--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must not only control the weapons that…" description: "\"We must not only control the weapons that can kill us, we must bridge the great disparities of wealth and opportunity among the peoples of the world, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/muhammad-ali-386_better-place_we-must-not-only-control-the-weapons-tha_1015435.jpg" --- # We must not only control the weapons that can kill us, we… ![“We must not only control the weapons that can kill us, we must bridge the great disparities of wealth and opportunity among the peoples of the world, the vast majority of whom live in poverty without hope, opportunity or choices in life. These conditions are a breeding ground for division that can…” quote by Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/muhammad-ali-386_better-place_we-must-not-only-control-the-weapons-tha_1015435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/muhammad-ali-386_better-place_we-must-not-only-control-the-weapons-tha_1015435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c52/muhammad-ali-386_better-place_we-must-not-only-control-the-weapons-tha_1015435.jpg) > “We must not only control the weapons that can kill us, we must bridge the great disparities of wealth and opportunity among the peoples of the world, the vast majority of whom live in poverty without hope, opportunity or choices in life. These conditions are a breeding ground for division that can cause a desperate people to resort to nuclear weapons as a last resort. Our only hope lies in the power of our love, generosity, tolerance and understanding and our commitment to making the world a better place...” [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addressing global inequality as a root cause of conflict, urging love and generosity to prevent nuclear war. **In simple terms:** Inequality fuels conflict; love can prevent it. Key Takeaway Promote equity and compassion worldwide. Themes peace justice inequality conflict humanity Mood hopeful urgent Type political inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - community development - conflict resolution Key Concepts social equity non‑violence global solidarity Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance wealth distribution? - What role does empathy play in preventing war? A Different Perspective Economic disparity may persist despite goodwill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-place/) [Breeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breeding/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Choices In Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices-in-life/) [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Control Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-weapons-2231944/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Desperate People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate-people/) [Disparity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disparity/) [Division](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Last resort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-resort/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-choices/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Nuclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear/) [Nuclear weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-weapons/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Opportunity Peoples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity-peoples-2231946/) [Our love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-love/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-hope-2231945/) [Resorts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resorts/) [Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) [Weapons Kill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons-kill-579627/) [Without hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-hope/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Weapons never kill people. selfishness kills them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idk/weapons-never-kill-people-selfishness-kills-them/) [Idk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idk/) > [To kill a deer you may need guns and weapons but to kill a dear you need just silence and ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-kill-a-deer-you-may-need-guns-and-weapons-but-to-kill-a-dear-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Weapons kill. Knives cut and stab. Bullets pierce and shatter. Hands murder. But love takes her time. Beautifully cruel, she smiles sweetly and slowly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wulf-franc-godgluck/weapons-kill-knives-cut-and-stab-bullets-pierce-and-shatter-hands/) [Wulf Francú Godgluck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wulf-franc-godgluck/) > [Nuclear arms kill many people all at once, but other weapons kill many people, little by little, every day, everywhere in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/nuclear-arms-kill-many-people-all-at-once-but-other-weapons-kill-many/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [You aren't a true internationalist until you've supplied weapons to kill your own countrymen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/you-aren-t-a-true-internationalist-until-you-ve-supplied-weapons-to/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [I don't want my generals or my defense secretary or my national-security team to ever feel deploying weapons to kill people as routine or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-want-my-generals-or-my-defense-secretary-or-my-national/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nuclear weapons kill Americans - they don't kill Republicans or Democrats - they kill Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wilson/nuclear-weapons-kill-americans-they-don-t-kill-republicans-or/) [Joe Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wilson/) > [I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-am-proud-of-the-fact-that-i-never-invented-weapons-to-kill/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [(About Love)The most important thing in life, and you can't tell whether people have it or not. Surely this is wrong? Surely people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/about-love-the-most-important-thing-in-life-and-you-can-t-tell/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [There's this huge number of desperate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/there-s-this-huge-number-of-desperate-people/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [“Desperate people do desperate things, and people with nothing left to lose are the most dangerous of them all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/desperate-people-do-desperate-things-and-people-with-nothing-left-to/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [“Actions fueled by desperation. They were the worst kinds of decisions, because desperate people could see the error of their ways and simply not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/actions-fueled-by-desperation-they-were-the-worst-kinds-of-decisions/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [People who say they don't care what people think are usually desperate to have people think they don't care what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/people-who-say-they-don-t-care-what-people-think-are-usually/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Imagine yourself acclaimed, a decorated national hero, an idol to millions of desperate people, then within six months, condemned to death by hanging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-peiper/imagine-yourself-acclaimed-a-decorated-national-hero-an-idol-to/) [Joachim Peiper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-peiper/) > [I've never met anyone who wanted to be a terrorist. They are desperate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/i-ve-never-met-anyone-who-wanted-to-be-a-terrorist-they-are-desperate/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) ## More by Muhammad Ali > [There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-are-more-pleasant-things-to-do-than-beat-up-people/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I've never let anyone talk me into not believing in myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-ve-never-let-anyone-talk-me-into-not-believing-in-myself/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I'm too fast. I'm too smart. I'm too pretty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-m-too-fast-i-m-too-smart-i-m-too-pretty/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I don't count my sit-ups. I only start counting when it starts hurting. That is when I start counting, because then it really counts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-don-t-count-my-sit-ups-i-only-start-counting-when-it-starts-hurting/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-said-a-lot-of-things-in-the-heat-of-the-moment-that-i-shouldn-t/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Many people are quick to say that we are not recognized by Muslims in the East . And I start with the Honorable Elijah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/many-people-are-quick-to-say-that-we-are-not-recognized-by-muslims-in/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I have been so great in boxing they had to create an image like Rocky, a white image on the screen, to counteract my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-have-been-so-great-in-boxing-they-had-to-create-an-image-like-rocky/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Money and riches don't mean nothing to me. I don't care nothing about being no rich individual. I'm not living for glory or for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/money-and-riches-don-t-mean-nothing-to-me-i-don-t-care-nothing-about/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Allah is the Greatest. I'm just the greatest boxer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/allah-is-the-greatest-i-m-just-the-greatest-boxer/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [My wealth is in my knowledge of self, love, and spirituality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/my-wealth-is-in-my-knowledge-of-self-love-and-spirituality/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We followed the Honorable Elijah Mohammed, who is the boss. And we don't waste a lot of time arguin' about a dead black man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/we-followed-the-honorable-elijah-mohammed-who-is-the-boss-and-we-don/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [I'm gonna have to be killed before I lose, and I ain't going to die easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-m-gonna-have-to-be-killed-before-i-lose-and-i-ain-t-going-to-die/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [If some black man go out and start something, a riot or something or, I'm not going to jump in it and get killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/if-some-black-man-go-out-and-start-something-a-riot-or-something-or-i/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [If you want to be equal with me, you can get your own Rolls-Royce, your own house and your own million dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/if-you-want-to-be-equal-with-me-you-can-get-your-own-rolls-royce-your/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) [Explore all 609 Muhammad Ali quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) ## More Better place quotes > [Angela Merkel has been focused on the right things. She has focused on the interests of her citizens - and not just in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/angela-merkel-has-been-focused-on-the-right-things-she-has-focused-on/) [Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/) > [Business school graduates from the best schools earn large salaries and frequently rise to positions of great power. It would be nice if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/business-school-graduates-from-the-best-schools-earn-large-salaries/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Rosalind. Well, this is the forest of Arden. Touchstone. Ay, now am I in Arden, the more fool I. When I was at home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rosalind-well-this-is-the-forest-of-arden-touchstone-ay-now-am-i-in/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The gifts and the lessons my father left me will last forever: Never take yourself too seriously, never miss a chance to laugh long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-serling/the-gifts-and-the-lessons-my-father-left-me-will-last-forever-never/) [Anne Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-serling/) > [It is our job to make a difference and leave the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karol-g/it-is-our-job-to-make-a-difference-and-leave-the-world-a-better-place/) [Karol G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karol-g/) > [“The world is indeed a better place when there is love, friendship, acceptance and hope. Powered by these you can indeed overcome anything including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/the-world-is-indeed-a-better-place-when-there-is-love-friendship/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [I think I just want to leave my mark in some way. I hope I leave the world a better place than it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/i-think-i-just-want-to-leave-my-mark-in-some-way-i-hope-i-leave-the/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/art-is-not-necessary-at-all-all-that-is-necessary-to-make-this-world/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [We will strive to make Taiwan a better place and enable our people to live better lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-shui-bian/we-will-strive-to-make-taiwan-a-better-place-and-enable-our-people-to/) [Chen Shui-bian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-shui-bian/) > [It gives me such hope that each one of us can contribute to make this world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/it-gives-me-such-hope-that-each-one-of-us-can-contribute-to-make-this/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [I want MIT to be the dream of every child who wants to grow up to make the world a better place. We need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hockfield/i-want-mit-to-be-the-dream-of-every-child-who-wants-to-grow-up-to/) [Susan Hockfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hockfield/) > [“Pets make the world a better place to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-lyons/pets-make-the-world-a-better-place-to-live/) [Susan Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-lyons/) > [I've made this conscious decision to tell people on the street when I think they're wearing something great. If more people did that, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jensen/i-ve-made-this-conscious-decision-to-tell-people-on-the-street-when-i/) [Ashley Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jensen/) > [From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hoeven/from-the-world-wars-of-europe-to-the-jungles-of-the-far-east-from-the/) [John Hoeven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hoeven/) > [Moreover, from reforming the tax code to our immigration system, to commonsense legal reform, President Bush put America on notice that he will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/moreover-from-reforming-the-tax-code-to-our-immigration-system-to/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) [Browse all 1,302 Better place quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-place/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must not only control the weapons that can kill us, we must bridge the great disparities of wealth and opportunity among the peoples of the world, the vast majority of whom live in poverty without hope, opportunity or choices in life. 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