---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Start with that. Chaos. No control, no…"
description: "\"“Start with that. Chaos. No control, no law, no government at all. Like being in the arena. Where do we go from there? What sort of agreement is necess..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg"
---

#  Start with that. Chaos. No control, no law, no government…

![“Start with that. Chaos. No control, no law, no government at all. Like being in the arena. Where do we go from there? What sort of agreement is necessary if we're to live in peace? What sort of social contract is required for survival?” quote by Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg)

> ““Start with that. Chaos. No control, no law, no government at all. Like being in the arena. Where do we go from there? What sort of agreement is necessary if we're to live in peace? What sort of social contract is required for survival?””

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

## About This Quote

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

Chaos without order forces us to define new social contracts for peace and survival.

**In simple terms:** Chaos demands new agreements for peace.

Key Takeaway

Design fair, resilient social structures.

Themes

society order survival peace

Mood

urgent thought‑provoking

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- community building
- disaster response
- governance
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

political theory anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

- What principles should guide a new social contract?
- How can we balance security with liberty?

A Different Perspective

Implementing order can suppress freedoms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Live In Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-in-peace/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Social contract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-contract/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/)

## Related quotes

> [Notice of leaving the E.U. under Article 50, for which most of us voted, provides a mechanism for extending the negotiating period by agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/notice-of-leaving-the-e-u-under-article-50-for-which-most-of-us-voted/)

[Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/)

> [If your tendency is to make sense out of chaos, start chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/if-your-tendency-is-to-make-sense-out-of-chaos-start-chaos/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [“With the growth of civilisation in Europe, and with the revival of letters and of science in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/with-the-growth-of-civilisation-in-europe-and-with-the-revival-of/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [Universities are no longer educational in any sense of the word that Rousseau would have recognised. Instead, they have become unabashed instruments of capital.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/universities-are-no-longer-educational-in-any-sense-of-the-word-that/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [“However great a man's natural talent may be, the art of writing cannot be learned all at once. Jean-Jaeques Rousseau”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jaeques-rousseau/however-great-a-man-s-natural-talent-may-be-the-art-of-writing-cannot/)

Jean-Jaeques Rousseau

> [“Contra Hobbes and Locke, Rousseau refused to believe that the obligations to civil society could be derived from self-interest, the preservation of life or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/contra-hobbes-and-locke-rousseau-refused-to-believe-that-the/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [There once was a man called Rousseau who wrote a book containing nothing but ideas. The second edition was bound in the skins of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wiker/there-once-was-a-man-called-rousseau-who-wrote-a-book-containing/)

[Benjamin Wiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wiker/)

> [It was Rousseau who was largely responsible for the problem by giving currency to the idea that freedom can exist without responsibility and discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/it-was-rousseau-who-was-largely-responsible-for-the-problem-by-giving/)

[Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/)

> [Rousseau and his disciples were resolved to force men to be free; in most of the world, they triumphed; men are set free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/rousseau-and-his-disciples-were-resolved-to-force-men-to-be-free-in/)

[Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/)

> [“Man requires a healing education which returns him to himself. Rousseau's paradoxes- his attack on the arts and the sciences and his practice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/man-requires-a-healing-education-which-returns-him-to-himself/)

[Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/)

> [“If I had had to choose my place of birth, I would have chosen a state in which everyone knew everyone else, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/if-i-had-had-to-choose-my-place-of-birth-i-would-have-chosen-a-state/)

[Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/)

> [The only dance masters I could have were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Walt Whitman and Nietzsche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-only-dance-masters-i-could-have-were-jean-jacques-rousseau-walt/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

> [“In reality, the source of all these differences is, that the savage lives within himself, while the social man lives constantly outside himself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-box/in-reality-the-source-of-all-these-differences-is-that-the-savage/)

[C.J. Box](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-box/)

> [ “The thirst after happiness is never extinguished in the heart of \[woman\]. —JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/the-thirst-after-happiness-is-never-extinguished-in-the-heart-of/)

[Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/)

> [One of the most beautiful passages of Rousseau is that in the sixth book of Confessions, where he describes the awakening in him of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/one-of-the-most-beautiful-passages-of-rousseau-is-that-in-the-sixth/)

[Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/)

## More by Suzanne Collins

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [KEEP CALM and HAVE A SUGAR CUBE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/keep-calm-and-have-a-sugar-cube/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [A furious Peeta hammers Haymitch with the atrocity he could become party to, but I can feel Haymitch watching me. This is the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/a-furious-peeta-hammers-haymitch-with-the-atrocity-he-could-become/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“The same goes for the other captured tributes, Johanna and Enobaria.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/the-same-goes-for-the-other-captured-tributes-johanna-and-enobaria/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [He never lets go of Annie's hand. Not when they walk, not when they eat. I doubt he ever plans to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/he-never-lets-go-of-annie-s-hand-not-when-they-walk-not-when-they-eat/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“I want to interrupt the taping and beg Finnick’s forgiveness for every false thought I’ve ever had about him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-want-to-interrupt-the-taping-and-beg-finnick-s-forgiveness-for/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [I pound on the glass, screaming my head off. Everyone ignores me except for some Capitol attendant who appears behind me and offers me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-pound-on-the-glass-screaming-my-head-off-everyone-ignores-me-except/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Because it doesn't matter anymore, and because I'm so desperately lonely I can't stand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/because-it-doesn-t-matter-anymore-and-because-i-m-so-desperately/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Then I dive into my tent before I do something stupid like cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/then-i-dive-into-my-tent-before-i-do-something-stupid-like-cry/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“¡Es que no quiero que me conozcan! ¡Ya me están quitando el futuro! ¡No pueden llevarse también lo que me importaba en el pasado!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/es-que-no-quiero-que-me-conozcan-ya-me-est-n-quitando-el-futuro-no/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“I act delighted, but I have zero interest in these Capitol people. They are only distractions from the food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-act-delighted-but-i-have-zero-interest-in-these-capitol-people-they/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [You're punishing him over and over for things that are out of his control. Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't have a fully loaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/you-re-punishing-him-over-and-over-for-things-that-are-out-of-his/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But the significant difference between Thirteen and the Capitol are the expectations of the populace. Thirteen was used to hardship, wheras in the Capitol,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/but-the-significant-difference-between-thirteen-and-the-capitol-are/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

[Explore all 1,709 Suzanne Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

## More Chaos quotes

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [If I meet a wise person, I think, 'Yes, tell me more about parenting, about marriage, about how to stay in love. Tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/if-i-meet-a-wise-person-i-think-yes-tell-me-more-about-parenting/)

[Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-love-derrick-brown-for-the-surprise-of-one-word-waking-up-next-to/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/chaos-often-breeds-life-when-order-breeds-habit/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [There seems to be a kind of order in the universe…in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/there-seems-to-be-a-kind-of-order-in-the-universe-in-the-movement-of/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [In the ring, there's not a lot of room for mistakes. You're in a place that is chaos, that is on fire. That ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/in-the-ring-there-s-not-a-lot-of-room-for-mistakes-you-re-in-a-place/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [“It was her chaos that made her beautiful. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/it-was-her-chaos-that-made-her-beautiful/)

[Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/)

> [What we should have done is kept the same team that played in the '95 World Series. Those trades (Eddie Murray &amp; Carlos Baerga)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-belle/what-we-should-have-done-is-kept-the-same-team-that-played-in-the-95/)

[Albert Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-belle/)

> [American civil rights leader, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Lynching is a murder. For the past four hundred years our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/american-civil-rights-leader-where-do-we-go-from-here-chaos-or/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/)

[Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/)

> [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/)

[Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/)

> [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [I came to think of myself, not as a dance and chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/i-came-to-think-of-myself-not-as-a-dance-and-chaos-of-molecules-but/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

[Browse all 2,640 Chaos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Start with that. Chaos. No control, no law, no government at all. Like being in the arena. Where do we go from there? What sort of agreement is necessary if we're to live in peace? What sort of social contract is required for survival?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Suzanne Collins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law-no-government-at-all-like/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chaos"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law-no-government-at-all-like/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/suzanne-collins-60_chaos_start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law_2162708.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Start with that. Chaos. No control, no law, no government at all. Like being in the arena. Where do we go…” — Suzanne Collins",
                "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": "Suzanne Collins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Start with that. Chaos. No control,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law-no-government-at-all-like/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/start-with-that-chaos-no-control-no-law-no-government-at-all-like/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
