection of might and violence with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/i-m-sort-of-exploring-where-pacifism-and-socialism-come-into-conflict/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [I know there are some Christians who believe that war and their participation in it are morally wrong. 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But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hospers/do-you-want-to-have-free-medical-care-at-the-expense-of-other-people/) [John Hospers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hospers/) > [ Undertaking initially to protect its citizens against aggression, \[government\] has often itself become … a far greater aggressor. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hospers/undertaking-initially-to-protect-its-citizens-against-aggression/) [John Hospers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hospers/) > [“The only government tolerated by libertarians is one that exercises only retaliatory use of force on anyone who initiates the use of force against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hospers/the-only-government-tolerated-by-libertarians-is-one-that-exercises/) [John Hospers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hospers/) [Explore all 17 John Hospers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hospers/) ## More Pacifism quotes > [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“Nonviolence is the very essence of the gospels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-iswolsky/nonviolence-is-the-very-essence-of-the-gospels/) Helene Iswolsky > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. 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Kazinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-kazinski/) > [“Fugitive Peace (Sonnet 2219) In the opera of war, peace is fugitive - thinking soldiers are no good to state, either you kill without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fugitive-peace-sonnet-2219-in-the-opera-of-war-peace-is-fugitive/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“It is night at the front, a shadow, a shot. The Jew who has just fired hears a moan... "And then, mother, the hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-schwarz-bart/it-is-night-at-the-front-a-shadow-a-shot-the-jew-who-has-just-fired/) Andre Schwarz-Bart > [I really believe that Bob Dylan and others have speeded up the changes. 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