--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we have to realize that Canada is…" description: "\"I think we have to realize that Canada is not immortal; but, if it is going to go, let it go with a bang rather than a whimper.\" — Pierre Trudeau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png" --- # I think we have to realize that Canada is not immortal… ![“I think we have to realize that Canada is not immortal; but, if it is going to go, let it go with a bang rather than a whimper.” quote by Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png) > “I think we have to realize that Canada is not immortal; but, if it is going to go, let it go with a bang rather than a whimper.” [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Canada must confront its mortality and choose a bold, decisive end over a quiet decline. **In simple terms:** Canada should end dramatically, not quietly. Key Takeaway Embrace bold change. Themes politics national identity change legacy risk Mood reflective determined serious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - government policy debates - public discourse on national direction - media commentary - academic analysis Key Concepts existentialism political theory cultural resilience Questions to Reflect On - What does a “bang” look like for a nation? - How can societies prepare for decisive change? A Different Perspective A bold end may cause instability or conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bangs/) [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Canada Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada-immortal-1488201/) [Going Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-let/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortal/) [Let Bang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-bang-5345613/) [Let it go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-it-go/) [Realize Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-canada-5345612/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Whimper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whimper/) ## Related quotes > [I, for one, will be convinced that the Canada we know and love will be gone forever. But, then, Thucydides wrote that Themistocles' greatness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-for-one-will-be-convinced-that-the-canada-we-know-and-love-will-be/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“Jo's whimper rose slightly but the scream she yearned for wouldn't materialise. Instead, as she looked at her hand, she began to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-pond/jo-s-whimper-rose-slightly-but-the-scream-she-yearned-for-wouldn-t/) [Martin Pond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-pond/) > [“Would I always feel so small that it hurt and that even the greatest outcry roaring from my throat was, in reality, just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/would-i-always-feel-so-small-that-it-hurt-and-that-even-the-greatest/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“This was how the world ended. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-speed/this-was-how-the-world-ended-not-with-a-bang-but-with-a-whimper/) [Andrea Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-speed/) > [“American girls never whimper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ami-mckay/american-girls-never-whimper/) [Ami McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ami-mckay/) > [“Oh, god…” I whimper. “I haven’t done anything yet, baby,” Colton growls. “I know,” I pant. “I was just saying your name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/oh-god-i-whimper-i-haven-t-done-anything-yet-baby-colton-growls-i/) [Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/) > [We shuffle out of office buildings after being laid-off by draconian bosses; we sit on hold for ten minutes only to be told by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/we-shuffle-out-of-office-buildings-after-being-laid-off-by-draconian/) [Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/) > [“My Stephen King for his Ayn Rand. My Terry Goodkind for his T.S. Elliot. Not a bang but a whimper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-celebi/my-stephen-king-for-his-ayn-rand-my-terry-goodkind-for-his-t-s-elliot/) [Shannon Celebi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-celebi/) > [“Her dizziness has faded, but the rocking sensation continues. She feels as if her footing has been swept out from under her. Her body's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/her-dizziness-has-faded-but-the-rocking-sensation-continues-she-feels/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“And the cosmos ends. Not with a bang but with a whimper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/and-the-cosmos-ends-not-with-a-bang-but-with-a-whimper/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Look at me. You own me. I’m owned .” He shifted his hips, making her whimper. “You own this, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-bailey/look-at-me-you-own-me-i-m-owned-he-shifted-his-hips-making-her/) [Tessa Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-bailey/) > [This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/this-is-the-way-the-world-ends-not-with-a-bang-but-a-whimper/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [“The world didn't end with a whimper or a bang. Your life finished in complete silence. Gone in a blink. And then there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-k-preston/the-world-didn-t-end-with-a-whimper-or-a-bang-your-life-finished-in/) [F.K. Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-k-preston/) > [“I am carrying the whimper you can hear when the mouth is collapsed, the wisdom of monkeys. Ask a glass of water why it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrance-hayes/i-am-carrying-the-whimper-you-can-hear-when-the-mouth-is-collapsed/) [Terrance Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrance-hayes/) > [“The world did not end with a bang, nor did it end with a whimper. It was more of a chomp. And a slurp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rudolph/the-world-did-not-end-with-a-bang-nor-did-it-end-with-a-whimper-it/) [J. Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-rudolph/) ## More by Pierre Trudeau > [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Obviously, the state's responsibility should be to legislate rules for a well-ordered society. It has no right or duty to creep into the bedrooms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/obviously-the-state-s-responsibility-should-be-to-legislate-rules-for/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [In specific terms I don't think I could make any suggestions, but in general terms I believe that it is because Canadians have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/in-specific-terms-i-don-t-think-i-could-make-any-suggestions-but-in/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I think that religions must seek peace and love and therefore be pacifist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-that-religions-must-seek-peace-and-love-and-therefore-be/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Freedom can flow from order. That is not to say that freedom always flows from order because you can have a totalitarian order and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/freedom-can-flow-from-order-that-is-not-to-say-that-freedom-always/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Every time I have a political rally I meet some people who say, "I need a job."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/every-time-i-have-a-political-rally-i-meet-some-people-who-say-i-need/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I'm far from believing that we've solved the problem of violence in the 20th century and that's why I'm not discouraged that we still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-m-far-from-believing-that-we-ve-solved-the-problem-of-violence-in/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [The Jesuits were good educators, exceptional teachers. In an era and in a society where freedom of speech was not held in high regard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/the-jesuits-were-good-educators-exceptional-teachers-in-an-era-and-in/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Americans should never underestimate the constant pressure on Canada which the mere presence of the United States has produced. We're different people from you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/americans-should-never-underestimate-the-constant-pressure-on-canada/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I must say that "Give Peace a Chance" has always seemed to me to be sensible advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-must-say-that-give-peace-a-chance-has-always-seemed-to-me-to-be/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation. What's done in private between adults doesn't concern the Criminal Code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/there-s-no-place-for-the-state-in-the-bedrooms-of-the-nation-what-s/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I think all of us, politicians and churchmen, should do our utmost to change the society so that there would be no need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-all-of-us-politicians-and-churchmen-should-do-our-utmost-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [The Canadian community must invest, for the defence and better appreciation of the French language, as much time, energy, and money as are required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/the-canadian-community-must-invest-for-the-defence-and-better/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [Perhaps the rediscovery of our humanity, and the potential of the human spirit which we have read about in legends of older civilizations, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/perhaps-the-rediscovery-of-our-humanity-and-the-potential-of-the/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) [Explore all 129 Pierre Trudeau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) ## More Bangs quotes > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. 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"Oh, waily, waily, it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/she-folded-her-arms-and-then-shouted-right-you-thieving-scunners-how/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 462 Bangs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bangs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think we have to realize that Canada is not immortal; but, if it is going to go, let it go with a bang rather than a whimper.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pierre Trudeau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-is-not-immortal-but-if-it-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bangs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-is-not-immortal-but-if-it-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/pierre-trudeau-3495_bangs_i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-i_3096217.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think we have to realize that Canada is not immortal; but, if it is going to go, let it go with a bang…” — Pierre Trudeau", "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": "Pierre Trudeau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think we have to realize...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-is-not-immortal-but-if-it-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-we-have-to-realize-that-canada-is-not-immortal-but-if-it-is/#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 } } ] } ```