--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: States are like people. They do not…" description: "\"States are like people. They do not question the awful status quo until some dramatic event overturns the conventional and lax way of thinking.\" — Vict..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/victor-davis-hanson-5043_awful_states-are-like-people-they-do-not-quest_269968.png" --- # States are like people. They do not question the awful… ![“States are like people. They do not question the awful status quo until some dramatic event overturns the conventional and lax way of thinking.” quote by Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/victor-davis-hanson-5043_awful_states-are-like-people-they-do-not-quest_269968.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/victor-davis-hanson-5043_awful_states-are-like-people-they-do-not-quest_269968.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96d/victor-davis-hanson-5043_awful_states-are-like-people-they-do-not-quest_269968.png) > “States are like people. They do not question the awful status quo until some dramatic event overturns the conventional and lax way of thinking.” [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People accept harmful norms until a crisis forces them to reconsider entrenched thinking. **In simple terms:** People ignore bad norms until a crisis hits. Key Takeaway Challenge complacency when crises arise. Themes complacency status quo crisis critical thinking Mood reflective urgent Type analytical motivational When to use this quote - political reform - organizational change - personal growth - public policy Key Concepts social dynamics psychology change management Questions to Reflect On - What crisis could expose current blind spots? - How can we maintain momentum after the initial shock? A Different Perspective Change may be resisted even after a crisis, requiring sustained effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [States, like men, have their growth, their manhood, their decrepitude, their decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/states-like-men-have-their-growth-their-manhood-their-decrepitude/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [“Color-coded maps were widely distributed to employees at headquarters in Seattle. Travel to green states like Michigan was okay, but orange states like California…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/color-coded-maps-were-widely-distributed-to-employees-at-headquarters/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [States are more like people than they are like anything else: they exist by purpose, reason, suffering, and joy. And peace between states is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/states-are-more-like-people-than-they-are-like-anything-else-they/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [States like Massachusetts and New York are working aggressively to keep and grow life sciences companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcginty/states-like-massachusetts-and-new-york-are-working-aggressively-to/) [Katie McGinty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcginty/) > [The United States is like a gigantic boiler. Once the fire is lit under it, there's no limit to the power it can generate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-united-states-is-like-a-gigantic-boiler-once-the-fire-is-lit/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [ The United States is like Count Dracula who at six o'clock in the morning has not sucked \[any necks\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-chavez/the-united-states-is-like-count-dracula-who-at-six-o-clock-in-the/) [Hugo Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-chavez/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] has to have and he said he is going to have a transition element for those states, like in Florida, he's, you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-matalin/donald-trump-has-to-have-and-he-said-he-is-going-to-have-a-transition/) [Mary Matalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-matalin/) > [I just like the United States, and I like being an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-knight/i-just-like-the-united-states-and-i-like-being-an-american/) [Bobby Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-knight/) > [A lot of the world looks to the United States, whether we like it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/a-lot-of-the-world-looks-to-the-united-states-whether-we-like-it-or/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [Meanwhile, there are some traditional battleground states - like Ohio and Iowa - that are becoming older, whiter and less educated. That's turning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/meanwhile-there-are-some-traditional-battleground-states-like-ohio/) [Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/) > [The Union government can do a lot more for poor states like Orissa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-patnaik/the-union-government-can-do-a-lot-more-for-poor-states-like-orissa/) [Naveen Patnaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-patnaik/) > [States, like individuals, who observe their engagements, are respected and trusted: while the reverse is the fate of those who pursue an opposite conduct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/states-like-individuals-who-observe-their-engagements-are-respected/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Had I stayed longer in some primaries, I would have probably done better in states like Nevada, California, and New Mexico - but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-richardson/had-i-stayed-longer-in-some-primaries-i-would-have-probably-done/) [Bill Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-richardson/) > [“Is this what school was like in the United States? It was like theater.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-henriquez/is-this-what-school-was-like-in-the-united-states-it-was-like-theater/) [Cristina Henriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-henriquez/) > [It's so different in the different states, it is sometimes like being in a different country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-chatto/it-s-so-different-in-the-different-states-it-is-sometimes-like-being/) [Grace Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-chatto/) ## More by Victor Davis Hanson > [I wish I could attribute the absence of any conventional Arab offensive in the last 20 years to a change of political climate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-wish-i-could-attribute-the-absence-of-any-conventional-arab/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Offering 'comprehensive' reform usually means years of arguing and horse-trading among pressure groups to get anything done. By the time all the special interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/offering-comprehensive-reform-usually-means-years-of-arguing-and/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Often, the pretexts for starting a war are not real shortages of land, food or fuel, but rather perceptions - like fear, honor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/often-the-pretexts-for-starting-a-war-are-not-real-shortages-of-land/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [I see a continuation of the populist outrage that prompted the Brexit and sparked the Bernie Sanders campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-see-a-continuation-of-the-populist-outrage-that-prompted-the-brexit/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [“Nicholas Monsarrat’s epic postwar novel of the Battle of the Atlantic, The Cruel Sea, is a quite different, nightmarish elemental story of men at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/nicholas-monsarrat-s-epic-postwar-novel-of-the-battle-of-the-atlantic/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [The wisdom and spirit of Churchill not only saved Britain from the Third Reich but saved Western civilization from a Nazi Dark Ages when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/the-wisdom-and-spirit-of-churchill-not-only-saved-britain-from-the/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [For all the criticism about warlords, it is now likely that Afghanistan will never again be turned over to al Qaeda to train thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/for-all-the-criticism-about-warlords-it-is-now-likely-that/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [The columnist like myself or people at Stanford University don't wake up in the morning and see their job outsourced. Yet we promote free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/the-columnist-like-myself-or-people-at-stanford-university-don-t-wake/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [A country that cannot count its own illegal aliens - estimates range from 8-12 million - with a porous 2,000 mile border is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/a-country-that-cannot-count-its-own-illegal-aliens-estimates-range/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [“Japan would live and die by the race card—defining (and demonizing) America as “white” and thus Japan as a kindred but clearly superior “yellow”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/japan-would-live-and-die-by-the-race-card-defining-and-demonizing/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [The gradual decline of a society is often a self-induced process of trying to meet ever-expanding appetites, rather than a physical inability to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/the-gradual-decline-of-a-society-is-often-a-self-induced-process-of/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Western elites - the beneficiaries of 60 years of peace and prosperity achieved by the sacrifices to defeat fascism and Communism - are unhappy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/western-elites-the-beneficiaries-of-60-years-of-peace-and-prosperity/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Can-do Americans courageously go about their duty in Iraq - mostly unafraid that a culture of 2,000 years, the reality of geography, the sheer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/can-do-americans-courageously-go-about-their-duty-in-iraq-mostly/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [I think there's a group of students - whether it's the micro-aggression or the safe space or the trigger warning that garner a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/i-think-there-s-a-group-of-students-whether-it-s-the-micro-aggression/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) > [Even Hollywood millionaires are now clamoring for legal protections for their illegal-alien nannies and gardeners, though such elites would hardly countenance a similar legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-davis-hanson/even-hollywood-millionaires-are-now-clamoring-for-legal-protections/) [Victor Davis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) [Explore all 104 Victor Davis Hanson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-davis-hanson/) ## More Awful quotes > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. 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