--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One's first response is that these…" description: "\"“One's first response is that these Beirutis must be savagely insane to murder each other for such trivial divergences. Don't judge us too harshly. At ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/rabih-alameddine-7394_quote_one-s-first-response-is-that-these-beiru_1688551.jpg" --- # One's first response is that these Beirutis must be… ![“One's first response is that these Beirutis must be savagely insane to murder each other for such trivial divergences. Don't judge us too harshly. At the heart of most antagonisms are irreconcilable similarities. Hundred-year wars were fought over whether Jesus was human in divine form or divine…” quote by Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/rabih-alameddine-7394_quote_one-s-first-response-is-that-these-beiru_1688551.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/rabih-alameddine-7394_quote_one-s-first-response-is-that-these-beiru_1688551.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/rabih-alameddine-7394_quote_one-s-first-response-is-that-these-beiru_1688551.jpg) > ““One's first response is that these Beirutis must be savagely insane to murder each other for such trivial divergences. Don't judge us too harshly. At the heart of most antagonisms are irreconcilable similarities. Hundred-year wars were fought over whether Jesus was human in divine form or divine in human form. Belief is murderous.”” [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human conflicts often stem from deep similarities disguised as differences, leading to violent outcomes over trivial disputes. **In simple terms:** Conflicts arise from hidden similarities. Key Takeaway Recognize common humanity to reduce hostility. Themes conflict religion humanity Mood reflective somber Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political debates - interfaith dialogues - education curricula - media narratives Key Concepts identity dogma psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do we uncover hidden commonalities? - What steps can prevent trivial differences from escalating? A Different Perspective Even when similarities are recognized, entrenched beliefs can still fuel violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antagonisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonisms-1030985/) [Antagonisms Irreconcilable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonisms-irreconcilable-1030984/) [Beirutis Savagely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beirutis-savagely-1030981/) [Belief Murderous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-murderous-1030983/) [Response Beirutis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response-beirutis-1030982/) ## Related quotes > [This communication alone, by the comparison of the antagonisms, rivalries, movements which give birth to decisive moments, permits the evolution of the soul, whereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-delaunay/this-communication-alone-by-the-comparison-of-the-antagonisms/) [Robert Delaunay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-delaunay/) > [The role of art in society is not to resolve conflicts; rather, it is to express these conflicts and antagonisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cai-guo-qiang/the-role-of-art-in-society-is-not-to-resolve-conflicts-rather-it-is/) [Cai Guo-Qiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cai-guo-qiang/) > [Seeing a murder on television can help work off one's antagonisms. And if you haven't any antagonisms, the commercials will give you some.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hitchcock/seeing-a-murder-on-television-can-help-work-off-one-s-antagonisms-and/) [Alfred Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hitchcock/) ## More by Rabih Alameddine > [“I like men and women who don't fit well in the dominant culture, or, as Alvar de Campos calls them, strangers in this place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-like-men-and-women-who-don-t-fit-well-in-the-dominant-culture-or-as/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [I believe one has to escape oneself to discover oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-believe-one-has-to-escape-oneself-to-discover-oneself/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“I was always alone, Doc, solitary whether I wished to be or not, ever since I could remember I wished to be lost in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-was-always-alone-doc-solitary-whether-i-wished-to-be-or-not-ever/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“When you write about the past, you lie with each letter, with every grapheme, including the goddamn comma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/when-you-write-about-the-past-you-lie-with-each-letter-with-every/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“Causation extraction makes Jack a dull reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/causation-extraction-makes-jack-a-dull-reader/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“He may be my half brother, but we're not related. A chasm of incommunicable worlds lies between us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/he-may-be-my-half-brother-but-we-re-not-related-a-chasm-of/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [You look at the Koran or the Bible, they all tell the same stories. You see them as the stories of the Middle East.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/you-look-at-the-koran-or-the-bible-they-all-tell-the-same-stories-you/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“Other people are hazy phenomena that become corporeal only in my memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/other-people-are-hazy-phenomena-that-become-corporeal-only-in-my/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“In reality, the only true model of a successful woman was the Divine Sarah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/in-reality-the-only-true-model-of-a-successful-woman-was-the-divine/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“I told her I was not sure I could bear living with memories, she said, Look up at the stars, look, they are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-told-her-i-was-not-sure-i-could-bear-living-with-memories-she-said/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“In Beirut, death’s unremitting light shines bright for all to see, brighter than the Mediterranean sun, brighter than the night’s Russian missiles, brighter than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/in-beirut-death-s-unremitting-light-shines-bright-for-all-to-see/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“I read books—read, read, one can learn everything from books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-read-books-read-read-one-can-learn-everything-from-books/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [“In the summer of 1982, while Israeli armored tanks and gunships imposed a siege of another age on rampartless Beirut, cutting off the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/in-the-summer-of-1982-while-israeli-armored-tanks-and-gunships/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [How can I expect readers to know who I am if I do not tell them about my family, my friends, the relationships in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/how-can-i-expect-readers-to-know-who-i-am-if-i-do-not-tell-them-about/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [By nature, a storyteller is a plagiarist. Everything one comes across--each incident, book, novel, life episode, story, person, news clip--is a coffee bean that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/by-nature-a-storyteller-is-a-plagiarist-everything-one-comes-across/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) [Explore all 85 Rabih Alameddine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One's first response is that these Beirutis must be savagely insane to murder each other for such trivial divergences. Don't judge us too harshly. At the heart of most antagonisms are irreconcilable similarities. Hundred-year wars were fought over whether Jesus was human in divine form or divine in human form. 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