--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as we can no longer pretend that…" description: "\"Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg" --- # Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden… ![“Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear stockpile will protect us from the most immediate security threats the United States faces.” quote by Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg) > “Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear stockpile will protect us from the most immediate security threats the United States faces.” [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nuclear stockpiles are false security; real threats demand different solutions. **In simple terms:** Big weapons don’t guarantee safety. Key Takeaway Seek realistic security measures over outdated deterrence. Themes security nuclear policy realism Mood urgent critical Type political strategic When to use this quote - policy making - defense planning - public safety - international relations Key Concepts deterrence theory strategic risk Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives can replace massive stockpiles? - How to balance deterrence with emerging threats? A Different Perspective Political constraints may hinder rapid policy shifts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-bomb/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Threats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threats/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [If we want our nuclear stockpile to truly serve the interests of our country in a strategic, balanced manner, we have to change course.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/if-we-want-our-nuclear-stockpile-to-truly-serve-the-interests-of-our/) [Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/) > [ We have built something \[a nuclear stockpile\] bigger than we can drive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/we-have-built-something-a-nuclear-stockpile-bigger-than-we-can-drive/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Growing up during the Cold War, I remember the seemingly imminent threat of nuclear war. In primary school we were taught to 'duck-and-cover' for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/growing-up-during-the-cold-war-i-remember-the-seemingly-imminent/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [For years, I have been a strong supporter of clean, safe nuclear energy as an important part of our energy mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-todd-whitman/for-years-i-have-been-a-strong-supporter-of-clean-safe-nuclear-energy/) [Christine Todd Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-todd-whitman/) > [Alongside energy efficiency, renewables and abatement, I believe safe nuclear power, with manageable waste, can play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-davey/alongside-energy-efficiency-renewables-and-abatement-i-believe-safe/) [Ed Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-davey/) > [Nuclear plants are auatclly very safe, their nuclear waste is however one of the big drawbacks it takes a very long time for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda/nuclear-plants-are-auatclly-very-safe-their-nuclear-waste-is-however/) [Amanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda/) > [The sun is the only safe nuclear reactor, situated as it is some ninety-three million miles away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-mills/the-sun-is-the-only-safe-nuclear-reactor-situated-as-it-is-some/) [Stephanie Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-mills/) > [I support an all of the above energy policy, so that's not only just Keystone, that's not only just drilling, that's clean coal, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-upton/i-support-an-all-of-the-above-energy-policy-so-that-s-not-only-just/) [Fred Upton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-upton/) > [I think we've already voted at the U.N., in the Security Council, to get rid of nuclear weapons. Let's get rid of them. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/i-think-we-ve-already-voted-at-the-u-n-in-the-security-council-to-get/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [This hits wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jontron/this-hits-wooden/) JonTron > [A dedication is a wooden leg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/a-dedication-is-a-wooden-leg/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [My mom beat us until she started breaking clothes hangers. Wooden clothes hangers! Once we started laughing back at her, then your spankings were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-harvey/my-mom-beat-us-until-she-started-breaking-clothes-hangers-wooden/) [Doug Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-harvey/) > [Obama's dense as a doorbell; not much going on up there - it's a wooden top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/obama-s-dense-as-a-doorbell-not-much-going-on-up-there-it-s-a-wooden/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [By the year 1670, wooden chimneys and log houses of the Plymouth and Bay colonies were replaced by more sightly houses of two stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/by-the-year-1670-wooden-chimneys-and-log-houses-of-the-plymouth-and/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [“It is just that I don’t know how I could live without the hope of her. It would be like learning to live with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-is-just-that-i-don-t-know-how-i-could-live-without-the-hope-of-her/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## More by Mike Quigley > [If nothing else, the cyber attacks that occurred during the 2016 presidential election have laid bare the very real vulnerabilities that exist across our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/if-nothing-else-the-cyber-attacks-that-occurred-during-the-2016/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I introduced the Transparency in Government Act, a multi-faceted transparency bill that would bring unprecedented access and accountability to the federal government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/i-introduced-the-transparency-in-government-act-a-multi-faceted/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [The real cost of corruption in government, whether it is local, state, or federal, is a loss of the public trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/the-real-cost-of-corruption-in-government-whether-it-is-local-state/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Once you've stared death in the face, every day is a good day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/once-you-ve-stared-death-in-the-face-every-day-is-a-good-day/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [We can be just as safe with a smaller, more efficient nuclear arsenal at less cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/we-can-be-just-as-safe-with-a-smaller-more-efficient-nuclear-arsenal/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I think you see a clear pattern of people in the Trump campaign coordinating with Russians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/i-think-you-see-a-clear-pattern-of-people-in-the-trump-campaign/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Racial politics in Chicago has a long history of being intertwined with the mayor's race, but I'd like to think we're past much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/racial-politics-in-chicago-has-a-long-history-of-being-intertwined/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [There are more kids playing hockey, and the game has become more diverse from a cultural, ethnic and geographic point of view, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/there-are-more-kids-playing-hockey-and-the-game-has-become-more/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Passionately defending one's principles is crucial. Representing your district is fundamental. But refusing to entertain the common ground - with no other cost but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/passionately-defending-one-s-principles-is-crucial-representing-your/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Ever since I arrived in Washington in April 2009, I have been fighting for more transparency and accountability in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/ever-since-i-arrived-in-washington-in-april-2009-i-have-been-fighting/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [What America really needs is a long-term bill that makes significant investments in our transportation infrastructure and reforms the highway trust fund to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/what-america-really-needs-is-a-long-term-bill-that-makes-significant/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I don't buy that there's nothing we can do to stop criminals and the mentally ill from killing if they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/i-don-t-buy-that-there-s-nothing-we-can-do-to-stop-criminals-and-the/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Just the circumstances of being in D.C., people give you books, and there are issues you want to learn more about, so you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/just-the-circumstances-of-being-in-d-c-people-give-you-books-and/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [Denial of contraception to women without the financial means to afford it could cause substantial economic burdens, and even greater burdens if the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/denial-of-contraception-to-women-without-the-financial-means-to/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [There is no doubt that blood must be screened in order to keep Americans safe and healthy and I am committed to working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/there-is-no-doubt-that-blood-must-be-screened-in-order-to-keep/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) [Explore all 135 Mike Quigley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) ## More Bomb quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Being in service and being involved in something that is greater than you is what makes a person complete and whole. The very first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/being-in-service-and-being-involved-in-something-that-is-greater-than/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [“when an atomic bomb is detonated above the earth’s atmosphere, it can generate a “pulse wave,” which travels at the speed of light, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-forstchen/when-an-atomic-bomb-is-detonated-above-the-earth-s-atmosphere-it-can/) [William R. Forstchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-forstchen/) > [My place is in Serbia if the NATO criminals bomb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-handke/my-place-is-in-serbia-if-the-nato-criminals-bomb/) [Peter Handke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-handke/) > [I don't try to be a sex bomb. I am one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-minogue/i-don-t-try-to-be-a-sex-bomb-i-am-one/) [Kylie Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-minogue/) > [“Something, which the police called a bomb, had exploded in his shed. Investigations were begun, and the efforts of the authorities were soon to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-von-salomon/something-which-the-police-called-a-bomb-had-exploded-in-his-shed/) Ernst von Salomon > [I like the love-bomb, like, I'm all for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-windey/i-like-the-love-bomb-like-i-m-all-for-it/) [Gabby Windey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-windey/) > [After Hiroshima was bombed, I saw a photograph of the side of a house with the shadows of the people who had lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/after-hiroshima-was-bombed-i-saw-a-photograph-of-the-side-of-a-house/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I'd been politically active ever since my parents wheeled me in a stroller in a 'ban the bomb' march in Boston in 1963.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/i-d-been-politically-active-ever-since-my-parents-wheeled-me-in-a/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [When I was 18, I went to the Soviet Union. I kept hearing that America was planning to bomb them - lots of bombs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/when-i-was-18-i-went-to-the-soviet-union-i-kept-hearing-that-america/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Remember the good old days when the only bomb you had to worry about on a plane was the Rob Schneider movie?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/remember-the-good-old-days-when-the-only-bomb-you-had-to-worry-about/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Professional camera crews are rarely there when a bomb goes off or a rocket lands. They usually show up afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/professional-camera-crews-are-rarely-there-when-a-bomb-goes-off-or-a/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [I think TV is all about caring, and if you don't care about a character in a drama or a person when they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-winstone/i-think-tv-is-all-about-caring-and-if-you-don-t-care-about-a/) [Ray Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-winstone/) > [The car bomb was fertilizer, gasoline, fireworks and propane tanks...still safer than a Toyota.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-car-bomb-was-fertilizer-gasoline-fireworks-and-propane-tanks/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) Browse all 320 Bomb quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we must no longer pretend that a large nuclear stockpile will protect us from the most immediate security threats the United States faces.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Quigley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-ducking-under-wooden-desks-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bomb" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-ducking-under-wooden-desks-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d23/mike-quigley-3276_bomb_just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-du_856848.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just as we can no longer pretend that ducking under wooden desks will keep us safe from a nuclear bomb, we…” — Mike Quigley", "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": "Mike Quigley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just as we can no longer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-ducking-under-wooden-desks-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/just-as-we-can-no-longer-pretend-that-ducking-under-wooden-desks-will/#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 } } ] } ```