--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is so easy to break down and destroy…" description: "\"It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.\" — Nelson Mandela" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg" --- # It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are… ![“It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg) > “It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Peacebuilding requires effort and creativity, while destruction is easy; true heroes choose constructive paths. **In simple terms:** Building peace is harder but noble. Key Takeaway Choose creation over destruction. Themes peace heroism construction Mood inspirational hopeful Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - community rebuilding - post‑conflict reconciliation - education initiatives Key Concepts conflict resolution ethical leadership social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What motivates people to choose peace? - How can societies reward constructive heroes? A Different Perspective Destruction may seem immediate, but lasting peace demands patience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Breaking down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-down/) [Destroy Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroy-heroes-4194252/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Heroes Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-make-2195053/) [Making peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-peace/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-build-4999600/) ## Related quotes > [It is not heroes that make history, but history that makes heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/it-is-not-heroes-that-make-history-but-history-that-makes-heroes/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [“Heroes make us smile because they not only rescue us outwardly, but inwardly too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/heroes-make-us-smile-because-they-not-only-rescue-us-outwardly-but/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [To increase the zone of peace is to build the inner core of a stable international zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/to-increase-the-zone-of-peace-is-to-build-the-inner-core-of-a-stable/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [I find it strange the way human nature wants heroes and yet wants to destroy their heroes. It's a kind of mass insecurity people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-dax/i-find-it-strange-the-way-human-nature-wants-heroes-and-yet-wants-to/) [Danielle Dax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-dax/) > [It takes an incredibly special person to be willing to put his or her life on the line for the community, and we owe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/it-takes-an-incredibly-special-person-to-be-willing-to-put-his-or-her-2/) [Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/) > [“For heroes do not make history—that is the historian’s job—but, passive, let themselves be borne along, swept up to the crest of the tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/for-heroes-do-not-make-history-that-is-the-historian-s-job-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [ If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”\[/box\] \[box\] “There is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-want-to-make-peace-with-your-enemy-you-have-to-work-with-your-3/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Our motto should be: let us make peace so that we can concentrate on the really important work that needs to be done. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/our-motto-should-be-let-us-make-peace-so-that-we-can-concentrate-on/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/sport-can-create-hope-where-once-there-was-only-despair/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/sport-can-create-hope-where-once-there-was-only-despair-it-is-more/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/feelings-of-guilt-dominate-our-work-as-peacemakers-we-cannot-last/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The wise artist makes peace with the fact that he will understand less than he had anticipated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/the-wise-artist-makes-peace-with-the-fact-that-he-will-understand/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/why-should-the-arabs-make-peace-if-i-was-an-arab-leader-i-would-never/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [It is essential for world peace that the world religions make peace with each other. If they don't, we can hardly expect the nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/it-is-essential-for-world-peace-that-the-world-religions-make-peace/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) ## More by Nelson Mandela > [We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-must-work-together-to-ensure-the-equitable-distribution-of-wealth/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/courageous-people-do-not-fear-forgiving-for-the-sake-of-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". And as we let our light shine, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/what-he-means-by-this-is-that-instead-of-saying-you-ll-try-you-need/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) [Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) [Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nelson Mandela" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy-the-heroes-are-those-who-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Break" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy-the-heroes-are-those-who-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/nelson-mandela-248_break_it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy_701455.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” — Nelson Mandela", "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": "Nelson Mandela", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is so easy to break...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy-the-heroes-are-those-who-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-so-easy-to-break-down-and-destroy-the-heroes-are-those-who-make/#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 } } ] } ```