--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a…" description: "\"Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a real dilemma for the person who disagrees.\" — Richard N. Haass" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg" --- # Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a real dilemma for… ![“Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a real dilemma for the person who disagrees.” quote by Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg) > “Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a real dilemma for the person who disagrees.” [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dissent creates a moral dilemma for those who disagree, challenging personal convictions. **In simple terms:** Dissent forces a moral dilemma. Key Takeaway Weigh convictions against dissenting views. Themes ethics conflict decisionmaking Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - politics - workplace - activism - personal decisions Key Concepts moral philosophy cognitive dissonance Questions to Reflect On - How do you resolve inner conflict when dissent arises? - What benefits can dissent bring? A Different Perspective Dissent can also foster growth and innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dilemma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dilemma/) [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) ## Related quotes > [The most difficult dilemma for a person is perhaps when his heart testifies to an inevitable reality yet his tongue will not proclaim it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umera-ahmed/the-most-difficult-dilemma-for-a-person-is-perhaps-when-his-heart/) [Umera Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umera-ahmed/) > [Even when alternative views are clearly wrong, being exposed to them still expands our creative potential. In a way, the power of dissent is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/even-when-alternative-views-are-clearly-wrong-being-exposed-to-them-2/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [“Even when alternative views are clearly wrong, being exposed to them still expands our creative potential. In a way, the power of dissent is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/even-when-alternative-views-are-clearly-wrong-being-exposed-to-them/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Dissent is as American as cherry pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/dissent-is-as-american-as-cherry-pie/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [“All of them. I mean, they ask you a question, and they don’t want to hear the answer if it disagrees with their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-berry/all-of-them-i-mean-they-ask-you-a-question-and-they-don-t-want-to/) [Kevin Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-berry/) > [Disagrees with neocon adviser on immediate need to bomb Iran.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/disagrees-with-neocon-adviser-on-immediate-need-to-bomb-iran/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [When someone disagrees with me, I do not have to immediately start revising what I just said. People don't want me to always agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/when-someone-disagrees-with-me-i-do-not-have-to-immediately-start/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) > [In Washington, if someone disagrees with you, the problem must be your heart - you must be evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-southerland/in-washington-if-someone-disagrees-with-you-the-problem-must-be-your/) [Steve Southerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-southerland/) > [I have no problem with someone who disagrees with my life. That's your right to feel that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/i-have-no-problem-with-someone-who-disagrees-with-my-life-that-s-your/) [Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/) > [I have no problem at all if somebody disagrees with me on my politics, or on this, that or whatever. That's fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-ryan/i-have-no-problem-at-all-if-somebody-disagrees-with-me-on-my-politics/) [Rex Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-ryan/) > [Find someone who disagrees and invite them to your table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/find-someone-who-disagrees-and-invite-them-to-your-table/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [He who disagrees with me in private, call him a fool. He who disagrees with me in public, call him an ambulance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-munnery/he-who-disagrees-with-me-in-private-call-him-a-fool-he-who-disagrees/) [Simon Munnery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-munnery/) > [Anyone with a point of view loves it when they sway someone who disagrees with their point of view. I don't think that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-snider/anyone-with-a-point-of-view-loves-it-when-they-sway-someone-who/) [Todd Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-snider/) > [Anytime someone disagrees with someone nowadays, we seem to always jump to conclusions with name calling or assuming their intentions. You'll actually be respected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-garner/anytime-someone-disagrees-with-someone-nowadays-we-seem-to-always/) [Luke Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-garner/) > [Even if somebody disagrees with you, their life is still valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/even-if-somebody-disagrees-with-you-their-life-is-still-valuable/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) ## More by Richard N. Haass > [Terrorists and terrorism cannot be eliminated any more than we can rid the world of disease. There will always be those who will resort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/terrorists-and-terrorism-cannot-be-eliminated-any-more-than-we-can/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [There is no way to know for certain what accounts for North Korean decisionmaking, given how closed a country it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/there-is-no-way-to-know-for-certain-what-accounts-for-north-korean/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Security is the absolute precondition for sustainable recovery from conflict; without it, people cannot rebuild their country or return to school or work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/security-is-the-absolute-precondition-for-sustainable-recovery-from/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [When great powers fade, as they inevitably must, it's normally for one of two reasons. Some powers exhaust themselves through overreach abroad, underinvestment at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/when-great-powers-fade-as-they-inevitably-must-it-s-normally-for-one/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Americans never would alter the way entitlement programs are funded or education administered without serious study and widespread debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/americans-never-would-alter-the-way-entitlement-programs-are-funded/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Sovereignty must be redefined if states are to cope with globalisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/sovereignty-must-be-redefined-if-states-are-to-cope-with-globalisation/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [America's armed forces are an essential background to much of what the U.S. accomplishes internationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/america-s-armed-forces-are-an-essential-background-to-much-of-what/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [No amount of sanctioning will persuade North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, nor will China step up and solve the problem for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/no-amount-of-sanctioning-will-persuade-north-korea-to-give-up-nuclear/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [Weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons - are just that, and no cause can excuse their use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/weapons-of-mass-destruction-nuclear-biological-and-chemical-weapons/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [No one pursuing reasonable goals and who is prepared to compromise can argue that terrorism is his or his group's only option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/no-one-pursuing-reasonable-goals-and-who-is-prepared-to-compromise/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [The rise of populism is in part a response to stagnating incomes and job loss, owing mostly to new technologies but widely attributed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/the-rise-of-populism-is-in-part-a-response-to-stagnating-incomes-and/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [We all have some basic obligation to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/we-all-have-some-basic-obligation-to-one-another/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [What countries must do to join the World Trade Organization is precisely what they must do to become productive and democratic: accept the rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/what-countries-must-do-to-join-the-world-trade-organization-is/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [I believe in diplomacy; I don't believe in talking to... that talking to Iran somehow constitutes a concession or a favour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/i-believe-in-diplomacy-i-don-t-believe-in-talking-to-that-talking-to/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [I've worked for four presidents, and I've concluded that almost nothing is inevitable. History is to a significant extent the result of the interaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/i-ve-worked-for-four-presidents-and-i-ve-concluded-that-almost/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) [Explore all 121 Richard N. Haass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a real dilemma for the person who disagrees.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard N. Haass" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a-real-dilemma-for-the-person/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difficult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a-real-dilemma-for-the-person/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7e/richard-n-haass-3803_difficult_dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a_3031055.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dissent is difficult. It can constitute a real dilemma for the person who disagrees.” — Richard N. Haass", "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": "Richard N. Haass", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dissent is difficult. It can constitute...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a-real-dilemma-for-the-person/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/dissent-is-difficult-it-can-constitute-a-real-dilemma-for-the-person/#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 } } ] } ```