--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For many terrorists, carrying out an…" description: "\"For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them to become the heroes of their own story.\" — Peter Bergen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png" --- # For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them… ![“For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them to become the heroes of their own story.” quote by Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png) > “For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them to become the heroes of their own story.” [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Terrorists view violent acts as a way to cast themselves as protagonists in their own narrative, seeking validation and notoriety. **In simple terms:** Violent acts make them feel like heroes in their story. Key Takeaway Recognize the psychological lure of notoriety. Themes terrorism psychology heroism Mood anxious critical Type analytical political When to use this quote - radicalization - media coverage - counter‑terrorism training - community resilience Key Concepts Narrative framing identity validation Questions to Reflect On - What drives individuals to seek heroism through violence? - How can societies counteract this narrative? A Different Perspective Not all terrorists seek hero status; many act out of ideology or coercion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) [Attack Allowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack-allowed-781035/) [Carrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carrying/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Heroes Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-story-2252239/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) [Terrorists Carrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists-carrying-4646146/) ## Related quotes > [Never break the neutrality of a port or place, but never consider as neutral any place from whence an attack is allowed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/never-break-the-neutrality-of-a-port-or-place-but-never-consider-as/) [Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/) > [Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I don't want to say this in a lame way, but D. Rose is one of my heroes. His whole story and background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/i-don-t-want-to-say-this-in-a-lame-way-but-d-rose-is-one-of-my-heroes/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [I think that we are all the heroes of our own story, and I think life comes in all shades of gray. Personally, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ross/i-think-that-we-are-all-the-heroes-of-our-own-story-and-i-think-life/) [Matt Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ross/) > [Well, there are conjoined twins in real life and we can tell a story about them so long as they're not the brunt of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-farrelly/well-there-are-conjoined-twins-in-real-life-and-we-can-tell-a-story/) [Bobby Farrelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-farrelly/) > [Everyone can be the heroes of their own story. And it's really important to find community and strength within the people around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/everyone-can-be-the-heroes-of-their-own-story-and-it-s-really/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [We have good security. It's hard to get in here. Barring a tactical entry where terrorists come in and hold us hostage, that's about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-scott/we-have-good-security-it-s-hard-to-get-in-here-barring-a-tactical/) [Luke Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-scott/) > [Trump has long said he favors a 'safe zone' in Syria to prevent Basher al Assad's regime from carrying out indiscriminate airstrikes against Syrian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-long-said-he-favors-a-safe-zone-in-syria-to-prevent-basher/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [In the real world, immeasurable hurt is caused by terrorists based in Pakistan who attack countries like India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/in-the-real-world-immeasurable-hurt-is-caused-by-terrorists-based-in/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [These terrorists aren't trying to kill us because we offended them. They attack us because they want to impose their view of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/these-terrorists-aren-t-trying-to-kill-us-because-we-offended-them/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [In the short run, using militias might be the quickest and easiest way to improve order on Iraq's streets and uproot the terrorists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/in-the-short-run-using-militias-might-be-the-quickest-and-easiest-way/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [The terrorists who have succeeded in carrying out spectacular attacks against Western targets in the past have been college-educated, technically proficient men who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-terrorists-who-have-succeeded-in-carrying-out-spectacular-attacks/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [As early as 1993, members of bin Laden's group had been planning an attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/as-early-as-1993-members-of-bin-laden-s-group-had-been-planning-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I've always found a cure for the blues is wandering into something unknown, and resting there, before coming back to whatever weight you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-sawyer/i-ve-always-found-a-cure-for-the-blues-is-wandering-into-something/) [Diane Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-sawyer/) > [I had to get to the point where I just had to embrace carrying the torch for the traditional girls out there. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-mowry/i-had-to-get-to-the-point-where-i-just-had-to-embrace-carrying-the/) [Tamera Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-mowry/) ## More by Peter Bergen > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The deep problems that afflict the Middle East are not easy to fix, but they must be dealt with if we are not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-deep-problems-that-afflict-the-middle-east-are-not-easy-to-fix/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The dirty little secret of the intelligence world is that much of what you really need to know isn't exactly a secret anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-dirty-little-secret-of-the-intelligence-world-is-that-much-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Abedi appears to be one of the many thousands of Western Muslims who have embraced militant Islam, often as a way of trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/abedi-appears-to-be-one-of-the-many-thousands-of-western-muslims-who/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Trump has claimed he knows more about ISIS than America's leading generals. Clearly, this is also total nonsense; he doesn't seem to have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-claimed-he-knows-more-about-isis-than-america-s-leading/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [As early as 1993, members of bin Laden's group had been planning an attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/as-early-as-1993-members-of-bin-laden-s-group-had-been-planning-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The reality is that Trump's focus on immigrants is to misconceive of the terrorist problem that exists in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-reality-is-that-trump-s-focus-on-immigrants-is-to-misconceive-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [ISIS despises the Russian government for its support of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and so it's no surprise that ISIS began targeting Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-despises-the-russian-government-for-its-support-of-the-syrian/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Sunni militants that make up ISIS are not the underlying problem in Syria and Iraq, but rather they are a symptom of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-sunni-militants-that-make-up-isis-are-not-the-underlying-problem/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Keeping a relatively small, predominantly U.S. Special Forces presence in Afghanistan to continue to train the Afghan army past December 2016 is a wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/keeping-a-relatively-small-predominantly-u-s-special-forces-presence/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Explore all 201 Peter Bergen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## More Attack quotes > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) > [The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-best-way-to-counter-attack-a-hater-is-to-make-it-blatantly/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Everything has got a place in my house. If something is moved I get a panic attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/everything-has-got-a-place-in-my-house-if-something-is-moved-i-get-a/) [Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/) > [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Free speech has a very small constituency on the modern campus, particularly if the speaker under attack is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/free-speech-has-a-very-small-constituency-on-the-modern-campus/) [John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/) > [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Attack life. It's going to kill you anyways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attack-life-it-s-going-to-kill-you-anyways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 1,074 Attack quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them to become the heroes of their own story.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-attack-allowed-them-to-become-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attack" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-attack-allowed-them-to-become-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/peter-bergen-1880_attack_for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-atta_2170628.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For many terrorists, carrying out an attack allowed them to become the heroes of their own story.” — Peter Bergen", "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": "Peter Bergen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For many terrorists, carrying out an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-attack-allowed-them-to-become-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/for-many-terrorists-carrying-out-an-attack-allowed-them-to-become-the/#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 } } ] } ```