--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War is an old, old plant on this earth…" description: "\"War is an old, old plant on this earth, and a natural history of it would have to tell us under what soil conditions it grows, where it plays havoc, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg" --- # War is an old, old plant on this earth, and a natural… ![“War is an old, old plant on this earth, and a natural history of it would have to tell us under what soil conditions it grows, where it plays havoc, and how it is eliminated.” quote by Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg) > “War is an old, old plant on this earth, and a natural history of it would have to tell us under what soil conditions it grows, where it plays havoc, and how it is eliminated.” [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 portrayed as a plant that thrives under certain conditions, spreads chaos, and can be eradicated with the right approach. **In simple terms:** War grows like a plant and can be stopped. Key Takeaway Identify and change the conditions that nurture conflict. Themes conflict environment history peace strategy Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - military planning - conflict resolution - policy making - education - media analysis Key Concepts cultural anthropology ecology political science Questions to Reflect On - What conditions in your community foster conflict? - How can we cultivate peace like a garden? A Different Perspective War is not purely biological; human agency and ideology also shape it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-natural-637806/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Havoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/havoc/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-history/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Old Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-plant-452489/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Plant Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-earth-5312963/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil/) [Tell Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-soil-5085325/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“county offices in the phone directory) for information on how and where to take a soil sample. The results will tell you about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-oster/county-offices-in-the-phone-directory-for-information-on-how-and/) [Maggie Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-oster/) > [Oh, a dainty plant is the ivy green, That creepeth o'er ruins old! Of right choice food are his meals, I ween, In his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/oh-a-dainty-plant-is-the-ivy-green-that-creepeth-o-er-ruins-old-of-2/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The rich mould of dead men’s graves. Creeping where grim death has been, A rare old plant is the Ivy green. Whole ages have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-rich-mould-of-dead-men-s-graves-creeping-where-grim-death-has/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Oh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green, That creepeth o’er ruins old! Of right choice food are his meals, I ween, In his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/oh-a-dainty-plant-is-the-ivy-green-that-creepeth-o-er-ruins-old-of/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Earth is a natural pearl that will always give us Joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-toledo/earth-is-a-natural-pearl-that-will-always-give-us-joy/) [Elena Toledo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-toledo/) > [No beast has ever overcome the earth; and the natural world has never been conquered by muscular force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/no-beast-has-ever-overcome-the-earth-and-the-natural-world-has-never/) [Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/) > [In the past few decades, Earth's natural systems have endured more pressure than in all preceding human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/in-the-past-few-decades-earth-s-natural-systems-have-endured-more/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [No beast has ever conquered the earth; and the natural world has never been conquered by muscular force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/no-beast-has-ever-conquered-the-earth-and-the-natural-world-has-never/) [Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/) > [Our numbers expand, but Earth's natural systems do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/our-numbers-expand-but-earth-s-natural-systems-do-not/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Mycelium is Earth's natural Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stamets/mycelium-is-earth-s-natural-internet/) [Paul Stamets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stamets/) > [It took a qualified wizard to detect a summoning in progress. It required only a half-literate idiot with a twitch of power and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/it-took-a-qualified-wizard-to-detect-a-summoning-in-progress-it/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [The legal bias for special protection for women has begun to wreak havoc with the Constitution's guarantee of equal protection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/the-legal-bias-for-special-protection-for-women-has-begun-to-wreak/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I spent three years researching American Rose, research that included connecting with Gypsy's sister, the late actress June Havoc (I was the last person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-abbott/i-spent-three-years-researching-american-rose-research-that-included/) [Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-abbott/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## 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 Conditions quotes > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/) [Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) [Browse all 4,249 Conditions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "War is an old, old plant on this earth, and a natural history of it would have to tell us under what soil conditions it grows, where it plays havoc, and how it is eliminated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ruth Benedict" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-and-a-natural-history-of-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conditions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-and-a-natural-history-of-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66e/ruth-benedict-10946_conditions_war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-an_2279284.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“War is an old, old plant on this earth, and a natural history of it would have to tell us under what soil…” — 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": "War is an old, old plant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-and-a-natural-history-of-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/war-is-an-old-old-plant-on-this-earth-and-a-natural-history-of-it/#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 } } ] } ```