--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter what the cause, even though it…" description: "\"No matter what the cause, even though it be to conquer with tanks and planes and modern artillery some defenseless black population, there will be no l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/john-t-flynn-18493_adequate_no-matter-what-the-cause-even-though-it_1316097.jpg" --- # No matter what the cause, even though it be to conquer… ![“No matter what the cause, even though it be to conquer with tanks and planes and modern artillery some defenseless black population, there will be no lack of poets and preachers and essayists and philosophers to invent the necessary reasons and gild the infamy with righteousness. To this…” quote by John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/john-t-flynn-18493_adequate_no-matter-what-the-cause-even-though-it_1316097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/john-t-flynn-18493_adequate_no-matter-what-the-cause-even-though-it_1316097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e47/john-t-flynn-18493_adequate_no-matter-what-the-cause-even-though-it_1316097.jpg) > “No matter what the cause, even though it be to conquer with tanks and planes and modern artillery some defenseless black population, there will be no lack of poets and preachers and essayists and philosophers to invent the necessary reasons and gild the infamy with righteousness. To this righteousness there is, of course, never an adequate reply. Thus a war to end poverty becomes an unanswerable enterprise. For who can decently be for poverty? To even debate whether the war will end poverty becomes an exhibition of ugly pragmatism and the sign of an ignoble mind.” [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War claimed to end poverty is paradoxically justified by moral rhetoric, yet it creates further injustice. **In simple terms:** War for poverty is contradictory and morally flawed. Key Takeaway Question the morality of war as a solution. Themes war poverty morality politics Mood skeptical critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy debates - humanitarian interventions - academic discourse - public opinion Key Concepts ethical paradox political rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - Can any war truly be moral? - What alternatives exist to address poverty without conflict? A Different Perspective War may sometimes be unavoidable for defense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) [Artillery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artillery/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [End Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-poverty/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Essayists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essayists/) [Exhibitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibitions/) [Infamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infamy/) [K Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/k-pop/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Modern art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-art/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Pragmatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pragmatism/) [Preacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preacher/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Righteousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteousness/) [Tanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanks/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“The mere New Dealers, as that term came to be understood, comprised those wandering, vague dreamers who held to a shadowy conviction that somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-flynn/the-mere-new-dealers-as-that-term-came-to-be-understood-comprised/) [John T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [We can't end poverty if we fail to save the lives of our world's mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/we-can-t-end-poverty-if-we-fail-to-save-the-lives-of-our-world-s/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [We cannot end hunger unless we end poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-winne/we-cannot-end-hunger-unless-we-end-poverty/) [Mark Winne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-winne/) > [The biggest fight in my life is not in boxing. The biggest fight in my life is how to end poverty in my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/the-biggest-fight-in-my-life-is-not-in-boxing-the-biggest-fight-in-my/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [The American People will take Socialism, but they won't take the label. I certainly proved it in the case of EPIC \[End Poverty in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/the-american-people-will-take-socialism-but-they-won-t-take-the-label/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of God's children to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/if-america-does-not-use-her-vast-resources-of-wealth-to-end-poverty/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Poverty should be one of the top concerns for any elected leader. It has a negative effect on almost everything we as society entrust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-crumpton/poverty-should-be-one-of-the-top-concerns-for-any-elected-leader-it/) [Ron Crumpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-crumpton/) > [The only way to have a better world and end poverty is by closing the gap between the top and the bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-way-to-have-a-better-world-and-end-poverty-is-by-closing-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember, aid cannot achieve the end of poverty. Only homegrown development base on the dynamism of individuals and firms in free markets can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-easterly/remember-aid-cannot-achieve-the-end-of-poverty-only-homegrown/) [William Easterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-easterly/) > [We want to end poverty and protect our environment. But we think the most efficient way of achieving that is to change the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kielburger/we-want-to-end-poverty-and-protect-our-environment-but-we-think-the/) [Craig Kielburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kielburger/) > [Growing economies are critical; we will never be able to end poverty unless economies are growing. We also need to find ways of growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-yong-kim/growing-economies-are-critical-we-will-never-be-able-to-end-poverty/) [Jim Yong Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-yong-kim/) > [The best way to end poverty is to simply give people work, which isn't considered 'sexy' among donors who want to fund a preschool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-janah/the-best-way-to-end-poverty-is-to-simply-give-people-work-which-isn-t/) [Leila Janah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-janah/) > [Governments should end the extreme concentration of wealth in order to end poverty. This means tackling tax dodging but also increasing taxes on wealth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/governments-should-end-the-extreme-concentration-of-wealth-in-order/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) > [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) ## More by John T. Flynn > [ 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. 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