--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong…" description: "\"“On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.”\" — Tim O'Brien" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/tim-o-brien-1818_peace_on-occasions-the-war-was-like-a-ping-pon_85797.png" --- # On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could… ![“On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.” quote by Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/tim-o-brien-1818_peace_on-occasions-the-war-was-like-a-ping-pon_85797.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/tim-o-brien-1818_peace_on-occasions-the-war-was-like-a-ping-pon_85797.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e8/tim-o-brien-1818_peace_on-occasions-the-war-was-like-a-ping-pon_85797.png) > ““On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.”” [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War can be treated as a trivial, manipulable object, reducing its gravity through playful metaphor. **In simple terms:** War as a game metaphor Key Takeaway War's seriousness can be downplayed Themes war metaphor playfulness perception trivialization Mood ironic reflective critical Type aphorical satirical observational When to use this quote - military storytelling - war literature analysis - psychological coping - educational discussions Key Concepts conflict human experience psychology Practical Applications - illustrating war's absurdity - teaching metaphorical framing Questions to Reflect On - How does humor affect our view of conflict? - What does treating war as a game reveal about societal attitudes? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Ping pong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ping-pong/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I kind of like the ping-pong coach aspect; it somehow fits, and I don't know how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/i-kind-of-like-the-ping-pong-coach-aspect-it-somehow-fits-and-i-don-t/) [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/) > [“There are times and occasions in war when the valor of ignorance has it's advantages”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-general-sir-fredrick-maurice/there-are-times-and-occasions-in-war-when-the-valor-of-ignorance-has/) Major General Sir Fredrick Maurice > [“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true. At its core, perhaps, war is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/to-generalize-about-war-is-like-generalizing-about-peace-almost/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [To make up a dance, I still need, as I needed then, a pot of tea, walking space, privacy and an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-de-mille/to-make-up-a-dance-i-still-need-as-i-needed-then-a-pot-of-tea-walking/) [Agnes de Mille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-de-mille/) > [We are all creatures of the stars and their forces, they make us, we make them, we are part of a dance from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/we-are-all-creatures-of-the-stars-and-their-forces-they-make-us-we/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The eyes, hands and body movements are important to make the dance sexier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/the-eyes-hands-and-body-movements-are-important-to-make-the-dance/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“If in life you stumble make it part of you dance." -author unknown”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/river-maria-urke/if-in-life-you-stumble-make-it-part-of-you-dance-author-unknown/) River Maria Urke > [Now I'm gonna make you dance, its your chance. Yea boy shake that thang, oops I mean girl, girl girl girl. Girl you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/now-i-m-gonna-make-you-dance-its-your-chance-yea-boy-shake-that-thang/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [Some music, it's meant just to make you dance and be able to celebrate and get away from all that kind of thinking. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-johnson/some-music-it-s-meant-just-to-make-you-dance-and-be-able-to-celebrate/) [Jack Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-johnson/) > [You want a great product, you want things that resonate with people and make them dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-parscale/you-want-a-great-product-you-want-things-that-resonate-with-people/) [Brad Parscale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-parscale/) > [Banz a make her dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juicy-j/banz-a-make-her-dance/) [Juicy J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juicy-j/) > [“Take his hands, take her hands and dance! There's a wide and free world calling on you to make it your dance floor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayokunle-falomo/take-his-hands-take-her-hands-and-dance-there-s-a-wide-and-free-world/) [Ayokunle Falomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayokunle-falomo/) > [When I was a little girl, my mother tried to make me dance, but I did not like it then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/when-i-was-a-little-girl-my-mother-tried-to-make-me-dance-but-i-did/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [Everyone has seen people dancing all night. But take a man and make him dance for a quarter of an hour without music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/everyone-has-seen-people-dancing-all-night-but-take-a-man-and-make/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) ## More by Tim O'Brien > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [It's very hard to articulate the things that are important about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/it-s-very-hard-to-articulate-the-things-that-are-important-about/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/the-thing-about-a-story-is-that-you-dream-it-as-you-tell-it-hoping/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Fiction, maybe art in general, is a tentative, uncertain enterprise; it's not science, it's an exploration, but you never find much in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/fiction-maybe-art-in-general-is-a-tentative-uncertain-enterprise-it-s/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“I learned that words make a difference. It's easier to cope with a kicked bucked than a corpse; if it isn't human, it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/i-learned-that-words-make-a-difference-it-s-easier-to-cope-with-a/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/stories-are-for-eternity-when-memory-is-erased-when-there-is-nothing/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“The story' Sanders would say "the whole tone, man, you're wrecking it." Tone?' The sound. You need to get a consitent sound, like slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/the-story-sanders-would-say-the-whole-tone-man-you-re-wrecking-it/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“They were afraid of dying, but they were even more afraid to show it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/they-were-afraid-of-dying-but-they-were-even-more-afraid-to-show-it/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Forty-three years old, and the war occurred half a lifetime ago, and yet the remembering makes it now. And sometimes remembering will lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/forty-three-years-old-and-the-war-occurred-half-a-lifetime-ago-and/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“He thought about the difference between good times and bad times, and how funny it was that he could not state the difference, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/he-thought-about-the-difference-between-good-times-and-bad-times-and/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [A lie, sometimes, can be truer than the truth, which is why fiction gets written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/a-lie-sometimes-can-be-truer-than-the-truth-which-is-why-fiction-gets/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/my-life-is-storytelling-i-believe-in-stories-in-their-incredible/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [With a hangover and with fear, it is difficult to put a helmet on your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/with-a-hangover-and-with-fear-it-is-difficult-to-put-a-helmet-on-your/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Peace never bragged. If you didn't look for it, it wasn't there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/peace-never-bragged-if-you-didn-t-look-for-it-it-wasn-t-there/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Money was never a problem, passports were never required. There were always new places to dance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/money-was-never-a-problem-passports-were-never-required-there-were/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) [Explore all 201 Tim O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## More Peace quotes > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) W.J. Turner > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Achieving mental harmony is one of the greatest goals and experiences in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kambiz-mostofizadeh/achieving-mental-harmony-is-one-of-the-greatest-goals-and-experiences/) [Kambiz Mostofizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kambiz-mostofizadeh/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/) [Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/) > [“There is no fortune greater than peace; there is no force greater than peace; there is no excellent tapas greater than peace; there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muruganar/there-is-no-fortune-greater-than-peace-there-is-no-force-greater-than/) [Muruganar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muruganar/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. It is not about one thing in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-is-like-a-fire-one-man-may-start-it-but-it-will-spread-all-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,655 Peace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On occasions the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. 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