--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our first and most pressing problem is…" description: "\"Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between national groups or between groups within a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg" --- # Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with… ![“Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between national groups or between groups within a society who have different views about how the society is to be run. If you look back, you will see that warfare was an invention, just as ways of…” quote by Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg) > “Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between national groups or between groups within a society who have different views about how the society is to be run. If you look back, you will see that warfare was an invention, just as ways of handling government or taxes are inventions. You will see, too, that once people use an invention they go on using it until they find another which they think is superior.” [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## 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 an invented tool for conflict resolution; societies must develop new, non‑violent methods. **In simple terms:** War is a man‑made solution; seek alternatives. Key Takeaway Promote peaceful conflict resolution strategies. Themes peace conflict resolution social innovation Mood hopeful determined Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - government policy - community mediation - education curricula - international diplomacy Key Concepts political theory anthropology Questions to Reflect On - What non‑violent alternatives can replace war? - How can societies shift cultural acceptance of warfare? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched institutions is difficult and may face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Away Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-warfare-3958687/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-views/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Solving Conflicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solving-conflicts-3958686/) [Superiors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superiors/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) [Warfare Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare-invention-3958684/) [Warfare Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare-method-3958685/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between national groups within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-how-to-do-away-with-warfare-as/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Warfare ... is just an invention, older and more widespread than the jury system, but none the less an invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/warfare-is-just-an-invention-older-and-more-widespread-than-the-jury/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [My limits are what are comfortable to me. We are all individuals and have different views and perspectives, and I do what I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-roberts/my-limits-are-what-are-comfortable-to-me-we-are-all-individuals-and/) [Ashley Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-roberts/) > [Every successful story has the same ingredients with many different views and opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-narayan/every-successful-story-has-the-same-ingredients-with-many-different/) [Aditya Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-narayan/) > [ We \[with Donald Trump\] just have a different view about what's best for growing the economy, how we make investments that will actually produce… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-with-donald-trump-just-have-a-different-view-about-what-s-best-for/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Conservatives have a different view of a lot of issues versus our friends on the other side. The election determines how that shakes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/conservatives-have-a-different-view-of-a-lot-of-issues-versus-our/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [I strive for perfection, but I'm not perfect. But what I can say is my morals are totally different than any other 24-year-old rapper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asap-rocky/i-strive-for-perfection-but-i-m-not-perfect-but-what-i-can-say-is-my/) [ASAP Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asap-rocky/) > [“Who that prohibits two people who have different views about God to love each other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditia-rinaldi/who-that-prohibits-two-people-who-have-different-views-about-god-to/) [Aditia Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditia-rinaldi/) > [Lawyers are necessary in a community. Some of you...take a different view; but as I am a member of that legal profession, or was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/lawyers-are-necessary-in-a-community-some-of-you-take-a-different/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [We can be civil. We can still be friends, and be Democrats and Republicans, and have different views.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/we-can-be-civil-we-can-still-be-friends-and-be-democrats-and/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [If your political views define who you are as a human, and you can't stand to have friends that have different views than you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddie-marlow/if-your-political-views-define-who-you-are-as-a-human-and-you-can-t/) [Maddie Marlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddie-marlow/) > [It's okay to have different views and beliefs. But when it's all said and done, we are all human. Everyone is equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-okay-to-have-different-views-and-beliefs-but-when-it-s-all-said/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There will always be people with different views from yours. Learn to respect their right to a different view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-will-always-be-people-with-different-views-from-yours-learn-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/we-think-the-puritans-always-dressed-in-black-and-white-which-they/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [It is okay to be have different views, its okay to do different things, its okay to be someone you want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-okay-to-be-have-different-views-its-okay-to-do-different-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Margaret Mead > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-one-cannot-state-a-matter-clearly-enough-so-that-even-an/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I learned the value of hard work by working hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/i-learned-the-value-of-hard-work-by-working-hard/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/children-must-be-taught-how-to-think-not-what-to-think/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Women are scolded both for being mothers and for not being mothers, for wanting to eat their cake and have it too, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/women-are-scolded-both-for-being-mothers-and-for-not-being-mothers/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [we came to realize that a civilization which rode roughshod over the way of life of other peoples was incorporating evil in its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-came-to-realize-that-a-civilization-which-rode-roughshod-over-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [WE MUST DEVISE A SYSTEM IN WHICH PEACE IS MORE REWARDING THAN WAR.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-must-devise-a-system-in-which-peace-is-more-rewarding-than-war/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [today's children are the first generation to grow up in a world that has the power to destroy itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/today-s-children-are-the-first-generation-to-grow-up-in-a-world-that/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-are-now-at-a-point-where-we-must-educate-our-children-in-what-no/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Humanity . . . lies in man's capacity to question the known and imagine the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/humanity-lies-in-man-s-capacity-to-question-the-known-and-imagine-the/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Fathers are biological necessities, but social accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/fathers-are-biological-necessities-but-social-accidents/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-can-happen-to-a-child-is-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [We end up with the contradictory picture of a society that appears to throw its doors wide open to women, but translates her every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/we-end-up-with-the-contradictory-picture-of-a-society-that-appears-to/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) [Explore all 314 Margaret Mead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## 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. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [There is a conflict in the Middle East between two entities, and they're both right, each in their own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/there-is-a-conflict-in-the-middle-east-between-two-entities-and-they/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [Conflict isn't negative, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-crum/conflict-isn-t-negative-it-just-is/) [Thomas Crum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-crum/) > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. 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. And without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd-field/all-drama-is-conflict-without-conflict-there-is-no-action-without/) [Syd Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd-field/) > [The irrepressible conflict propounded by abolitionism has produced now its legitimate fruits - disunion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-irrepressible-conflict-propounded-by-abolitionism-has-produced/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“These are all good things, I said. But no one knows where your country is or who you are. You don't have a familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/these-are-all-good-things-i-said-but-no-one-knows-where-your-country/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [I understand the formula that producers hire directors and directors are hired to direct and actors are hired to act. I don't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-trejo/i-understand-the-formula-that-producers-hire-directors-and-directors/) [Danny Trejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-trejo/) > [“While there is battle and hatred men have eyes for nothing save the fact that the enemy is the cause of all the troubles;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/while-there-is-battle-and-hatred-men-have-eyes-for-nothing-save-the/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [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/) > [All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/all-men-have-an-instinct-for-conflict-at-least-all-healthy-men/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [I didnt like the Survivor shows because of the mean-spirited aspect, and women certainly were part of whatever conflict they would create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-didnt-like-the-survivor-shows-because-of-the-mean-spirited-aspect/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [“How we traverse the space between us when conflict arises has a profound effect on the health and longevity of our relationships.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/how-we-traverse-the-space-between-us-when-conflict-arises-has-a/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) [Browse all 3,969 Conflict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between national groups or between groups within a society who have different views about how the society is to be run. If you look back, you will see that warfare was an invention, just as ways of handling government or taxes are inventions. You will see, too, that once people use an invention they go on using it until they find another which they think is superior.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Mead" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-how-to-do-away-with-warfare-as-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conflict" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-how-to-do-away-with-warfare-as-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/margaret-mead-982_conflict_our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-h_2064949.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our first and most pressing problem is how to do away with warfare as a method of solving conflicts between…” — Margaret Mead", "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": "Margaret Mead", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our first and most pressing problem...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-how-to-do-away-with-warfare-as-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/our-first-and-most-pressing-problem-is-how-to-do-away-with-warfare-as-2/#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 } } ] } ```