---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...anyone can make a desert and call it…"
description: "\"“...anyone can make a desert and call it peace...”\" — Kate Elliott"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png"
---

#  ...anyone can make a desert and call it peace...

![“...anyone can make a desert and call it peace...” quote by Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png)

> ““...anyone can make a desert and call it peace...””

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Peace is often presented as a static, empty state, but true peace requires ongoing effort and engagement.

**In simple terms:** Peace isn’t just a desert; it needs active care.

Key Takeaway

Recognize peace as a process, not a static condition.

Themes

peace illusion effort

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- community building
- personal mindfulness

Key Concepts

political philosophy social contract

Questions to Reflect On

- What does peace look like in your daily life?
- How can you turn peace into active stewardship?

A Different Perspective

Peace can be misused to justify inaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Desert Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert-peace-2645832/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-desert-1821828/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/)

## Related quotes

> [They make a desert and call it peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/they-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [“I am the Love Cactus. Make desert to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-the-love-cactus-make-desert-to-me/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [If you can show me how I can cling to that which is real to me, while teaching me a way into the larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/if-you-can-show-me-how-i-can-cling-to-that-which-is-real-to-me-while/)

[Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/)

> [They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger… they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/they-have-plundered-the-world-stripping-naked-the-land-in-their-2/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [“They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger . . . they are driven by greed, if their enemy be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-allyn-root/they-have-plundered-the-world-stripping-naked-the-land-in-their/)

[Wayne Allyn Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-allyn-root/)

> [I always thought the desert was the antithesis of peace - something that attacks you. So you don't go to the desert for peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-always-thought-the-desert-was-the-antithesis-of-peace-something/)

[Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/)

> [There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/there-is-nothing-in-the-desert-and-no-man-needs-nothing/)

[David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/)

> [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

> [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/)

[Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/)

> [“And now you will ask me about the musicians that played for the jackalope wives. Well, if you can find a place where they’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/and-now-you-will-ask-me-about-the-musicians-that-played-for-the/)

[Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/)

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

## More by Kate Elliott

> [“No greater bond existed than love sealed by trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/no-greater-bond-existed-than-love-sealed-by-trust/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [A man gets used to riding on at the break of day. Comes to think that movement and noise is where life is, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/a-man-gets-used-to-riding-on-at-the-break-of-day-comes-to-think-that/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [The history of the world begins with a seed. The seed is the kernel of what you are, but it is also the promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/the-history-of-the-world-begins-with-a-seed-the-seed-is-the-kernel-of/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“I had not realized how much anger I held against my heart for all the people who use others as nothing more than tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/i-had-not-realized-how-much-anger-i-held-against-my-heart-for-all-the/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“All people are bound by ties and obligations, and the most binding ties of all are those between kin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/all-people-are-bound-by-ties-and-obligations-and-the-most-binding/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“Why do you ask me questions to which you already know the answer?" She tapped me on the arm with her painted fan. "To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/why-do-you-ask-me-questions-to-which-you-already-know-the-answer-she/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“But if the gods only cursed us, then we would hate them. And if they only blessed us, then—well, then we’d care nothing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/but-if-the-gods-only-cursed-us-then-we-would-hate-them-and-if-they/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“She spoke in a caustic tone that would surely have burned out anyone else's tongue had they attempted it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/she-spoke-in-a-caustic-tone-that-would-surely-have-burned-out-anyone/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“I am like you, Bloodheart,” he said, his voice hoarse; but his voice always was hoarse now, for he had survived worse injuries than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/i-am-like-you-bloodheart-he-said-his-voice-hoarse-but-his-voice/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“We don't have to accept the things we might change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/we-don-t-have-to-accept-the-things-we-might-change/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“Never let it be said that I could not talk my way out of any trouble that I could not punch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/never-let-it-be-said-that-i-could-not-talk-my-way-out-of-any-trouble/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [...because when beauty awes you, you must halt and try to catch your breath and your staggered heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/because-when-beauty-awes-you-you-must-halt-and-try-to-catch-your/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [Listen, my father had written. Listen to hear if they are telling the truth or only part of the truth, for that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/listen-my-father-had-written-listen-to-hear-if-they-are-telling-the/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [A kiss can be like the world turning over. It can be like the tide of a dragon's dream washing through the unseen world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/a-kiss-can-be-like-the-world-turning-over-it-can-be-like-the-tide-of/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

> [“Above all else, do not fear to climb the victory tower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/above-all-else-do-not-fear-to-climb-the-victory-tower/)

[Kate Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

[Explore all 47 Kate Elliott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/)

## More Desert quotes

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“And now you will ask me about the musicians that played for the jackalope wives. Well, if you can find a place where they’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/and-now-you-will-ask-me-about-the-musicians-that-played-for-the/)

[Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/)

> [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/)

[Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/)

> [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

> [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/)

[John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/)

> [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/there-is-nothing-in-the-desert-and-no-man-needs-nothing/)

[David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/)

> [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties and entanglements, is to cast off His authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/god-hath-work-to-do-in-this-world-and-to-desert-it-because-of-its/)

[John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/)

> [“If you build a road in the desert and then leave it to its fate, the desert sands will swallow that road! The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-build-a-road-in-the-desert-and-then-leave-it-to-its-fate-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Hulkamania is like a single grain of sand in the Sahara desert that is Nacho Madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macho-man-randy-savage/hulkamania-is-like-a-single-grain-of-sand-in-the-sahara-desert-that/)

[Macho Man Randy Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macho-man-randy-savage/)

> [“The Estate of Solemnity By right, it reigns in its places- in long beards Of spanish moss hanging from a live oak On a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/the-estate-of-solemnity-by-right-it-reigns-in-its-places-in-long/)

[Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/)

> [The earth itself assures us it is a living entity. Deep below surface one can hear its slow pulse, feel its vibrant rhythm. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-waters/the-earth-itself-assures-us-it-is-a-living-entity-deep-below-surface/)

[Frank Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-waters/)

[Browse all 1,675 Desert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...anyone can make a desert and call it peace...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kate Elliott"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desert"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/kate-elliott-14285_desert_anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-pea_3187450.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...anyone can make a desert and call it peace...” — Kate Elliott",
                "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": "Kate Elliott",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-elliott/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...anyone can make a desert and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-elliott/anyone-can-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
