--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To threaten someone with a gun is the…" description: "\"“To threaten someone with a gun is the same as attacking them, If you had taken his gun, the real war would have started, and in all likelihood we woul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png" --- # To threaten someone with a gun is the same as attacking… ![“To threaten someone with a gun is the same as attacking them, If you had taken his gun, the real war would have started, and in all likelihood we would never have got out of that place alive,” quote by José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png) > ““To threaten someone with a gun is the same as attacking them, If you had taken his gun, the real war would have started, and in all likelihood we would never have got out of that place alive,”” [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Threatening with a weapon escalates conflict, turning a potential resolution into a deadly confrontation. **In simple terms:** Using a gun makes a conflict deadly, stopping peaceful resolution. Key Takeaway Avoid escalation, seek non‑violent solutions. Themes conflict violence resolution Mood tense serious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - negotiations - law enforcement - personal safety - political disputes Key Concepts ethics power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When is it justified to use force? - How can you de‑escalate a tense situation? A Different Perspective Non‑violent approaches may still involve risk and require strong resolve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gun Attacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun-attacking-2814703/) [Gun Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun-real-2814704/) [Real War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-war-1422701/) [Threaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threaten/) [Threaten Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threaten-gun-2814702/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I should not have to flirt with someone while I'm trying to threaten someone else with a gun; it was too hard to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-should-not-have-to-flirt-with-someone-while-i-m-trying-to-threaten/) [Laurell K. 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They wage their silly territorial battles, kill each other ruthlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/war-beranabus-murmurs-face-crinkling-most-humans-know-nothing-of-true/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [Friction is the only concept that more or less corresponds to the factors that distinguish real war from war on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/friction-is-the-only-concept-that-more-or-less-corresponds-to-the/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Guerrilla wars, and even more so terrorist assaults, are conducted only by forces with insufficient strength to carry out a real war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/guerrilla-wars-and-even-more-so-terrorist-assaults-are-conducted-only/) [Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/) > [The real war will never get in the books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/the-real-war-will-never-get-in-the-books/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [In real war an officer may have only one chance at succeeding. 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Specifically in the U.S., which happens to have a highly class-conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-war-against-working-people-should-be-understood-to-be-a-real-war/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“That for them, that war won't ever be over. I don't think any real war ever is - large, small, between countries, between people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-jensen/that-for-them-that-war-won-t-ever-be-over-i-don-t-think-any-real-war/) [Nancy Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-jensen/) > [Soccer, metaphor for war, at times turns into real war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/soccer-metaphor-for-war-at-times-turns-into-real-war/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) ## More by José Saramago > [“We are born, and at that moment, it is as if we had signed a pact for the rest of our life, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-are-born-and-at-that-moment-it-is-as-if-we-had-signed-a-pact-for/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [One can show no greater respect than to weep for a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/one-can-show-no-greater-respect-than-to-weep-for-a-stranger/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I am not a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-am-not-a-prophet/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [With the passage of time, as well as the social evolution and genetic exchange, we ended up putting our conscience in the color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/with-the-passage-of-time-as-well-as-the-social-evolution-and-genetic/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Al día siguiente no murió nadie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/al-d-a-siguiente-no-muri-nadie/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“E se as histórias para crianças passassem a ser de leitura obrigatória para os adultos? Seriam eles capazes de aprender realmente o que há…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/e-se-as-hist-rias-para-crian-as-passassem-a-ser-de-leitura-obrigat/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [In a king, modesty would be a sign of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/in-a-king-modesty-would-be-a-sign-of-weakness/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“the inmates of the second ward in the right wing have decided, at long last, to bury their dead, at least we shall be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/the-inmates-of-the-second-ward-in-the-right-wing-have-decided-at-long/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“Stretching one arm behind him, the man passed his hand over the horse's coat, his own skin transformed, or skin which had transformed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/stretching-one-arm-behind-him-the-man-passed-his-hand-over-the-horse/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [I think we are blind. Blind people who can see, but do not see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/i-think-we-are-blind-blind-people-who-can-see-but-do-not-see/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [...you have to leave the island in order to see the island, that we can't see ourselves unless we become free of ourselves, Unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/you-have-to-leave-the-island-in-order-to-see-the-island-that-we-can-t/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [anyone who gets up early by inclination or has been forced to rise early out of necessity finds it intolerable that others should go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/anyone-who-gets-up-early-by-inclination-or-has-been-forced-to-rise/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Society has to change, but the political powers we have at the moment are not enough to effect this change. The whole democratic system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/society-has-to-change-but-the-political-powers-we-have-at-the-moment/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“... aborrece os odores nocturnos, aquelas expansões do corpo a que nem poetas escapam".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/aborrece-os-odores-nocturnos-aquelas-expans-es-do-corpo-a-que-nem/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) [Explore all 487 José Saramago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More Threaten quotes > [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [“Not anymore. To bring an outsider in could threaten the safety of Ephani. What if I were on a date and she needed me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/not-anymore-to-bring-an-outsider-in-could-threaten-the-safety-of/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Don't threaten me with love, baby. Let's just go walking in the rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-holiday/don-t-threaten-me-with-love-baby-let-s-just-go-walking-in-the-rain/) [Billie Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-holiday/) > [Over the years, I've fought a number of polemical battles against ideas that threaten the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/over-the-years-i-ve-fought-a-number-of-polemical-battles-against/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [When chimps threaten, they open their mouth and show their teeth. It's a little like waving a knife in front of you. It's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/when-chimps-threaten-they-open-their-mouth-and-show-their-teeth-it-s/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“Procrastination threatens to rob us of those things that are most important in our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/procrastination-threatens-to-rob-us-of-those-things-that-are-most/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [I control my life and I have never let success run away with me - I've taken it and ran. And the only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-khan/i-control-my-life-and-i-have-never-let-success-run-away-with-me-i-ve/) [Chaka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-khan/) > [“How long will you need?” “Two hours, no more.” “This had better work,” Gaynor said. “Do not threaten me,” Dominga said. Oh, goody, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/how-long-will-you-need-two-hours-no-more-this-had-better-work-gaynor/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I revel in movies where the monsters tower more over the tiny budgets than the characters they threaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hewlett/i-revel-in-movies-where-the-monsters-tower-more-over-the-tiny-budgets/) [David Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hewlett/) > [Are we prepared to tolerate a world in which countries which care about morality lay down their nuclear weapons, leaving others to threaten the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/des-browne/are-we-prepared-to-tolerate-a-world-in-which-countries-which-care/) [Des Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/des-browne/) > [The bottom line is that weather events not only threaten private property and family budgets, but they also can decimate public resources and government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/the-bottom-line-is-that-weather-events-not-only-threaten-private/) [Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/) > [I condemn all statements - made in sincerity or jest - that threaten or suggest the use of violence against the president of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-broun/i-condemn-all-statements-made-in-sincerity-or-jest-that-threaten-or/) [Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-broun/) > [You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/you-can-find-peace-amidst-the-storms-that-threaten-you/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“Even the most powerful enemies who threaten or oppress God’s children will one day fall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-george/even-the-most-powerful-enemies-who-threaten-or-oppress-god-s-children/) [Jim George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-george/) > [“You can bully people, you can threaten them, but you can't break someone unless they're willing to be broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-northcott/you-can-bully-people-you-can-threaten-them-but-you-can-t-break/) [Blake Northcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-northcott/) [Browse all 178 Threaten quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threaten/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To threaten someone with a gun is the same as attacking them, If you had taken his gun, the real war would have started, and in all likelihood we would never have got out of that place alive,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "José Saramago" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-same-as-attacking-them-if-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Threaten" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-same-as-attacking-them-if-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be3/jos-saramago-208_threaten_to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-sa_2711853.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To threaten someone with a gun is the same as attacking them, If you had taken his gun, the real war would…” — José Saramago", "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": "José Saramago", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To threaten someone with a gun...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-same-as-attacking-them-if-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/to-threaten-someone-with-a-gun-is-the-same-as-attacking-them-if-you/#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 } } ] } ```