--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... it is a commonplace that men like…" description: "\"... it is a commonplace that men like war. For peace, in our society, with the feeling we have then that it is feeble-minded to strive except for one's..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg" --- # ... it is a commonplace that men like war. For peace, in… ![“... it is a commonplace that men like war. For peace, in our society, with the feeling we have then that it is feeble-minded to strive except for one's own private profit, is a lonely thing and a hazardous business. Over and over men have proved that they prefer the hazards of war with all its…” quote by Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg) > “... it is a commonplace that men like war. For peace, in our society, with the feeling we have then that it is feeble-minded to strive except for one's own private profit, is a lonely thing and a hazardous business. Over and over men have proved that they prefer the hazards of war with all its suffering. It has its compensations.” [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War is often glorified despite its suffering, while peace is seen as weak and risky; societies tend to favor conflict over cooperation. **In simple terms:** War is praised, peace is undervalued. Key Takeaway Recognize the cost of glorifying conflict. Themes war peace societal values risk human nature Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political debate - peace activism - military recruitment - educational curricula Key Concepts conflict glorification peace perception social psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does glorifying war shape national policy? - What incentives can make peace more attractive? A Different Perspective Peace can be seen as passive, limiting proactive solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Commonplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonplace/) [Compensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensation/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Hazards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hazards/) [Hazards War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hazards-war-5353439/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Like War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-war/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-like/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-peace/) [War Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-suffering-2567669/) ## Related quotes > [Men like war: they do not hold much sway over birth, so they make up for it with death. Unlike women, men menstruate by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-like-war-they-do-not-hold-much-sway-over-birth-so-they-make-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is a sad commentary on our civilization, however, that war and suffering rather than peacetime living can mobilize human readiness to make sacrifices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/it-is-a-sad-commentary-on-our-civilization-however-that-war-and/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Friendship is not diminished by distance or time, by imprisonment or war, by suffering or silence. It is in these things that it roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/friendship-is-not-diminished-by-distance-or-time-by-imprisonment-or/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [“ War ," Beranabus murmurs, face crinkling. "Most humans know nothing of true warfare. They wage their silly territorial battles, kill each other ruthlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/war-beranabus-murmurs-face-crinkling-most-humans-know-nothing-of-true/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [The achievement of nationhood is a product not only of time and circumstance but usually of war and suffering as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pfaff/the-achievement-of-nationhood-is-a-product-not-only-of-time-and/) [William Pfaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pfaff/) > [Marriage is like war - an experience that no adventurous man would evade, and no sensible man repeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-parrott/marriage-is-like-war-an-experience-that-no-adventurous-man-would/) [Ursula Parrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-parrott/) > [It is like when you go to war: we have to know how our enemies attack and defend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/it-is-like-when-you-go-to-war-we-have-to-know-how-our-enemies-attack/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [“The public is a great actuality, like war. If you are a creative and creating artist, you cannot ignore it, though it can ignore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-public-is-a-great-actuality-like-war-if-you-are-a-creative-and/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/love-is-like-war-easy-to-begin-but-very-hard-to-stop/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Life is like a war, you may start off on the advance, and towards the middle loose some ground, but what really matters is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-a-war-you-may-start-off-on-the-advance-and-towards-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They wore their strange beauty like war paint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/they-wore-their-strange-beauty-like-war-paint/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [Love is like a war, you either agree to it or not but it will always have damage to your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taah/love-is-like-a-war-you-either-agree-to-it-or-not-but-it-will-always/) [Taah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taah/) > [Football is like war. It's about taking territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/football-is-like-war-it-s-about-taking-territory/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [“I don't like this war. I don't like the cold-blooded scheming at the beginning and the carnage at the end and the grumbling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/i-don-t-like-this-war-i-don-t-like-the-cold-blooded-scheming-at-the/) [Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/) > [There is so much that must be done in a civilized barbarism like war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/there-is-so-much-that-must-be-done-in-a-civilized-barbarism-like-war/) [Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/) ## More by Ruth Benedict > [We grow in time to trust the future for our answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/we-grow-in-time-to-trust-the-future-for-our-answers/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [An observer will see the bizarre developments of behavior only in alien cultures, not his own. Nevertheless this is obviously a local and temporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/an-observer-will-see-the-bizarre-developments-of-behavior-only-in/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [In world history, those who have helped to build the same culture are not necessarily of one race, and those of the same race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/in-world-history-those-who-have-helped-to-build-the-same-culture-are/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [It is strange how long we rebel against a platitude until suddenly in a different lingo it looms up again as the only verity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-strange-how-long-we-rebel-against-a-platitude-until-suddenly-in/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [“Experience, contrary to common belief, is mostly imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/experience-contrary-to-common-belief-is-mostly-imagination/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [I gambled on having the strength to live two lives, one for myself and one for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/i-gambled-on-having-the-strength-to-live-two-lives-one-for-myself-and/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Western civilization, because of fortuitous historical circumstances, has spread itself more widely than any other local group that has so far been known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/western-civilization-because-of-fortuitous-historical-circumstances/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [The trouble is not that we are never happy - it is that happiness is so episodical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/the-trouble-is-not-that-we-are-never-happy-it-is-that-happiness-is-so/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [It is my necessary breath of life to understand and expression is the only justification of life that I can feel without prodding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-my-necessary-breath-of-life-to-understand-and-expression-is-the/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [The purpose of anthropology is to make the world safe for human differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/the-purpose-of-anthropology-is-to-make-the-world-safe-for-human/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Success and failure in our own national economy will hang upon the degree to which we are able to work with races and nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/success-and-failure-in-our-own-national-economy-will-hang-upon-the/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [I haven't strength of mind not to need a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/i-haven-t-strength-of-mind-not-to-need-a-career/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [As a matter of history great developments in art have often been remarkably separate from religious motivation and use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/as-a-matter-of-history-great-developments-in-art-have-often-been/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [The Japanese are, to the highest degree, both aggressive and unaggressive, both militaristic and aesthetic, both insolent and polite, rigid and adaptable, submissive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/the-japanese-are-to-the-highest-degree-both-aggressive-and/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Society in its full sense ... is never an entity separable from the individuals who compose it. No individual can arrive even at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/society-in-its-full-sense-is-never-an-entity-separable-from-the/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) [Explore all 62 Ruth Benedict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) ## More Business 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/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "... it is a commonplace that men like war. For peace, in our society, with the feeling we have then that it is feeble-minded to strive except for one's own private profit, is a lonely thing and a hazardous business. Over and over men have proved that they prefer the hazards of war with all its suffering. It has its compensations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ruth Benedict" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-for-peace-in-our-society-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-for-peace-in-our-society-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/ruth-benedict-10946_business_it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-fo_3097420.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“... it is a commonplace that men like war. For peace, in our society, with the feeling we have then that it…” — Ruth Benedict", "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": "Ruth Benedict", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "... it is a commonplace that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-for-peace-in-our-society-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-a-commonplace-that-men-like-war-for-peace-in-our-society-with/#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 } } ] } ```