--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Had General Soo known the history of…" description: "\"“Had General Soo known the history of Earth, he would have known that Peace, as currently practiced by the humans, was a relatively new concept. He wou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg" --- # Had General Soo known the history of Earth, he would have… ![“Had General Soo known the history of Earth, he would have known that Peace, as currently practiced by the humans, was a relatively new concept. He would have known that humans had practiced war, both as an art and as a business, for much longer than three hundred years. If he had known their…” quote by Steven L. Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg) > ““Had General Soo known the history of Earth, he would have known that Peace, as currently practiced by the humans, was a relatively new concept. He would have known that humans had practiced war, both as an art and as a business, for much longer than three hundred years. If he had known their history, the general would have known that humans were much better at war than they had ever been at Peace.”” [Steven L. Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-hawk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The general would realize that humanity is far more experienced at war than at peace, making peace a fragile, recent invention. **In simple terms:** Humans are better at war than peace. Key Takeaway Recognize peace requires active effort and learning. Themes war peace history human nature Mood thoughtful urgent Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - military strategy - diplomacy - education - policy making Key Concepts conflict theory peace studies Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can modern societies learn from this disparity? - How can we strengthen peacebuilding? A Different Perspective Peace is not innate; it must be cultivated and defended. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-earth-976033/) [Known History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-history-317460/) [Known Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-peace-4011901/) [Practiced War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practiced-war-4596368/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-peace/) ## Related quotes > [I have been all men known to history, Wondering at the world and at time passing; I have seen evil, and the light blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-thomas/i-have-been-all-men-known-to-history-wondering-at-the-world-and-at/) [R. S. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-s-thomas/) > [At one end of the continuum known as history are first-time events that have generated notable measures of public recognition due to either a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/at-one-end-of-the-continuum-known-as-history-are-first-time-events/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“Here on the river I have known peace and beauty such as I never knew in any other place. There is always work here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/here-on-the-river-i-have-known-peace-and-beauty-such-as-i-never-knew/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I want to live long enough see the day the people in this world put aside their differences and work hand in hand to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-kelifa/i-want-to-live-long-enough-see-the-day-the-people-in-this-world-put/) [Nadia Kelifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-kelifa/) > [India is known to be a peace-loving country, we try to keep our peace treaties intact with other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-raina/india-is-known-to-be-a-peace-loving-country-we-try-to-keep-our-peace/) [Mohit Raina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-raina/) > [“A grain of sand you, trample upon has a deeper significance than a series of lectures by your verbal philosopher whom you respect. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/a-grain-of-sand-you-trample-upon-has-a-deeper-significance-than-a/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [If one gains an interest in the history of the earth, he is quite sure to gain an interest in the history of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/if-one-gains-an-interest-in-the-history-of-the-earth-he-is-quite-sure/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Take the entire 4.5-billion-year history of the earth and scale it down to a single year, with January 1 being the origin of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-shubin/take-the-entire-4-5-billion-year-history-of-the-earth-and-scale-it/) [Neil Shubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-shubin/) > [I am here tracing the History of the Earth itself, from its own Monuments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-here-tracing-the-history-of-the-earth-itself-from-its-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Stick out your arms," he'd say, "straight out at your sides," and when he had you in the appropriate cruciform position he'd say, "Left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/stick-out-your-arms-he-d-say-straight-out-at-your-sides-and-when-he/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [ \[Geology\] may be looked upon as the history of the earth's changes during preparation for the reception of organized beings, a history, which has… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-forbes/geology-may-be-looked-upon-as-the-history-of-the-earth-s-changes/) [Edward Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-forbes/) > [“The cedars 'know the history of the earth better than history itself.' If this was so, it was little wonder that they had clung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/the-cedars-know-the-history-of-the-earth-better-than-history-itself/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [The greatest city in the history of the Earth. -Wes Mantooth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anchorman-2/the-greatest-city-in-the-history-of-the-earth-wes-mantooth/) [Anchorman 2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anchorman-2/) > [“Pages could be written on the immense losses of productive soil that occur annually in almost every continent of the earth; on lethal air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/pages-could-be-written-on-the-immense-losses-of-productive-soil-that/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [I like to define biology as the history of the earth and all its life - past, present, and future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/i-like-to-define-biology-as-the-history-of-the-earth-and-all-its-life/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) ## More by Steven L. Hawk > [“those who aren't here fighting with you? They will know that you were here. They will know that you put your life on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/those-who-aren-t-here-fighting-with-you-they-will-know-that-you-were/) [Steven L. Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-hawk/) > [“He silently thanked Avery and their six years of marriage for teaching him a very valuable lesson. Know when you're wrong. And when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/he-silently-thanked-avery-and-their-six-years-of-marriage-for/) [Steven L. Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-hawk/) > [“Free gasped as an unexpected realization swept over him. Humans talked incessantly because—like him—they were alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/free-gasped-as-an-unexpected-realization-swept-over-him-humans-talked/) [Steven L. Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-hawk/) [Explore all 4 Steven L. Hawk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-hawk/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Had General Soo known the history of Earth, he would have known that Peace, as currently practiced by the humans, was a relatively new concept. He would have known that humans had practiced war, both as an art and as a business, for much longer than three hundred years. If he had known their history, the general would have known that humans were much better at war than they had ever been at Peace.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven L. Hawk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-earth-he-would-have-known-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-earth-he-would-have-known-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c61/steven-l-hawk-70289_history_had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-ear_2162736.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Had General Soo known the history of Earth, he would have known that Peace, as currently practiced by the…” — Steven L. Hawk", "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": "Steven L. Hawk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-hawk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Had General Soo known the history...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-earth-he-would-have-known-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-hawk/had-general-soo-known-the-history-of-earth-he-would-have-known-that/#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 } } ] } ```