--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a superb agreement to end a war…" description: "\"It was a superb agreement to end a war, but a very bad agreement to make a state. From now on, we have to part company with Dayton and try to build a m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/paddy-ashdown-17120_war_it-was-a-superb-agreement-to-end-a-war-b_2797322.png" --- # It was a superb agreement to end a war, but a very bad… ![“It was a superb agreement to end a war, but a very bad agreement to make a state. From now on, we have to part company with Dayton and try to build a modern democratic state, for which I have tried to lay the foundations.” quote by Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/paddy-ashdown-17120_war_it-was-a-superb-agreement-to-end-a-war-b_2797322.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/paddy-ashdown-17120_war_it-was-a-superb-agreement-to-end-a-war-b_2797322.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/306/paddy-ashdown-17120_war_it-was-a-superb-agreement-to-end-a-war-b_2797322.png) > “It was a superb agreement to end a war, but a very bad agreement to make a state. From now on, we have to part company with Dayton and try to build a modern democratic state, for which I have tried to lay the foundations.” [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A peace treaty may end war but can create a fragile state needing careful nation‑building. **In simple terms:** Peace ends war but may create weak states. Key Takeaway Focus on sustainable state building post‑peace. Themes peace statebuilding politics Mood strategic cautious Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy drafting - diplomacy - development aid Key Concepts governance post‑conflict reconstruction international relations Questions to Reflect On - What steps ensure lasting peace? - How to balance peace and state stability? A Different Perspective Peace without structure can lead to instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agreement End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement-end-3423117/) [Agreement Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agreement-make-724657/) [Bad Agreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-agreement-3423118/) [Democratic State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-state-247498/) [Superb Agreement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superb-agreement-3423119/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [You sign an agreement; you make a contract, you live up to it. You never get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/you-sign-an-agreement-you-make-a-contract-you-live-up-to-it-you-never/) [Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/) > [It's never one thing it's a lot of things because you learn that show business is one of the most complicated industries in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/it-s-never-one-thing-it-s-a-lot-of-things-because-you-learn-that-show/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [An agreement is an agreement, and when you make it, you should stick to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/an-agreement-is-an-agreement-and-when-you-make-it-you-should-stick-to/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [A democratic state will protect the freedom to hold any beliefs other than those that harm others, such as racism. In particular, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-bunge/a-democratic-state-will-protect-the-freedom-to-hold-any-beliefs-other/) [Mario Bunge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-bunge/) > [Kentucky has long been Democratic at the state level but that trend had completely reversed in the Trump era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/kentucky-has-long-been-democratic-at-the-state-level-but-that-trend/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [As a citizen of a democratic state, I have always believed that when a prime minister is elected in Israel, even those who voted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-olmert/as-a-citizen-of-a-democratic-state-i-have-always-believed-that-when-a/) [Ehud Olmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-olmert/) > [Everyone wants Russia to be a prosperous, democratic state that is fully integrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/everyone-wants-russia-to-be-a-prosperous-democratic-state-that-is/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Many people think that Puerto Rico would be a Democratic state just by virtue of the inclination of the Latino population in the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-rossello/many-people-think-that-puerto-rico-would-be-a-democratic-state-just/) [Ricardo Rossello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-rossello/) > [The worst of all States is the democratic State.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/the-worst-of-all-states-is-the-democratic-state/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [There’s no democratic state that’s not compromised to the very core by its part in generating human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/there-s-no-democratic-state-that-s-not-compromised-to-the-very-core/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [The fact is that you literally, by definition, cannot have a Jewish state and a democratic state and have a whole bunch of Palestinians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/the-fact-is-that-you-literally-by-definition-cannot-have-a-jewish/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [I am challenging Ezer Weizman to accept the democratic state where both of us can live in this democratic state. What confederation? No. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/i-am-challenging-ezer-weizman-to-accept-the-democratic-state-where/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) > [Israel will not be deprived of its status as a strong, Jewish and democratic state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-gantz/israel-will-not-be-deprived-of-its-status-as-a-strong-jewish-and/) [Benny Gantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-gantz/) > [So Israel won't be a democratic state, so what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-adelson/so-israel-won-t-be-a-democratic-state-so-what/) [Sheldon Adelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-adelson/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) ## More by Paddy Ashdown > [I am formally accountable to the steering board of the PIC, and I meet with nine ambassadors from the PIC every week. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-formally-accountable-to-the-steering-board-of-the-pic-and-i-meet/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [We have invented a new human right here - the right to return home after a war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/we-have-invented-a-new-human-right-here-the-right-to-return-home/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [It works both ways: there are victims of tragedy who come to me who have experienced grief of such magnitude that they cannot reconcile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/it-works-both-ways-there-are-victims-of-tragedy-who-come-to-me-who/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [I am here because I think it was a terrible sin of the west to allow those years of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-am-here-because-i-think-it-was-a-terrible-sin-of-the-west-to-allow/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [I don't think Bosnia is ready for reconciliation, but I do think it is ready for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-don-t-think-bosnia-is-ready-for-reconciliation-but-i-do-think-it-is/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [The multinational corporations now developing budgets often bigger than medium-sized countries — these live in a global space which is largely unregulated, not subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/the-multinational-corporations-now-developing-budgets-often-bigger/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [Now we are intimately locked together. You get swine flu in Mexico; it’s a problem for Charles de Gaulle Airport 24 hours later. Lehman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/now-we-are-intimately-locked-together-you-get-swine-flu-in-mexico-it/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [Politics is about putting yourself in a state of grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/politics-is-about-putting-yourself-in-a-state-of-grace/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [I can create institutions, but I can't rewrite the chips in people's heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-can-create-institutions-but-i-can-t-rewrite-the-chips-in-people-s/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [One of the great barriers to peace in the Middle East is that both sides, both Israel and the Palestinians, do not understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/one-of-the-great-barriers-to-peace-in-the-middle-east-is-that-both/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [It's not my job to be popular. I'm goal-driven; my job is to get results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/it-s-not-my-job-to-be-popular-i-m-goal-driven-my-job-is-to-get-results/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [I was told there would be riots in the streets, but there were no riots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/i-was-told-there-would-be-riots-in-the-streets-but-there-were-no-riots/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [We who came here saw what was happening. This was far more than a war in a faraway place. This was a moral imperative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/we-who-came-here-saw-what-was-happening-this-was-far-more-than-a-war/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [We have to make their livelihoods viable, get them the proper prices for their produce, try and make them stay rather than sell their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/we-have-to-make-their-livelihoods-viable-get-them-the-proper-prices/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) > [My second job has been to try to use my power to create institutions of a modern state that could enter the European Union,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-ashdown/my-second-job-has-been-to-try-to-use-my-power-to-create-institutions/) [Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) [Explore all 38 Paddy Ashdown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-ashdown/) ## More War quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [“People came to our house from far and wide. 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I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) [W.J. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/) [Browse all 38,922 War quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a superb agreement to end a war, but a very bad agreement to make a state. 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