--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The generous way of putting it is that we…" description: "\"The generous way of putting it is that we were not ready for this. The less generous way is to say: How was it possible to return to the politics of ap..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/paddy-ashdown-17120_1930s_the-generous-way-of-putting-it-is-that-w_3131455.png" --- # The generous way of putting it is that we were not ready… ![“The generous way of putting it is that we were not ready for this. The less generous way is to say: How was it possible to return to the politics of appeasement of the 1930s?” quote by Paddy Ashdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/paddy-ashdown-17120_1930s_the-generous-way-of-putting-it-is-that-w_3131455.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/paddy-ashdown-17120_1930s_the-generous-way-of-putting-it-is-that-w_3131455.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/paddy-ashdown-17120_1930s_the-generous-way-of-putting-it-is-that-w_3131455.png) > “The generous way of putting it is that we were not ready for this. The less generous way is to say: How was it possible to return to the politics of appeasement of the 1930s?” [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. Acknowledges that both personal unpreparedness and external political complacency contributed to a crisis. **In simple terms:** We weren’t ready and we repeated old mistakes. Key Takeaway Recognize readiness and avoid past errors. Themes politics history responsibility Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - policy analysis - historical study - leadership training Key Concepts appeasement readiness accountability Questions to Reflect On - How can we assess our readiness before crises? - What lessons from the 1930s apply today? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on external factors can ignore personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appeasement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeasement/) [Comeback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comeback/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [In my very first Cabinet meeting, I told my colleagues we must take on corruption, lawlessness, casteism, and the politics of appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-adityanath/in-my-very-first-cabinet-meeting-i-told-my-colleagues-we-must-take-on/) [Yogi Adityanath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-adityanath/) > [Appeasement does not work. As was the case in the 1930s, we see in Saddam Hussein an aggressive dictator threatening his neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/appeasement-does-not-work-as-was-the-case-in-the-1930s-we-see-in/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [Let's clean up the Senate and return to politics of common ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pryor/let-s-clean-up-the-senate-and-return-to-politics-of-common-ground/) [Mark Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pryor/) > [One of the reasons I wanted to leave my position at Common Cause and return to politics was to regain the freedom to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chellie-pingree/one-of-the-reasons-i-wanted-to-leave-my-position-at-common-cause-and/) [Chellie Pingree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chellie-pingree/) > [In almost every country there are elements of opinion which would welcome such a conclusion because they wish to return to the politics of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-henderson/in-almost-every-country-there-are-elements-of-opinion-which-would/) [Arthur Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-henderson/) > [Appeasement is a vote to live in the present tense, to hold the comforts of the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/appeasement-is-a-vote-to-live-in-the-present-tense-to-hold-the/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22-out-of-30 top al-Qaida leaders who've been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement. Or whoever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/ask-osama-bin-laden-and-the-22-out-of-30-top-al-qaida-leaders-who-ve/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [May I just single out for salutations, on the "anti-war" side: Pop Stars For Appeasement, Dancers Against Democracy, Actors For Apathy, Fashionistas For Fascism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/may-i-just-single-out-for-salutations-on-the-anti-war-side-pop-stars/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [The incentive to peacemaking is love, but it degenerates into appeasement whenever justice is ignored. To forgive and to ask for forgiveness are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/the-incentive-to-peacemaking-is-love-but-it-degenerates-into/) [John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/) > [There are some who, for varying reasons, would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/there-are-some-who-for-varying-reasons-would-appease-red-china-they/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/no-man-can-tame-a-tiger-into-a-kitten-by-stroking-it/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [It is time to change our policy of appeasement toward the Palestinians, to strengthen our ties with the nation of Israel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/it-is-time-to-change-our-policy-of-appeasement-toward-the/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [(I)t is simply wrong to confuse cowardice with appeasement. Cowardice is a failing of character. Appeasement is a failure of policy. Stalin appeased Hitler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/i-t-is-simply-wrong-to-confuse-cowardice-with-appeasement-cowardice/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Appeasement, said Winston Churchill, consists of being nice to a crocodile in the hope that he will eat you last. At the moment, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-naughton/appeasement-said-winston-churchill-consists-of-being-nice-to-a/) [John Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-naughton/) > [If it's to be a bloodbath, let it be now. Appeasement is not the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/if-it-s-to-be-a-bloodbath-let-it-be-now-appeasement-is-not-the-answer/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## 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 1930s quotes > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-reminds-me-in-some-ways-of-the-debate-taking-place-in-this-country/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As a result of the efforts of Hayek .. and the many others who share his general outlook, the idea of a centrally planned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kristol/as-a-result-of-the-efforts-of-hayek-and-the-many-others-who-share-his/) [Irving Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kristol/) > [When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930 or '31, I got a very sad job as a night watchman in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/when-i-was-in-philadelphia-during-the-depression-in-1930-or-31-i-got/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [Working in 3D I didn't experience much of a difference, except that the cameras are very big so they can't be moved around with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frain/working-in-3d-i-didn-t-experience-much-of-a-difference-except-that/) [James Frain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frain/) > [Whatever the reasons may be, I was very much affected by events of the 1930s - the Spanish Civil War, for example, though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/whatever-the-reasons-may-be-i-was-very-much-affected-by-events-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We're a little bit low in the 1970s, right, post-Vietnam, Watergate era, malaise, all that, but this is more like the 1930s where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/we-re-a-little-bit-low-in-the-1970s-right-post-vietnam-watergate-era/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [In the immediate postwar era, financial crises in advanced countries were rare events, and before 1970 did not happen at all. Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/) [Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/) > [I would not say that Harvard possesses any sort of absolute dominance. And I personally do not take the rankings of schools all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/i-would-not-say-that-harvard-possesses-any-sort-of-absolute-dominance/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [In the 1930s one was aware of two great evils - mass unemployment and the threat of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-meade/in-the-1930s-one-was-aware-of-two-great-evils-mass-unemployment-and/) [James Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-meade/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) > [In his 1930 book, Dirac took for granted that measurements could be made, but was very vague about what was actually involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-lamb/in-his-1930-book-dirac-took-for-granted-that-measurements-could-be/) [Willis Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-lamb/) > [Under the gold standard America had no major financial panics other than in 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/under-the-gold-standard-america-had-no-major-financial-panics-other/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [The crucial role communists played in organizing industrial unions in the 1930s and struggling for social reforms, peace, and civil rights strengthened rather then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-crucial-role-communists-played-in-organizing-industrial-unions-in/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) Browse all 255 1930s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The generous way of putting it is that we were not ready for this. 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