--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Aggression is inherently destructive of…" description: "\"Aggression is inherently destructive of relationships. People and ideologies are pitted against each other, believing that in order to survive, they mu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/327/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_aggression_aggression-is-inherently-destructive-of_2671465.png" --- # Aggression is inherently destructive of relationships… ![“Aggression is inherently destructive of relationships. People and ideologies are pitted against each other, believing that in order to survive, they must destroy the opposition.” quote by Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/327/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_aggression_aggression-is-inherently-destructive-of_2671465.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/327/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_aggression_aggression-is-inherently-destructive-of_2671465.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/327/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_aggression_aggression-is-inherently-destructive-of_2671465.png) > “Aggression is inherently destructive of relationships. People and ideologies are pitted against each other, believing that in order to survive, they must destroy the opposition.” [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aggression harms connections, turning people and ideas into enemies that must be destroyed for survival. **In simple terms:** Aggression destroys relationships and pits people against each other. Key Takeaway Avoid aggression, seek collaboration. Themes relationships conflict collaboration Mood tense reflective Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - teamwork - community building - political discourse - family dynamics Key Concepts power dynamics social psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we transform aggressive impulses into constructive dialogue? - What structures reduce the need for destructive competition? A Different Perspective Aggression can sometimes protect vulnerable groups from harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Ideologies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideologies/) [Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) ## Related quotes > [Most people are passive aggressive in this world. I have the idea that the human being is born with a kind of reservoir of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/most-people-are-passive-aggressive-in-this-world-i-have-the-idea-that/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [The desire to be right can be very destructive in relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-treasure/the-desire-to-be-right-can-be-very-destructive-in-relationships/) [Julian Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-treasure/) > [I have family members who literally struggle with crack addiction, and I've seen how destructive that's been, not only for their relationships and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosario-dawson/i-have-family-members-who-literally-struggle-with-crack-addiction-and/) [Rosario Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosario-dawson/) > [ “I \[Lorna Craig\] would say that teaching a girl that her salvation depends on her having sexual relations with a married man is inherently… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/i-lorna-craig-would-say-that-teaching-a-girl-that-her-salvation/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [These days, our senses are bombarded with aggression. We are constantly confronted with global images of unending, escalating war and violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/these-days-our-senses-are-bombarded-with-aggression-we-are-constantly/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [In this present culture, we need to find the means to work and live together with less aggression if we are to resolve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/in-this-present-culture-we-need-to-find-the-means-to-work-and-live/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression is the most common behavior used by many organizations, a nearly invisible medium that influences all decisions and actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-is-the-most-common-behavior-used-by-many-organizations-a/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only breeds more aggression. It only creates more fear and anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-breeds-more-aggression-it-only-creates-more-fear-and/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only moves in one direction - it creates more aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-moves-in-one-direction-it-creates-more-aggression/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-less-destructive-ways-of/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [We are deeply concerned about false narratives, ideologies of hate that are fueled by conversations and messages on online platforms and other social media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-mayorkas/we-are-deeply-concerned-about-false-narratives-ideologies-of-hate/) [Alejandro Mayorkas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-mayorkas/) > [Ideologies do not map the complete living processes of a World.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-irwin-thompson/ideologies-do-not-map-the-complete-living-processes-of-a-world/) [William Irwin Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-irwin-thompson/) > [It seems that in the advanced stages of stupidity, a lack of ideas is compensated for by an excess of ideologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/it-seems-that-in-the-advanced-stages-of-stupidity-a-lack-of-ideas-is/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Ideologies have no heart of their own. They're the whores and angels of our striving selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/ideologies-have-no-heart-of-their-own-they-re-the-whores-and-angels/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [I will never change my ideologies for anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khesari-lal-yadav/i-will-never-change-my-ideologies-for-anyone/) [Khesari Lal Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khesari-lal-yadav/) ## More by Margaret J. Wheatley > [There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/there-is-no-power-for-change-greater-than-a-community-discovering/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [For us, someone who is willing to step forward and help is much more courageous than someone who is merely fulfilling the role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-us-someone-who-is-willing-to-step-forward-and-help-is-much-more/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I believe that the capacity that any organization needs is for leadership to appear anywhere it is needed, when it is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/i-believe-that-the-capacity-that-any-organization-needs-is-for/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Perseverance is a choice. It's not a simple, one-time choice, it's a daily one. There's never a final decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/perseverance-is-a-choice-it-s-not-a-simple-one-time-choice-it-s-a/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/when-we-seek-for-connection-we-restore-the-world-to-wholeness-our/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only moves in one direction - it creates more aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-moves-in-one-direction-it-creates-more-aggression/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [The future cannot be determined. It can only be experienced as it is occurring. Life doesn't know what it will be until it notices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/the-future-cannot-be-determined-it-can-only-be-experienced-as-it-is/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [A world based on machine images is a world filled with boundaries. In a machine, every piece knows its place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/a-world-based-on-machine-images-is-a-world-filled-with-boundaries-in/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-less-destructive-ways-of/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [You can’t hate someone whose story you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/you-can-t-hate-someone-whose-story-you-know/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [we can't be creative if we refuse to be confused. Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/we-can-t-be-creative-if-we-refuse-to-be-confused-change-always-starts/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Determination, energy, and courage appear spontaneously when we care deeply about something. We take risks that are unimaginable in any other context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/determination-energy-and-courage-appear-spontaneously-when-we-care/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only breeds more aggression. It only creates more fear and anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-breeds-more-aggression-it-only-creates-more-fear-and/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [We are, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/we-are-always-poets-exploring-possibilities-of-meaning-in-a-world/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I think a major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/i-think-a-major-act-of-leadership-right-now-call-it-a-radical-act-is/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) [Explore all 112 Margaret J. Wheatley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) ## More Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Aggression is inherently destructive of relationships. 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