--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the United Nations is not as united as…" description: "\"If the United Nations is not as united as it should be, that is because it is a reflection of the world we live in.\" — Kofi Annan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png" --- # If the United Nations is not as united as it should be… ![“If the United Nations is not as united as it should be, that is because it is a reflection of the world we live in.” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png) > “If the United Nations is not as united as it should be, that is because it is a reflection of the world we live in.” [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. International bodies mirror global unity or division. **In simple terms:** UN reflects world’s cohesion. Key Takeaway Strengthen global cooperation. Themes global governance unity reflection Mood hopeful serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - peacebuilding - international relations - null Key Concepts political science diplomacy Questions to Reflect On - How can the UN become more united? - What role can individuals play? A Different Perspective UN’s effectiveness limited by member interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [United nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-nations/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I am certain that a solution of the general problem of peace must rest on broad and basic understanding on the part of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-am-certain-that-a-solution-of-the-general-problem-of-peace-must/) [George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/) > [Unless You Learn To Face Your Shadows, You Will Continue To See them In others, Because The World Outside You Is Only A Reflection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unless-you-learn-to-face-your-shadows-you-will-continue-to-see-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-way-we-experience-the-world-around-us-is-a-direct-reflection-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If wars in the future are to be prevented the nations must be united in their determination to keep the peace under law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/if-wars-in-the-future-are-to-be-prevented-the-nations-must-be-united/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [There will always be nations. The United States will last a long, long time, I believe. France and Germany and Japan, China, other nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cranston/there-will-always-be-nations-the-united-states-will-last-a-long-long/) [Alan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cranston/) > [“We each project to others a reflection of the world which includes our choices of perception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-each-project-to-others-a-reflection-of-the-world-which-includes/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The biggest (and hardest) lesson I've learned in life is that the external world is just a reflection of the world within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hsieh/the-biggest-and-hardest-lesson-i-ve-learned-in-life-is-that-the/) [Tony Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hsieh/) > [The reflection of the world is blues, that's where that part of the music is at. Then you got this other kind of music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/the-reflection-of-the-world-is-blues-that-s-where-that-part-of-the/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [It's so hard to keep anything in our heads for very long and we're easily distracted, so I like projects that allow for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-reid/it-s-so-hard-to-keep-anything-in-our-heads-for-very-long-and-we-re/) [Noah Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-reid/) > [“Inclusion is not a favor we do for others—it’s a reflection of the world we want to live in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hagir-elsheikh/inclusion-is-not-a-favor-we-do-for-others-it-s-a-reflection-of-the/) [Hagir Elsheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hagir-elsheikh/) > [Terminator' is a reflection of how the world is changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-reyes/terminator-is-a-reflection-of-how-the-world-is-changing/) [Natalia Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-reyes/) > [The world outside us is the reflection of the world inside us change and things around you change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-vasquez/the-world-outside-us-is-the-reflection-of-the-world-inside-us-change/) [Christian Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-vasquez/) > [When we get up in the morning, what we put on is very much a reflection of how we see the world and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cole/when-we-get-up-in-the-morning-what-we-put-on-is-very-much-a/) [Kenneth Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cole/) > [The world without is a reflection of the world within. What appears without is what has been found within. In the world within may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-f-haanel/the-world-without-is-a-reflection-of-the-world-within-what-appears/) [Charles F. Haanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-f-haanel/) > [What others say about you is not a reflection of you ; it is a reflection of their world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-others-say-about-you-is-not-a-reflection-of-you-it-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Kofi Annan > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/can-the-state-which-represents-the-whole-of-society-and-has-the-duty/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/as-long-as-inequality-and-other-social-problems-plague-us-populists/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-young-and-dynamic-and-idealistic-people-in-the-square-do-not-have/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) [Explore all 366 Kofi Annan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the United Nations is not as united as it should be, that is because it is a reflection of the world we live in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kofi Annan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-as-it-should-be-that-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-as-it-should-be-that-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b23/kofi-annan-799_ifs_if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-a_1882877.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the United Nations is not as united as it should be, that is because it is a reflection of the world we…” — Kofi Annan", "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": "Kofi Annan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If the United Nations is not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-as-it-should-be-that-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/if-the-united-nations-is-not-as-united-as-it-should-be-that-is/#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 } } ] } ```