---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Learning that we have a scapegoat is to…"
description: "\"Learning that we have a scapegoat is to lose it forever and to expose ourselves to mimetic conflicts with no possible resolution.\" — Rene Girard"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg"
---

#  Learning that we have a scapegoat is to lose it forever…

![“Learning that we have a scapegoat is to lose it forever and to expose ourselves to mimetic conflicts with no possible resolution.” quote by Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg)

> “Learning that we have a scapegoat is to lose it forever and to expose ourselves to mimetic conflicts with no possible resolution.”

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Recognizing a scapegoat leads to its loss and opens endless unresolved mimetic conflict.

**In simple terms:** Seeing a scapegoat destroys it and creates endless conflict.

Key Takeaway

Avoid scapegoating to prevent endless conflict.

Themes

conflict scapegoating human nature

Mood

tense reflective

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- political negotiations
- family disputes
- workplace rivalry
- community tensions

Key Concepts

mimetic desire social cohesion

Questions to Reflect On

- How does identifying a scapegoat affect group dynamics?
- Can conflict be resolved without a scapegoat?

A Different Perspective

Scapegoating may be a perceived solution in crises.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Learning Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-scapegoat-1516976/) [Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose/) [Lose Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-forever-351728/) [Mimetic Conflicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimetic-conflicts-1516977/) [Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible/) [Scapegoat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat/) [Scapegoat Lose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scapegoat-lose-1516975/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [If you scapegoat someone, it's a third party that will be aware of it. It won't be you. Because you will believe you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/if-you-scapegoat-someone-it-s-a-third-party-that-will-be-aware-of-it/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Having a scapegoat means not knowing that we have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/having-a-scapegoat-means-not-knowing-that-we-have-one/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [A scapegoat remains effective as long as we believe in its guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/a-scapegoat-remains-effective-as-long-as-we-believe-in-its-guilt/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Each person must ask what his relationship is to the scapegoat. I am not aware of my own, and I am persuaded that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/each-person-must-ask-what-his-relationship-is-to-the-scapegoat-i-am/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“…then they will lose me forever. I choose you, Alistair. I choose you and our kingdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-savage/then-they-will-lose-me-forever-i-choose-you-alistair-i-choose-you-and/)

[Vivienne Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-savage/)

> [Mate, if you choose to lock your heart away, you'll lose it forever. -Captain Jack Sparrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirates-of-the-caribbean/mate-if-you-choose-to-lock-your-heart-away-you-ll-lose-it-forever/)

[Pirates Of The Caribbean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirates-of-the-caribbean/)

> [This feeling grows everyday and I know that I have to let go, but my biggest fear is that I'll lose you forever. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shadow/this-feeling-grows-everyday-and-i-know-that-i-have-to-let-go-but-my/)

[Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shadow/)

> [He could lose himself in her forever, he thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/he-could-lose-himself-in-her-forever-he-thought/)

[Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/)

> [The problem with falling for a friend is that you won't know if it is love till the moment you are about to lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taher-shakir/the-problem-with-falling-for-a-friend-is-that-you-won-t-know-if-it-is/)

[Taher Shakir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taher-shakir/)

> [If we lose wilderness, we lose forever the knowledge of what the world was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-broome/if-we-lose-wilderness-we-lose-forever-the-knowledge-of-what-the-world/)

[Harvey Broome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-broome/)

> [“and the combo was one so dangerous she was afraid she’d lose herself forever in them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-shawn/and-the-combo-was-one-so-dangerous-she-was-afraid-she-d-lose-herself/)

[Melanie Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-shawn/)

> [If the people of America do not rise up, take ownership of our country, we're going to lose it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/if-the-people-of-america-do-not-rise-up-take-ownership-of-our-country/)

[Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/)

> [“About experiencing with him what you always dreamed a relationship could be like, only to lose it forever, never being able to love anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacquelyn-wheeler/about-experiencing-with-him-what-you-always-dreamed-a-relationship/)

[Jacquelyn Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacquelyn-wheeler/)

> [“Very easily, i could lose myself in her...forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/very-easily-i-could-lose-myself-in-her-forever/)

[Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/)

> [“I would lose you forever, and I've only ever wanted you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-would-lose-you-forever-and-i-ve-only-ever-wanted-you/)

[Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/)

## More by Rene Girard

> [If you scapegoat someone, it's a third party that will be aware of it. It won't be you. Because you will believe you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/if-you-scapegoat-someone-it-s-a-third-party-that-will-be-aware-of-it/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“There is no culture without a tomb and no tomb without a culture; in the end the tomb is the first and only cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/there-is-no-culture-without-a-tomb-and-no-tomb-without-a-culture-in/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [The true Resurrection is based not on the mythical lie of the guilty victim who deserves to die, but on the rectification of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/the-true-resurrection-is-based-not-on-the-mythical-lie-of-the-guilty/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“The good son imitates the father with such passion that father and son become each other's chief stumbling block - a situation the indifferent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/the-good-son-imitates-the-father-with-such-passion-that-father-and/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Individualism is a formidable lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/individualism-is-a-formidable-lie/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Instead of blaming victimization on the victims, the Gospels blame it on the victimizers. What the myths systematically hide, the Bible reveals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/instead-of-blaming-victimization-on-the-victims-the-gospels-blame-it/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Every time I could escape from Sunday church, I did, from the age of twelve until about thirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/every-time-i-could-escape-from-sunday-church-i-did-from-the-age-of/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [I do not read many periodicals, and I have little or no contact with progressive Christians, so I don't really know what goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/i-do-not-read-many-periodicals-and-i-have-little-or-no-contact-with/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“The revolutionaries thought they would be destroying vanity when they destroyed the privileges of the noble. But vanity is like a virulent cancer that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/the-revolutionaries-thought-they-would-be-destroying-vanity-when-they/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [I think that historical processes have meaning and that we have to accept this - or else face utter despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/i-think-that-historical-processes-have-meaning-and-that-we-have-to/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“So long as globalization was slow in coming, everyone hoped and prayed that it would come soon. The unity of the world's nations was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/so-long-as-globalization-was-slow-in-coming-everyone-hoped-and-prayed/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“Nietzsche is a marvelous antidote to all fundamentally anti-Biblical efforts to turn mythology into a kind of Bible, and that is the project of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/nietzsche-is-a-marvelous-antidote-to-all-fundamentally-anti-biblical/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“Even in the most closed cultures men believe that they are free and open to the universal; their differential character makes the narrowest cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/even-in-the-most-closed-cultures-men-believe-that-they-are-free-and/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [Each person must ask what his relationship is to the scapegoat. I am not aware of my own, and I am persuaded that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/each-person-must-ask-what-his-relationship-is-to-the-scapegoat-i-am/)

[Rene Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

> [“We must renounce the gambit of "good" and "bad" - even in its inverted form. We must acknowledge that misapprehensions abound, that violence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/we-must-renounce-the-gambit-of-good-and-bad-even-in-its-inverted-form/)

[René Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

[Explore all 71 Rene Girard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/)

## More Forever quotes

> [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

> [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/)

[Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/)

> [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/)

[Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/)

> [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/)

[Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

> [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/)

[Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/)

> [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/)

[Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/)

> [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/)

[John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/)

> [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/)

[Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/)

> [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/)

[YG](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yg/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

[Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Learning that we have a scapegoat is to lose it forever and to expose ourselves to mimetic conflicts with no possible resolution.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rene Girard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to-lose-it-forever-and-to-expose/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forever"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to-lose-it-forever-and-to-expose/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/rene-girard-8541_forever_learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to_2550493.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Learning that we have a scapegoat is to lose it forever and to expose ourselves to mimetic conflicts with no…” — Rene Girard",
                "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": "Rene Girard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-girard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Learning that we have a scapegoat...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to-lose-it-forever-and-to-expose/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-girard/learning-that-we-have-a-scapegoat-is-to-lose-it-forever-and-to-expose/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
