--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They had engaged in what could not be…" description: "\"“They had engaged in what could not be called treatment or even discussion, but open combat, the two of them a microcosm of the great war raging in the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg" --- # They had engaged in what could not be called treatment or… ![“They had engaged in what could not be called treatment or even discussion, but open combat, the two of them a microcosm of the great war raging in the far distance: one side that desired autonomy, and the other that took independence as a sign of madness.” quote by Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg) > ““They had engaged in what could not be called treatment or even discussion, but open combat, the two of them a microcosm of the great war raging in the far distance: one side that desired autonomy, and the other that took independence as a sign of madness.”” [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A conflict is portrayed as a microcosm of a larger war, with autonomy versus madness as opposing forces. **In simple terms:** A small fight mirrors a huge war over freedom and chaos. Key Takeaway Recognize larger stakes in personal disputes. Themes conflict autonomy madness Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - workplace disputes - social movements Key Concepts political theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does this microcosm reflect your own struggles? - When does autonomy become chaos? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asylum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum/) [Autonomy Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy-took-3549839/) [Combat Microcosm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat-microcosm-3549838/) [Far distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-distance/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Great war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-war/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Took Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-independence-3549840/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Raging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-raging-3340147/) ## Related quotes > [When war is raging the laws are dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/when-war-is-raging-the-laws-are-dumb/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [You speak as if a war were raging." "To the remains of the human race, one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/you-speak-as-if-a-war-were-raging-to-the-remains-of-the-human-race/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“By the time dusk fell, he was back in his room. The last of the daylight lay like fine ashes on the roof-tops. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mauriac/by-the-time-dusk-fell-he-was-back-in-his-room-the-last-of-the/) [François Mauriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mauriac/) > [“Glaring, Kai leaned back against the headrest. "I'm already uncomfortable with you piloting this ship and being in control of my life. Try not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/glaring-kai-leaned-back-against-the-headrest-i-m-already/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [“In my first novel the heroine didn't get her man, in my second the heroine was 64 years old, my third was a romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynah-lewis/in-my-first-novel-the-heroine-didn-t-get-her-man-in-my-second-the/) [Maynah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynah-lewis/) > [“Maybe that's what living in America does to you: it spreads you into far distances until you're just little bits rolling apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-budhos/maybe-that-s-what-living-in-america-does-to-you-it-spreads-you-into/) [Marina Budhos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-budhos/) > [“Standing still at dusk Listen . . . in far distances The song of froglings!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buson/standing-still-at-dusk-listen-in-far-distances-the-song-of-froglings/) [Buson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buson/) > [I may be far from you in distance but I will not forget it to be the reason to forget you. I may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeigh-ilano/i-may-be-far-from-you-in-distance-but-i-will-not-forget-it-to-be-the/) [Jeigh Ilano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeigh-ilano/) > [A friend is someone who allows you distance but is never far away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah/a-friend-is-someone-who-allows-you-distance-but-is-never-far-away/) [Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah/) > [And off in the far distance, the gold on the wings of the angel atop the bell tower of San Marco flashed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/and-off-in-the-far-distance-the-gold-on-the-wings-of-the-angel-atop/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [By this time, like one who had set out on his way by night, and travelled through a region of smooth or idle dreams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/by-this-time-like-one-who-had-set-out-on-his-way-by-night-and/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“The failure of a political enterprise intended to bring about a fundamental change in the order of society can have one of three different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-francis-hudson/the-failure-of-a-political-enterprise-intended-to-bring-about-a/) [Geoffrey Francis Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-francis-hudson/) > [“No star is ever lost we once have seen, We always may be what we might have been Since Good, though only thought, Has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelaide-anne-procter/no-star-is-ever-lost-we-once-have-seen-we-always-may-be-what-we-might/) [Adelaide Anne Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelaide-anne-procter/) > [Far in distance, but near at heart, you'll always be the angel of my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/far-in-distance-but-near-at-heart-you-ll-always-be-the-angel-of-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love no one but you, I have discovered, but you are far away and I am here alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-love-no-one-but-you-i-have-discovered-but-you-are-far-away-and-i-am/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) ## More by Kathy Hepinstall > [“All men have a little badness in them,' she whispered. Milo looked at her. 'Sometimes, honey... a woman can be just as evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/all-men-have-a-little-badness-in-them-she-whispered-milo-looked-at/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“Don't question love, Iris. It may come to you in an inconvenient form, one that society finds scandalous, but its a gift from God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/don-t-question-love-iris-it-may-come-to-you-in-an-inconvenient-form/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“Her childhood had been magical, hours spent in ecstatic loneliness in the apple orchard, dreaming of foreign lands and wild adventures. Everything was new,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/her-childhood-had-been-magical-hours-spent-in-ecstatic-loneliness-in/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“Easy for you to say," Polly said. "You've lived here all your life and stayed under the radar. No one points at you." "Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/easy-for-you-to-say-polly-said-you-ve-lived-here-all-your-life-and/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“Every father wants a daughter to meet the right God, and the right man. Perhaps her father had failed with both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/every-father-wants-a-daughter-to-meet-the-right-god-and-the-right-man/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“I see the way you look at him, and he looks at you. Don't question love, Iris. It may have come to you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/i-see-the-way-you-look-at-him-and-he-looks-at-you-don-t-question-love/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“The world was cruel and sudden. This he knew for sure. Relax for a moment, breathe in the scent of a rose, rest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/the-world-was-cruel-and-sudden-this-he-knew-for-sure-relax-for-a/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“You should have tried the eggplant parmesan she tried to hoist on me at the church bake sale. No wonder her children turned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/you-should-have-tried-the-eggplant-parmesan-she-tried-to-hoist-on-me/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“I wanted someone above me in the chain of life. I didn't want to be alone, a single blue egg in a crumbling nest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/i-wanted-someone-above-me-in-the-chain-of-life-i-didn-t-want-to-be/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“Instead he felt only love. And that was the miracle. The surge in hatred since the war began had created more love around it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/instead-he-felt-only-love-and-that-was-the-miracle-the-surge-in/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“It's not my fault that the gray of everyone else's stories makes the color stand out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/it-s-not-my-fault-that-the-gray-of-everyone-else-s-stories-makes-the/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“Scandal was an antihistamine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/scandal-was-an-antihistamine/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) > [“That's what war was. A great motion and then a great stillness in which the winner crouches and the loser lies facing the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/that-s-what-war-was-a-great-motion-and-then-a-great-stillness-in/) [Kathy Hepinstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) [Explore all 14 Kathy Hepinstall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/) ## More Asylum quotes > [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Sometimes I think they should set up an asylum for people like that... a whole slew of paparazzi defending their positions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-think-they-should-set-up-an-asylum-for-people-like-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“congress - that great, benevolent asylum for the helpless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/congress-that-great-benevolent-asylum-for-the-helpless/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I would not invest in a Trump hate wall. We don't need to be protected from immigrants that are coming here seeking asylum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/i-would-not-invest-in-a-trump-hate-wall-we-don-t-need-to-be-protected/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [This is called 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'; it is called the 'asylum of the oppressed,' and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/this-is-called-the-land-of-the-free-and-the-home-of-the-brave-it-is/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [The lunatics have taken over the asylum and we can do anything we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum-and-we-can-do-anything-we-want/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Individuals whose asylum claims have been accepted have gone on to become professors, soldiers in our military, artists, and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/individuals-whose-asylum-claims-have-been-accepted-have-gone-on-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I shouldn't make movies anymore. I should go to a lunatic asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-shouldn-t-make-movies-anymore-i-should-go-to-a-lunatic-asylum/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-petigru/south-carolina-is-too-small-for-a-republic-and-too-large-for-an/) [James L. Petigru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-petigru/) > [I had, toward the last, been shut off from all visitors, and so when the lawyer, Peter A. Hendricks, came and told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-toward-the-last-been-shut-off-from-all-visitors-and-so-when-the/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [“I was in a mental asylum? When the fuck did that happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-was-in-a-mental-asylum-when-the-fuck-did-that-happen/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-united-states-should-be-an-asylum-for-the-persecuted-lovers-of/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“Asylum. The word always made me smile. Such a pretty name for a hellhole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/asylum-the-word-always-made-me-smile-such-a-pretty-name-for-a-hellhole/) [jennifer estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [“Insane asylums are deliberate and premeditated receptacles of black magic, and it is not only that doctors encourage magic with their untimely and hybrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/insane-asylums-are-deliberate-and-premeditated-receptacles-of-black/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [Instead of turning loose these bogus asylum applicants onto the American streets never to be seen again, let's put them into mobile homes. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kobach/instead-of-turning-loose-these-bogus-asylum-applicants-onto-the/) [Kris Kobach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kobach/) [Browse all 166 Asylum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They had engaged in what could not be called treatment or even discussion, but open combat, the two of them a microcosm of the great war raging in the far distance: one side that desired autonomy, and the other that took independence as a sign of madness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathy Hepinstall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-called-treatment-or-even/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asylum" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-called-treatment-or-even/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/add/kathy-hepinstall-34011_asylum_they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-ca_2005192.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They had engaged in what could not be called treatment or even discussion, but open combat, the two of them…” — Kathy Hepinstall", "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": "Kathy Hepinstall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hepinstall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They had engaged in what could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-called-treatment-or-even/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hepinstall/they-had-engaged-in-what-could-not-be-called-treatment-or-even/#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 } } ] } ```