--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In these cases, where there is an unjust…" description: "\"In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor,... I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/pope-francis-85_aggression_in-these-cases-where-there-is-an-unjust_766198.png" --- # In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can… ![“In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor,... I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.' And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated.” quote by Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/pope-francis-85_aggression_in-these-cases-where-there-is-an-unjust_766198.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/pope-francis-85_aggression_in-these-cases-where-there-is-an-unjust_766198.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e4/pope-francis-85_aggression_in-these-cases-where-there-is-an-unjust_766198.png) > “In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor,... I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.' And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated.” [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stopping unjust aggression is morally permissible, but the means must be carefully evaluated to avoid further harm. **In simple terms:** Stop aggression, but choose humane methods. Key Takeaway Prioritize peace, assess tactics. Themes peace justice aggression ethics Mood concerned serious Type ethical political When to use this quote - conflict zones - policy making - humanitarian aid - law enforcement Key Concepts just war theory nonviolent resistance human rights Questions to Reflect On - What non‑violent means can effectively stop aggression? - How do we ensure proportional response? A Different Perspective Stopping may require force, raising ethical concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Bombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombs/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. I emphasize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/in-these-cases-where-there-is-an-unjust-aggression-i-can-only-say-2/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Yes, but I’ve also walked about in your city and I’ve watched your people. Your people are aggressive!” “You see, Duncan? Peace encourages aggression.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/yes-but-i-ve-also-walked-about-in-your-city-and-i-ve-watched-your/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Without doubt one is allowed to resist against the unjust aggressor to one's life, one's goods or one's physical integrity; sometimes, even 'til the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/without-doubt-one-is-allowed-to-resist-against-the-unjust-aggressor/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [ “During a news conference aboard a plane on his way home from Seoul on Monday, Francis was asked: "Do you approve \[of\] the American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/during-a-news-conference-aboard-a-plane-on-his-way-home-from-seoul-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/american-catholics-are-committed-to-building-a-society-which-is-truly/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Poverty calls us to sow hope… Poverty is the flesh of the poor Jesus, in that child who is hungry, in the one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/poverty-calls-us-to-sow-hope-poverty-is-the-flesh-of-the-poor-jesus/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Nouns, verbs do not exist for what I feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berryman/nouns-verbs-do-not-exist-for-what-i-feel/) [John Berryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berryman/) > [“Love is a word that is constantly heard, Hate is a word that is not. Love, I am told, is more precious that gold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/love-is-a-word-that-is-constantly-heard-hate-is-a-word-that-is-not/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [I just love learning. I think learning is how you live. The verb of my life is learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-just-love-learning-i-think-learning-is-how-you-live-the-verb-of-my/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [The verb that's been enforced on girls is to please. Girls are trained to please...I want us all to change the verb. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-verb-that-s-been-enforced-on-girls-is-to-please-girls-are-trained/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/the-line-of-dialogue-belongs-to-the-character-the-verb-is-the-writer/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [A sentence can offer a moment of quiet, it can crackle with energy or it can just lie there, listless and uninteresting. What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-hale/a-sentence-can-offer-a-moment-of-quiet-it-can-crackle-with-energy-or/) [Constance Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-hale/) > [“But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every words that serves no function, every long word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/but-the-secret-of-good-writing-is-to-strip-every-sentence-to-its/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/) [Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by Pope Francis > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Most people nowadays would not consider love as related in any way to truth. Love is seen as an experience associated with the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/most-people-nowadays-would-not-consider-love-as-related-in-any-way-to/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Listen to Jesus and follow him. That's the message of the Transfiguration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/listen-to-jesus-and-follow-him-that-s-the-message-of-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Proceed calmly in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/proceed-calmly-in-life/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I like to say that women are those who form life in their wombs - and this is a comparison I make - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-like-to-say-that-women-are-those-who-form-life-in-their-wombs-and/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [You cannot insult the faith of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/you-cannot-insult-the-faith-of-others/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [To all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/to-all-people-of-good-will-who-are-working-for-social-justice-never/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [In Confession, Jesus welcomes us with all our sinfulness, to give us a new heart, capable of loving as he loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/in-confession-jesus-welcomes-us-with-all-our-sinfulness-to-give-us-a/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I pray every day for all who are suffering in Iraq. Please join me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-pray-every-day-for-all-who-are-suffering-in-iraq-please-join-me/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I entrust this Twenty-second World Day of the Sick to the intercession of Mary. I ask her to help the sick to bear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-entrust-this-twenty-second-world-day-of-the-sick-to-the/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Certain realities in life are only seen through eyes that are cleansed through our tears. Let us learn how to weep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/certain-realities-in-life-are-only-seen-through-eyes-that-are/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) [Explore all 1,479 Pope Francis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## 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 > [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": "In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor,... I underscore the verb 'stop.' I'm not saying 'bomb' or 'make war,' just 'stop.' 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