---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Class war is not the cause of social…"
description: "\"Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a disease developed in the course of social progress. The cause of the disease is the inability to..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg"
---

#  Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a…

![“Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a disease developed in the course of social progress. The cause of the disease is the inability to subsist, and the result of the disease is war.” quote by Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg)

> “Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a disease developed in the course of social progress. The cause of the disease is the inability to subsist, and the result of the disease is war.”

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

## About This Quote

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

Social progress can breed conflict when basic needs aren't met, turning progress into war

**In simple terms:** Progress without meeting needs can cause war

Key Takeaway

Address basic needs to prevent conflict

Themes

social progress war poverty disease metaphor

Mood

reflective serious

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- community development
- education reform
- healthcare planning

Key Concepts

economics political theory human security

Questions to Reflect On

- What needs are unmet in your community?
- How can progress be made inclusive?

A Different Perspective

Progress alone doesn't guarantee peace; structural issues persist

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-progress/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Snowden is not the disease. We don't have traitors or whistleblowers blooming all over because they are some sort of malady. The disease is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/snowden-is-not-the-disease-we-don-t-have-traitors-or-whistleblowers/)

[Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/)

> [My opposition to war was not because of the horrors of war, not because war demands that the race offer up its very best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriot-eaton-stanton-blatch/my-opposition-to-war-was-not-because-of-the-horrors-of-war-not/)

Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch

> [ The planet is about to break out with fever, indeed it may already have, and we \[human beings\] are the disease. We should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lovejoy/the-planet-is-about-to-break-out-with-fever-indeed-it-may-already/)

[Thomas Lovejoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lovejoy/)

> [If our countries had war the one with the other, that was no cause that he should put us to death; with which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-our-countries-had-war-the-one-with-the-other-that-was-no-cause/)

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

> [“The most costly and protracted Middle East conflict of this era, the Iran-Iraq war of 1980–8, had nothing to do with the Cold War,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-halliday/the-most-costly-and-protracted-middle-east-conflict-of-this-era-the/)

[Fred Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-halliday/)

> [“VICEROY OF PORTUGAL. ...My late ambition hath distain'd my faith; My breach of faith occasion'd bloody wars; Those bloody wars have spent my treasure;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kyd/viceroy-of-portugal-my-late-ambition-hath-distain-d-my-faith-my/)

[Thomas Kyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kyd/)

> [“I will go to war should there ever be a cause I think worth dying for--and not before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-will-go-to-war-should-there-ever-be-a-cause-i-think-worth-dying-for/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [Everything on this earth can be made into something better. Every defeat may be made the foundation of a future victory. Every lost war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/everything-on-this-earth-can-be-made-into-something-better-every/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [Indeed I am inclined to go so far as to say that the one cause for which one may properly make war is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-barton-perry/indeed-i-am-inclined-to-go-so-far-as-to-say-that-the-one-cause-for/)

[Ralph Barton Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-barton-perry/)

> [Armaments do not, generally speaking, cause wars. This notion, the logical crux of all arguments in favor of disarmament, turns the causal relationship upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/armaments-do-not-generally-speaking-cause-wars-this-notion-the/)

[James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/)

> [War, for any cause, is inexcusable. There is nothing which excuses us for the beastly ingenuity of our wars. Only fools, only the diseased,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-jameson/war-for-any-cause-is-inexcusable-there-is-nothing-which-excuses-us/)

[Storm Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/storm-jameson/)

> [“Nonviolent action on behalf of justice is no automatic forumla with promise of success: but neither is war. After all, at least half of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nonviolent-action-on-behalf-of-justice-is-no-automatic-forumla-with/)

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

> [Money was the crux. Raising money to pay the cost of war was to cause more damage to 14th century society than the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/money-was-the-crux-raising-money-to-pay-the-cost-of-war-was-to-cause/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [A doctrine of class war seemed to provide a solution to the problem of poverty to people who know nothing about how wealth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/a-doctrine-of-class-war-seemed-to-provide-a-solution-to-the-problem/)

[Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/)

> [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

## More by Sun Yat-sen

> [True is the saying: 'In order to make the world tranquil and happy, the nation must first be well governed!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/true-is-the-saying-in-order-to-make-the-world-tranquil-and-happy-the/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [The difference between the Chinese workers and foreign workers lies in the fact that the latter are oppressed only by their own capitalists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/the-difference-between-the-chinese-workers-and-foreign-workers-lies/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [I began to realize that, in spite of great achievements in wealth and military prowess, the great powers of Europe have not yet succeeded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/i-began-to-realize-that-in-spite-of-great-achievements-in-wealth-and/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [One may have broad or narrow talents, but only education renders them useful. Schools set up to train people will develop the intelligence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/one-may-have-broad-or-narrow-talents-but-only-education-renders-them/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [It is my idea to make capitalism create socialism in China so that these two economic forces of human evolution will work side by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/it-is-my-idea-to-make-capitalism-create-socialism-in-china-so-that/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [The goal of the revolution is to achieve the people's rights, but during the course of the revolution, we must stress military power -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/the-goal-of-the-revolution-is-to-achieve-the-people-s-rights-but/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [China's republican politics is like a child who just started schooling. He must have a good teacher and be surrounded by good friends. By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/china-s-republican-politics-is-like-a-child-who-just-started/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [We can learn something from Marxist thinking, but we cannot follow Marxist methods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/we-can-learn-something-from-marxist-thinking-but-we-cannot-follow/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [It is the common wish of the people that the autocratic rule of the Manchu government be overthrown, that the Republic of China be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/it-is-the-common-wish-of-the-people-that-the-autocratic-rule-of-the/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [We should use our old moral values and our love of peace as the foundation of national reconstruction and look forward to the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/we-should-use-our-old-moral-values-and-our-love-of-peace-as-the/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [A republic has been established, and our compatriots in Mongolia, Tibet, Qinghai and Xinjiang, who have always been a part of China, are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/a-republic-has-been-established-and-our-compatriots-in-mongolia-tibet/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [To understand is hard. Once one understands, action is easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/to-understand-is-hard-once-one-understands-action-is-easy/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [We say that a group united and developed in the royal way, by forces of nature, is a race; a group united and developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/we-say-that-a-group-united-and-developed-in-the-royal-way-by-forces/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [Our position is extremely perilous; if we do not earnestly promote nationalism and weld together our four hundred millions into a strong nation, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/our-position-is-extremely-perilous-if-we-do-not-earnestly-promote/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [If we want the Republic to be solid, we must first build its foundation. We need not look abroad for this foundation; we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/if-we-want-the-republic-to-be-solid-we-must-first-build-its/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

[Explore all 83 Sun Yat-sen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

## More Causes quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/)

[Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/)

> [Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. Well, roll my breakfast cause I'm a hungry man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-joe-turner/get-out-from-that-kitchen-and-rattle-those-pots-and-pans-well-roll-my/)

[Big Joe Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-joe-turner/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/)

[Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [I don't wear rubbers cause you can't catch it twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/i-don-t-wear-rubbers-cause-you-can-t-catch-it-twice/)

[Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/)

[Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/)

> [I love a lot of things, a whole lot of things / Like / My cousin comes to visit and you know he's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-greenfield/i-love-a-lot-of-things-a-whole-lot-of-things-like-my-cousin-comes-to/)

Eloise Greenfield

> [Many companies have long contended that stress in the home causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it does. But research now reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/many-companies-have-long-contended-that-stress-in-the-home-causes/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/)

[Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/)

Browse all 9,070 Causes quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a disease developed in the course of social progress. The cause of the disease is the inability to subsist, and the result of the disease is war.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sun Yat-sen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-progress-it-is-a-disease/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Causes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-progress-it-is-a-disease/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c57/sun-yat-sen-8160_causes_class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-pro_843177.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Class war is not the cause of social progress; it is a disease developed in the course of social progress…” — Sun Yat-sen",
                "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": "Sun Yat-sen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Class war is not the cause...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-progress-it-is-a-disease/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/class-war-is-not-the-cause-of-social-progress-it-is-a-disease/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
