---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be…"
description: "\"How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.\" — Salman Rushdie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg"
---

#  How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.

![“How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg)

> “How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.”

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## About This Quote

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

Defeating terrorism requires refusing to live in fear and maintaining personal agency.

**In simple terms:** Don’t let terror control you.

Key Takeaway

Reject fear, act courageously.

Themes

courage resilience terrorism agency

Mood

defensive strategic

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- national security policy
- community safety
- personal empowerment
- media narratives

Key Concepts

political strategy psychology civil rights activism

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal steps can you take to stay unterrorized?
- How can societies build collective resilience?

A Different Perspective

Fear can be manipulated to justify oppression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civil society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-society/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Defeat Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat-terrorism-612729/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Terrorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism/) [Terrorism Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorism-don-1425278/) [Terrorized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorized-539784/)

## Related quotes

> [We remain united with the British, and our allies around the world, in our resolve to defeat terrorism and bring those who commit these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/we-remain-united-with-the-british-and-our-allies-around-the-world-in/)

[Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/)

> [I think we defeat terrorism by showing them that we do not fear them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-we-defeat-terrorism-by-showing-them-that-we-do-not-fear-them/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [All Iraqis can unite to defeat terrorism and can unite to rebuild the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-chalabi/all-iraqis-can-unite-to-defeat-terrorism-and-can-unite-to-rebuild-the/)

[Ahmed Chalabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-chalabi/)

> [read thousands of books and I will power myself with knowledge. Pens and books are the weapons that defeat terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/read-thousands-of-books-and-i-will-power-myself-with-knowledge-pens/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Since September 11, 2001, the powerful coalition of nations, led by the United States, has seen many successes against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-marchant/since-september-11-2001-the-powerful-coalition-of-nations-led-by-the/)

[Kenny Marchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-marchant/)

> [At the end of the day we want to bring stability and hope to Iraq. That's the only way to defeat terrorism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-want-to-bring-stability-and-hope-to-iraq/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I renew my call for the occupier (the United States) to leave our land. The departure of the occupier will mean stability for Iraq,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muqtada-al-sadr/i-renew-my-call-for-the-occupier-the-united-states-to-leave-our-land/)

[Muqtada al Sadr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muqtada-al-sadr/)

> [ISIS is on its way to defeat but terrorism threat persists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-petraeus/isis-is-on-its-way-to-defeat-but-terrorism-threat-persists/)

[David Petraeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-petraeus/)

> [We must continue to ensure law enforcement has the necessary tools to combat terrorism here at home. We must also work with our allies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-murphy/we-must-continue-to-ensure-law-enforcement-has-the-necessary-tools-to/)

[Timothy Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-murphy/)

> [ \[Marco\] Rubio says we should collect all Americans' records all of the time. The Constitution says otherwise. I think they're both wrong. I think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/marco-rubio-says-we-should-collect-all-americans-records-all-of-the/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

> [While we must remain determined to defeat terrorism, it isn't only terrorism we are fighting. It's the beliefs that motivate terrorists. A new ideology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senator-john-kerry/while-we-must-remain-determined-to-defeat-terrorism-it-isn-t-only/)

[Senator John Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senator-john-kerry/)

> [Enough of this occupation, terror and abuse. We are not in need of your help. We are able to combat and defeat terrorism, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muqtada-al-sadr/enough-of-this-occupation-terror-and-abuse-we-are-not-in-need-of-your/)

[Muqtada al Sadr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muqtada-al-sadr/)

> [Those who committed these cowardly acts may believe that they have shaken our resolve to defeat terrorism. They could not be more wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/those-who-committed-these-cowardly-acts-may-believe-that-they-have/)

[Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/)

> [To defeat terrorism, we must acknowledge that we are all human beings. It is not our choice to belong to a particular race or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/to-defeat-terrorism-we-must-acknowledge-that-we-are-all-human-beings/)

[Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/)

> [I think if we want to defeat terrorism, I think if we truly are sincere about defeating terrorism, we need to quit arming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-if-we-want-to-defeat-terrorism-i-think-if-we-truly-are/)

[Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/)

## More by Salman Rushdie

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

[Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## More Civil society quotes

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [ \[T\]here are, at bottom, basically two ways to order social affairs, Coercively, through the mechanisms of the state - what we can call political… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/t-here-are-at-bottom-basically-two-ways-to-order-social-affairs/)

[Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/)

> [“In Hobbes’ state of nature, when a male individual conquers (contracts with) a female individual he becomes her sexual master and she becomes his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-pateman/in-hobbes-state-of-nature-when-a-male-individual-conquers-contracts/)

[Carole Pateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-pateman/)

> [“SHOW THE WORLD YOUR STRONG COMPASSION: GIVE YOUR VOICE TO VOICELESS YAZIDI GIRLS!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/widad-akrawi/show-the-world-your-strong-compassion-give-your-voice-to-voiceless/)

[Widad Akrawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/widad-akrawi/)

> [For achieving good governance political will is necessary. Good governance is a political process. Though role of civil society is critical, without political will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/for-achieving-good-governance-political-will-is-necessary-good/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [“Remember what the fashion big mouths were saying about Jessica Simpson? Looking at her magazine pictures, sucking their teeth, going, "Oh, look at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whoopi-goldberg/remember-what-the-fashion-big-mouths-were-saying-about-jessica/)

[Whoopi Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whoopi-goldberg/)

> [Arresting opposition leaders and restricting civil society will not stop people from protesting, but it can create leaderless movements that leave no one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/arresting-opposition-leaders-and-restricting-civil-society-will-not/)

[Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/)

> [It's clear that it is in the best interest of business to be part of the conservation, along with governments and civil society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-clear-that-it-is-in-the-best-interest-of-business-to-be-part-of/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“What is remarkable in Burke’s first performance,” wrote his great nineteenth-century biographer John Morley, “is his discernment of the important fact that behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-levin/what-is-remarkable-in-burke-s-first-performance-wrote-his-great/)

[Yuval Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-levin/)

> [Security against foreign danger is one of the primitive objects of civil society. It is an avowed and essential object of the American Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/security-against-foreign-danger-is-one-of-the-primitive-objects-of/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [“Everybody is satisfied, that a conservation and secure enjoyment of our natural rights is the great and ultimate purpose of civil society; and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/everybody-is-satisfied-that-a-conservation-and-secure-enjoyment-of/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [“The state of civil society, which necessarily generates this aristocracy, is a state of nature; and much more truly so than a savage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-state-of-civil-society-which-necessarily-generates-this/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Every government has signed up to a voluntary legal commitment under at least one of the international covenants and conventions based on the Universal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/every-government-has-signed-up-to-a-voluntary-legal-commitment-under/)

[Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/)

[Browse all 322 Civil society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-society/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Salman Rushdie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-terrorized/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Civil society"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-terrorized/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/salman-rushdie-153_civil-society_how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-ter_2540204.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t be terrorized.” — Salman Rushdie",
                "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": "Salman Rushdie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "How do you defeat terrorism? Don’t...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-terrorized/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/how-do-you-defeat-terrorism-don-t-be-terrorized/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
