Able Quote by Mark Twain
“Peace by persuasion has a pleasant sound, but I think we should not be able to work it. We should have to tame the human race first, and history seems to show that that cannot be done.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Unknown, attributed to Mark Twain, 19th century
The quote warns that persuading peace is appealing, but humanity must be controlled first, which history suggests is impossible.
In simple terms: Peace through persuasion sounds nice, but humanity is too unruly to tame.
Key Takeaway
Accept that force may be needed for lasting peace.
Themes
politics
human nature
peace
control
history
Mood
skeptical
serious
reflective
Type
political
philosophical
cautionary
When to use this quote
- government policy
- international negotiations
- conflict resolution
- social reform
Key Concepts
social contract
power dynamics
human behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- Can peace be achieved without coercion?
- What does “taming the human race” imply about freedom?
A Different Perspective
Peace may be unsustainable without addressing underlying human impulses.
![“[T]here are, at bottom, basically two ways to order social affairs, Coercively, through the mechanisms of the state - what we can call political society. And voluntarily, through the private interaction of individuals and associations - what we can call civil society. ... In a civil society, you…” quote by Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b8b/ed-crane-39299_affair_t-here-are-at-bottom-basically-two-ways_34431.jpg)
