--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a brief moment after 9/11 when…" description: "\"There was a brief moment after 9/11 when Colin Powell said we should not rush to satisfy the desire for revenge. It was a great moment, an extraordinar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/judith-butler-1374_asking_there-was-a-brief-moment-after-9-11-when_2119627.jpg" --- # There was a brief moment after 9/11 when Colin Powell said… ![“There was a brief moment after 9/11 when Colin Powell said we should not rush to satisfy the desire for revenge. It was a great moment, an extraordinary moment, because what he was actually asking people to do was to stay with a sense of grief, mournfulness, and vulnerability.” quote by Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/judith-butler-1374_asking_there-was-a-brief-moment-after-9-11-when_2119627.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/judith-butler-1374_asking_there-was-a-brief-moment-after-9-11-when_2119627.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/judith-butler-1374_asking_there-was-a-brief-moment-after-9-11-when_2119627.jpg) > “There was a brief moment after 9/11 when Colin Powell said we should not rush to satisfy the desire for revenge. It was a great moment, an extraordinary moment, because what he was actually asking people to do was to stay with a sense of grief, mournfulness, and vulnerability.” [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He urged people to resist immediate revenge, urging them to sit with grief and vulnerability instead of acting impulsively. **In simple terms:** Resist revenge; sit with grief. Key Takeaway Embrace grief before seeking vengeance. Themes grief revenge empathy Mood somber reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal loss - national trauma - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can societies heal without retaliation? - What does vulnerability enable in collective mourning? A Different Perspective Revenge can feel justified but may perpetuate cycles of violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brief moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brief-moments/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Extraordinary moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-moments/) [Great moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-moments/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Revenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revenge/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vulnerability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulnerability/) [Well said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-said/) ## Related quotes > [This is not about charity, it's about justice... 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