--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Political conflict rests to a very large…" description: "\"Political conflict rests to a very large extent on a universal ignorance of consequences, as the people who are benefited by any particular act or poli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_conflict_political-conflict-rests-to-a-very-large_1346721.png" --- # Political conflict rests to a very large extent on a… ![“Political conflict rests to a very large extent on a universal ignorance of consequences, as the people who are benefited by any particular act or policy are rarely those who struggled for it, and the people who are injured are rarely those who opposed it.” quote by Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_conflict_political-conflict-rests-to-a-very-large_1346721.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_conflict_political-conflict-rests-to-a-very-large_1346721.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_conflict_political-conflict-rests-to-a-very-large_1346721.png) > “Political conflict rests to a very large extent on a universal ignorance of consequences, as the people who are benefited by any particular act or policy are rarely those who struggled for it, and the people who are injured are rarely those who opposed it.” [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Policies often help those who didn’t fight for them, while the harmed rarely oppose them, showing a gap in understanding outcomes. **In simple terms:** People benefit without fighting; victims rarely protest. Key Takeaway Consider who truly gains or loses before supporting policy. Themes politics consequences ignorance benefit\_distribution Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - legislative debates - community planning - activist campaigns Key Concepts social\_dynamics policy\_analysis unintended\_effects Questions to Reflect On - Who truly benefits from this policy? - How can we give voice to those harmed? A Different Perspective Policy impacts can be hidden and complex, requiring deeper analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Consequences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-consequences-4566644/) [Injured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injured/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Policy Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy-rarely-4566645/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-conflict-1463394/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Universal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal/) [Universal Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal-ignorance-2643272/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“The case for individual freedom rests chiefly on the recognition of the inevitable and universal ignorance of all of us concerning a great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-case-for-individual-freedom-rests-chiefly-on-the-recognition-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [...the case for individual freedom rests largely on the recognition of the inevitable and universal ignorance of all of us concerning a great many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-case-for-individual-freedom-rests-largely-on-the-recognition-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Turkey is immersed in a profound social and political conflict between secularists, who have been in power since the republic was founded, and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/turkey-is-immersed-in-a-profound-social-and-political-conflict/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Missing from much of the public debate is discussion of the simple fact that lurking behind every terroristic act is a specific political antecedent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/missing-from-much-of-the-public-debate-is-discussion-of-the-simple/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Welfare became a term of opprobrium - a contentious, often vindictive area of political conflict in which liberals and conservatives clashed and children were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/welfare-became-a-term-of-opprobrium-a-contentious-often-vindictive/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [“It is a sad irony that many countries possessing natural resources with high income potential have floundered into civil strife as factions compete for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/it-is-a-sad-irony-that-many-countries-possessing-natural-resources/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [For better or worse, I've been involved in the description of political conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/for-better-or-worse-i-ve-been-involved-in-the-description-of/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Christians believe that there will be a Judgment Day at the end. 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Boulding > [ \[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy\] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-chosen-taxonomy-a-set-of/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [If we saw tomorrow's newspaper today, tomorrow would never happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/if-we-saw-tomorrow-s-newspaper-today-tomorrow-would-never-happen/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [It is clear that the building of models is not a purely mechanical process but requires skill of a high order - not merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/it-is-clear-that-the-building-of-models-is-not-a-purely-mechanical/) [Kenneth E. 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Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Conventions of generality and mathematical elegance may be just as much barriers to the attainment and diffusion of knowledge as may contentment with particularity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/conventions-of-generality-and-mathematical-elegance-may-be-just-as/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Nothing fails like success, because we do not learn anything from it. We only learn from failure, but we do not always learn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/nothing-fails-like-success-because-we-do-not-learn-anything-from-it/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [At the opposite pole from the gift is tribute - that is, a grant made out of fear and under threat. A threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/at-the-opposite-pole-from-the-gift-is-tribute-that-is-a-grant-made/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) [Explore all 123 Kenneth E. Boulding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) ## More Conflict quotes > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. 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People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Africa, being the major target of colonial plunder, therefore becomes a major source of conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-horne/africa-being-the-major-target-of-colonial-plunder-therefore-becomes-a/) [Gerald Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-horne/) > [All drama is conflict. Without conflict, there is no action. Without action, there is no character. Without character, there is no story. 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