--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe we are going to have to prepare…" description: "\"I believe we are going to have to prepare ourselves for the difficult and patient task of outgrowing rigid and intransigent nationalism, and work slowl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/thomas-merton-231_ask-me_i-believe-we-are-going-to-have-to-prepar_2287916.jpg" --- # I believe we are going to have to prepare ourselves for… ![“I believe we are going to have to prepare ourselves for the difficult and patient task of outgrowing rigid and intransigent nationalism, and work slowly towards a world federation of peaceful nations. How will this be possible? Don't ask me. I don't know. But unless we develop a moral, spiritual…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/thomas-merton-231_ask-me_i-believe-we-are-going-to-have-to-prepar_2287916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/thomas-merton-231_ask-me_i-believe-we-are-going-to-have-to-prepar_2287916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/965/thomas-merton-231_ask-me_i-believe-we-are-going-to-have-to-prepar_2287916.jpg) > “I believe we are going to have to prepare ourselves for the difficult and patient task of outgrowing rigid and intransigent nationalism, and work slowly towards a world federation of peaceful nations. How will this be possible? Don't ask me. I don't know. But unless we develop a moral, spiritual, and political wisdom that is proportionate to our technological skill, our skill may end us.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Calls for moral, spiritual, and political growth to match technological power, warning that without it humanity risks self-destruction **In simple terms:** We need wisdom to handle technology responsibly Key Takeaway Cultivate ethical wisdom alongside tech advancement Themes ethics technology global governance Mood thoughtful concerned Type philosophical visionary When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - international cooperation - peacebuilding Key Concepts moral development political philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What steps can individuals take toward global cooperation? - How can societies balance innovation with ethical oversight? A Different Perspective Achieving global unity is extremely complex and may face entrenched national interests ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-me/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Federation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federation/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Intransigent Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intransigent-nationalism-5364973/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism/) [Nationalism Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism-work-3158691/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Nations Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations-possible-3851896/) [Outgrowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outgrowing/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peaceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaceful/) [Peaceful Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaceful-nations-2519222/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-wisdom/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Tasks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasks/) [Technological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technological/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The statesmen still say that we should not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations and yet it is not possible any longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hays-sulzberger/the-statesmen-still-say-that-we-should-not-interfere-in-the-internal/) [Arthur Hays Sulzberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hays-sulzberger/) > [“Consumerism and nationalism work extra hours to make us imagine that millions of strangers belong to the same community as ourselves, that we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/consumerism-and-nationalism-work-extra-hours-to-make-us-imagine-that/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Free nations are peaceful nations. 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