--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What he meant, of course, was that there…" description: "\"What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that, too. And even if wars didn't..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg" --- # What he meant, of course, was that there would always be… ![“What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that, too. And even if wars didn't keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg) > “What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that, too. And even if wars didn't keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War is inevitable and unstoppable, like glaciers, and even without war, death remains inevitable. **In simple terms:** Wars are inevitable; death is certain. Key Takeaway Accept life's harsh realities. Themes war inevitability death Mood cynical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political decisions - military planning - personal risk assessment Key Concepts human nature futility of conflict Questions to Reflect On - How do we mitigate war's impact? - What can we do about inevitable death? A Different Perspective Peace can be pursued despite inevitability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Glaciers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glaciers/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars/) ## Related quotes > [“You know what I say to people when I hear they’re writing anti-war books?” “No. What do you say, Harrison Starr?” “I say, ‘Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-know-what-i-say-to-people-when-i-hear-they-re-writing-anti-war-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I say, ‘Why don’t you write an anti-glacier book instead?’” What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-say-why-don-t-you-write-an-anti-glacier-book-instead-what-he-meant/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And even if wars didn’t keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-even-if-wars-didn-t-keep-coming-like-glaciers-there-would-still/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Why don’t you write an anti-glacier book instead?’ What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they were as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/why-don-t-you-write-an-anti-glacier-book-instead-what-he-meant-of/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You know what I say to people when I hear they’re writing anti-war books?” “No. What do you say, Harrison Starr?” “I say, ‘Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-know-what-i-say-to-people-when-i-hear-they-re-writing-anti-war-3/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“All wars are sacred,” he said. “To those who have to fight them. If the people who started wars didn’t make them sacred, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/all-wars-are-sacred-he-said-to-those-who-have-to-fight-them-if-the/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [Both my parents lived through a world war. My grandparents lived through two world wars. And they didn't go around saying, 'Look for happiness.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/both-my-parents-lived-through-a-world-war-my-grandparents-lived/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [“Why are kids like me always being drafted into wars we didn't start?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-willow-wilson/why-are-kids-like-me-always-being-drafted-into-wars-we-didn-t-start/) [G. Willow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-willow-wilson/) > [All wars are sacred to those who have to fight them. If the people who started wars didn't make them sacred, who would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/all-wars-are-sacred-to-those-who-have-to-fight-them-if-the-people-who/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“My relationships failed because i never showed up to the wars i didn't feel like fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/my-relationships-failed-because-i-never-showed-up-to-the-wars-i-didn/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [“You know what I say to people when I hear they're writing anti-war books? I say 'Why don't you write an anti-glacier book instead?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-know-what-i-say-to-people-when-i-hear-they-re-writing-anti-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The human beings also passed canteens, which guards would fill with water. When food came in, the human beings were quiet and trusting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-human-beings-also-passed-canteens-which-guards-would-fill-with/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“THE GERMANS AND THE DOG were engaged in a military operation which had an amusingly self-explanatory name, a human enterprise which is seldom described…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-germans-and-the-dog-were-engaged-in-a-military-operation-which/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Everybody was going along thinking that it was a day like any other day, and bang, down went the Twin Towers. Changed everything. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/everybody-was-going-along-thinking-that-it-was-a-day-like-any-other/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halld-r-laxness/where-the-glacier-meets-the-sky-the-land-ceases-to-be-earthly-and-the/) [Halldór Laxness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halld-r-laxness/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Anti war quotes > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/) Stefan Halper > [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The way I'm going now is to focus on peace, to create peace. As Sister Corita said, "I don't go to anti-war rallies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/the-way-i-m-going-now-is-to-focus-on-peace-to-create-peace-as-sister/) [Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/) > [Here's the thing. Just because you're pro-troops doesn't mean you're pro-war. And just because you're anti-war doesn't mean you're anti-troops. Just because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/here-s-the-thing-just-because-you-re-pro-troops-doesn-t-mean-you-re/) [Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/) > [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/repetition-does-not-transform-a-lie-into-a-truth/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Once conscription was introduced during the First World War, and once Britain's wars ceased being confined to the empire or to continental Europe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/once-conscription-was-introduced-during-the-first-world-war-and-once/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) [Browse all 486 Anti war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I believe that, too. And even if wars didn't keep coming like glaciers, there would still be plain old death.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-would-always-be-wars-that-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anti war" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-would-always-be-wars-that-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edf/kurt-vonnegut-41_anti-war_what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-w_1191511.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What he meant, of course, was that there would always be wars, that they were as easy to stop as glaciers. I…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What he meant, of course, was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-would-always-be-wars-that-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-he-meant-of-course-was-that-there-would-always-be-wars-that-they/#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 } } ] } ```