--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...They went from regarding these…" description: "\"“...They went from regarding these compromises as regrettable to considering them necessary, then normal, then even desirable.”\" — John Lewis Gaddis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg" --- # ...They went from regarding these compromises as… ![“...They went from regarding these compromises as regrettable to considering them necessary, then normal, then even desirable.” quote by John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg) > ““...They went from regarding these compromises as regrettable to considering them necessary, then normal, then even desirable.”” [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compromises evolve from being seen as regrettable to becoming normalized and even desirable over time. **In simple terms:** Attitudes toward compromises can shift dramatically. Key Takeaway Beware how repeated justification can legitimize questionable deals. Themes history ethics politics Mood critical thoughtful Type historical analysis ethical reflection When to use this quote - policy negotiation - international treaties - corporate agreements Key Concepts norm formation moral drift Questions to Reflect On - What factors drive the acceptance of previously condemned actions? - How can societies guard against moral erosion? A Different Perspective Normalization can mask underlying costs and risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) [Compromises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromises/) [Compromises Regrettable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromises-regrettable-4671503/) [Negotiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiation/) [Regarding Compromises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regarding-compromises-4671504/) [Regrettable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrettable-853162/) [Regrettable Considering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrettable-considering-4671505/) ## Related quotes > [When you give your 100% to your compromises then they become sacrifices… And sacrifices never hurt us,they give us a smile on our face,a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/when-you-give-your-100-to-your-compromises-then-they-become/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [There's a lot of compromises, but that's what a great record should be, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/there-s-a-lot-of-compromises-but-that-s-what-a-great-record-should-be/) [John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/) > [The goal of our struggle is the end of Israel, and there can be no compromises...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/the-goal-of-our-struggle-is-the-end-of-israel-and-there-can-be-no/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [“Compromises are often built on their being unspoken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simonson/compromises-are-often-built-on-their-being-unspoken/) [Helen Simonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simonson/) > [Life is full of compromises, and whether or not you're willing to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/life-is-full-of-compromises-and-whether-or-not-you-re-willing-to/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make compromises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/when-it-comes-to-human-dignity-we-cannot-make-compromises/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't know how you make a living without a few personal compromises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/i-don-t-know-how-you-make-a-living-without-a-few-personal-compromises/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [Very often, as a producer, you find you have to make decisions and compromises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/very-often-as-a-producer-you-find-you-have-to-make-decisions-and/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [I've made compromises to survive in life, and to be able to do what I want to do. But, once anything has been put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rie-rasmussen/i-ve-made-compromises-to-survive-in-life-and-to-be-able-to-do-what-i/) [Rie Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rie-rasmussen/) > [I don't like compromises. I will give everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-magnussen/i-don-t-like-compromises-i-will-give-everything/) [Kevin Magnussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-magnussen/) > [I'm not ready to do any compromises for my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-tautou/i-m-not-ready-to-do-any-compromises-for-my-work/) [Audrey Tautou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-tautou/) > [I should say that all compromise is a "stepping down" of the Truth, is trying to reduce something which cannot be reduced, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/i-should-say-that-all-compromise-is-a-stepping-down-of-the-truth-is/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“life compromises thought adopt situation...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khantha/life-compromises-thought-adopt-situation/) [Khantha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khantha/) > [I hate to take compromises with a racing car. The more standard a car is, the more compromises you have to take.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schumacher/i-hate-to-take-compromises-with-a-racing-car-the-more-standard-a-car/) [Michael Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schumacher/) > [“racism is a regrettable by-product of irrational emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/racism-is-a-regrettable-by-product-of-irrational-emotion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Lewis Gaddis > [“It’s not a very nice solution,” Kennedy acknowledged, “but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”54 The president could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/it-s-not-a-very-nice-solution-kennedy-acknowledged-but-a-wall-is-a/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [The United States came out of the 1990s, if anything, in an even greater position of hegemony and preeminence than it was at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/the-united-states-came-out-of-the-1990s-if-anything-in-an-even/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [I don't think there is necessarily a contradiction between being a hegemonic power on the one hand and functioning multilaterally on the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-don-t-think-there-is-necessarily-a-contradiction-between-being-a/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [George W. Bush has much to evaluate: he has presided over the most sweeping redesign of U.S. grand strategy since the presidency of Franklin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/george-w-bush-has-much-to-evaluate-he-has-presided-over-the-most/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“Stalin’s first move, uncharacteristically, was to apologize to the Chinese comrades for having underestimated them: “Our opinions are not always correct,” he told a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/stalin-s-first-move-uncharacteristically-was-to-apologize-to-the/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [I think the way to think about the impact of Hiroshima is to think about it as a sudden shift in the balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-think-the-way-to-think-about-the-impact-of-hiroshima-is-to-think/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“Thanks to an ingenious constitution, their geographical isolation from potential rivals, and a magnificent endowment of natural resources, the Americans managed to build an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/thanks-to-an-ingenious-constitution-their-geographical-isolation-from/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [Second terms in the White House open the way for second thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/second-terms-in-the-white-house-open-the-way-for-second-thoughts/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“I can’t take communism nor can you, but to cross this bridge I would hold hands with the Devil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-can-t-take-communism-nor-can-you-but-to-cross-this-bridge-i-would/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“From 1957 through 1961, Khrushchev openly, repeatedly, and bloodcurdlingly threatened the West with nuclear annihilation. Soviet missile capabilities were so far superior to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/from-1957-through-1961-khrushchev-openly-repeatedly-and/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“Historical consciousness therefore leaves you, as does maturity itself, with a simultaneous sense of your own significance and insignificance. Like Friedrich's wanderer, you dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/historical-consciousness-therefore-leaves-you-as-does-maturity-itself/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“His months of teaching experience were now a lost age of youth and innocence. He could no longer sit in his office at Fort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/his-months-of-teaching-experience-were-now-a-lost-age-of-youth-and/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [If there is one great power, and the great power has taken upon itself the right to preempt and is choosing for itself when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/if-there-is-one-great-power-and-the-great-power-has-taken-upon-itself/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [ “\[I\]n the interests of our common tasks, we must sometimes overlook their stupidities,” one Soviet official explained in 1973.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/i-n-the-interests-of-our-common-tasks-we-must-sometimes-overlook/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“This is where the capitalists got it right: they were better than the communists at learning from history, because they never bought into any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/this-is-where-the-capitalists-got-it-right-they-were-better-than-the/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) [Explore all 38 John Lewis Gaddis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) ## More Compromise quotes > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/) [Ludwig Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-erhard/) > [Real love is not based upon romance,candle light,dinner and walk along beach.Infact,It's based on care,compromise,respect and trust..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-love-is-not-based-upon-romance-candle-light-dinner-and-walk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I’m not sure sex qualifies as R and R, but it’s a compromise I can live with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-morgen/i-m-not-sure-sex-qualifies-as-r-and-r-but-it-s-a-compromise-i-can/) [Shelby Morgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-morgen/) > [You know what the Englishman's idea of compromise is? He says, Some people say there is a God. Some people say there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/you-know-what-the-englishman-s-idea-of-compromise-is-he-says-some/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [But if you get chronically, psychosocially stressed, you're going to compromise your health. So, essentially, we've evolved to be smart enough to make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-if-you-get-chronically-psychosocially-stressed-you-re-going-to/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [The human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fritz/the-human-spirit-will-not-invest-itself-in-a-compromise/) [Robert Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fritz/) > [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“And what would you like, Sharie?" asked Miss Mush. "What do you have?" asked Sharie. "Potato salad". "What else is there?" asked Sharie. "Nothing"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/and-what-would-you-like-sharie-asked-miss-mush-what-do-you-have-asked/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [A lasting relationship consists of the 3 C's: Commitment. Communication. Compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-lasting-relationship-consists-of-the-3-c-s-commitment-communication/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/) [Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/) > [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [There could be some compromise, but I think we have to stick to the provisions of the treaty, and the provisions of the treaty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-santer/there-could-be-some-compromise-but-i-think-we-have-to-stick-to-the/) [Jacques Santer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-santer/) > [Love is not only about romance, candle-lit dinners and walking hand in hand. In fact, real love is about a lifetime of compromise, commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aarti-khurana/love-is-not-only-about-romance-candle-lit-dinners-and-walking-hand-in/) [Aarti Khurana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aarti-khurana/) [Browse all 2,076 Compromise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...They went from regarding these compromises as regrettable to considering them necessary, then normal, then even desirable.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Lewis Gaddis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/they-went-from-regarding-these-compromises-as-regrettable-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compromise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/they-went-from-regarding-these-compromises-as-regrettable-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/john-lewis-gaddis-16949_negotiation_they-went-from-regarding-these-compromis_2174729.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...They went from regarding these compromises as regrettable to considering them necessary, then normal…” — John Lewis Gaddis", "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 Lewis Gaddis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...They went from regarding these compromises...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/they-went-from-regarding-these-compromises-as-regrettable-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/they-went-from-regarding-these-compromises-as-regrettable-to/#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 } } ] } ```