--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every day we could reflect on this and…" description: "\"“Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?” Every day, at the moment when things get edg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg" --- # Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, “Am… ![“Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?” Every day, at the moment when things get edgy, we can just ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?” quote by Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg) > ““Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?” Every day, at the moment when things get edgy, we can just ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?”” [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We should constantly examine whether our actions increase conflict or foster peace, especially in tense moments. **In simple terms:** Ask yourself if you add to aggression or choose peace. Key Takeaway Choose peace over conflict. Themes peace self‑reflection conflict resolution Mood thoughtful calm Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - daily interactions - political debates - family arguments - workplace tensions Key Concepts mindfulness ethical choice personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you pause before reacting? - What habits help you choose peace? A Different Perspective It can be hard to stay calm when emotions run high. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add-aggression-1275633/) [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Aggression World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression-world-1275632/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-going-255603/) [Practice Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice-peace-971973/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“All over the world, everybody always strikes out at the enemy, and the pain escalates forever. Every day we could reflect on this and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/all-over-the-world-everybody-always-strikes-out-at-the-enemy-and-the/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Doing nothing in the face of aggression is how World War III will eventually start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/doing-nothing-in-the-face-of-aggression-is-how-world-war-iii-will/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [For Mr. Putin, vacillation invites aggression. His world is a brutish, cynical place, where power is worshiped, weakness is despised, and all rivalries are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/for-mr-putin-vacillation-invites-aggression-his-world-is-a-brutish/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [But my happiness in this world - my level of peace - is never going to be dictated by acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-evans/but-my-happiness-in-this-world-my-level-of-peace-is-never-going-to-be/) [Chris Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-evans/) > [I think it's naive to pray for world peace if we're not going to change the form in which we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey-reggio/i-think-it-s-naive-to-pray-for-world-peace-if-we-re-not-going-to/) [Godfrey Reggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey-reggio/) > [Yeah, let's keep the peace going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/yeah-let-s-keep-the-peace-going/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [“You're going to make it; You're going to be at peace; You're going to create, and love, and laugh, and live; You're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/you-re-going-to-make-it-you-re-going-to-be-at-peace-you-re-going-to/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [Don't live worried, frustrated or upset because of what somebody did or what didn't work out. Come back to a place of peace. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-live-worried-frustrated-or-upset-because-of-what-somebody-did/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“Right now fear, doubt, anxiety, tension and disharmony are reigning supreme. But there shall come a time when this world of ours will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/right-now-fear-doubt-anxiety-tension-and-disharmony-are-reigning/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [And therefore you who think so basely of the Gospel and the professors of it, because at present their peace and comfort are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/and-therefore-you-who-think-so-basely-of-the-gospel-and-the/) [William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/) > [Practice peace, change your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prem-rawat/practice-peace-change-your-world/) [Prem Rawat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prem-rawat/) > [“This is a gradual process and takes time and patience. With dedicated practice, peace and happiness can become our baseline. The more our skills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-t-lusk/this-is-a-gradual-process-and-takes-time-and-patience-with-dedicated/) [Julie T. Lusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-t-lusk/) > [With mindfulness - the practice of peace - we can begin by working to transform the wars in ourselves. Conscious breathing helps us do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/with-mindfulness-the-practice-of-peace-we-can-begin-by-working-to/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-practice-of-peace-and-reconciliation-is-one-of-the-most-vital-and/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Everyday brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/everyday-brings-a-choice-to-practice-stress-or-to-practice-peace/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) ## More by Pema Chödrön > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chödrön quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) [Empress Dowager Cixi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/empress-dowager-cixi/) > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?” Every day, at the moment when things get edgy, we can just ask ourselves, “Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chödrön" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-ask-ourselves-am-i-going-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aggression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-ask-ourselves-am-i-going-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b1/pema-ch-dr-n-327_aggression_every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-a_1363247.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every day we could reflect on this and ask ourselves, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?”…” — Pema Chödrön", "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": "Pema Chödrön", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Every day we could reflect on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-ask-ourselves-am-i-going-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-we-could-reflect-on-this-and-ask-ourselves-am-i-going-to/#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 } } ] } ```