--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we have to do now, then, Sir, is to…" description: "\"“What we have to do now, then, Sir, is to lay your request before the daughters of educated men and to ask them to help you to prevent war, not by advi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/virginia-woolf-49_children_what-we-have-to-do-now-then-sir-is-to-la_1467878.jpg" --- # What we have to do now, then, Sir, is to lay your request… ![“What we have to do now, then, Sir, is to lay your request before the daughters of educated men and to ask them to help you to prevent war, not by advising their brothers how they shall protect culture and intellectual liberty, but simply by reading and writing their own tongue in such a way as to…” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/virginia-woolf-49_children_what-we-have-to-do-now-then-sir-is-to-la_1467878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/virginia-woolf-49_children_what-we-have-to-do-now-then-sir-is-to-la_1467878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e87/virginia-woolf-49_children_what-we-have-to-do-now-then-sir-is-to-la_1467878.jpg) > ““What we have to do now, then, Sir, is to lay your request before the daughters of educated men and to ask them to help you to prevent war, not by advising their brothers how they shall protect culture and intellectual liberty, but simply by reading and writing their own tongue in such a way as to protect those rather abstract goddesses themselves.”” [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preserving language through education empowers cultural and intellectual freedom, preventing war. **In simple terms:** Language preservation protects culture. Key Takeaway Support education in native languages. Themes culture education peace language preservation Mood thoughtful inspirational Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - schools - publishing - policy making Key Concepts linguistics social theory Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape identity? - What role does education play in peace? A Different Perspective Political forces may suppress minority languages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Reading and writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-and-writing/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [We can best help you to prevent war not by repeating your words and following your methods but by finding new words and creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/we-can-best-help-you-to-prevent-war-not-by-repeating-your-words-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [We stand for the maintenance of private property... We shall protect free enterprise as the most expedient, or rather the sole possible economic order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/we-stand-for-the-maintenance-of-private-property-we-shall-protect/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The coffin, it shall protect me, though Death himself lies in it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/the-coffin-it-shall-protect-me-though-death-himself-lies-in-it/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [When God is with you, like his word says no weapon formed against you shall prosper. 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If you want to help, prevent the war. Don't save the remnants. Save them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-wait-for-the-war-to-happen-like-vultures-if-you-want-to-help/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Just your laughter will be enough to prevent the war. Your celebration, your dance, will be enough to prevent the war. Your ecstasy, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/just-your-laughter-will-be-enough-to-prevent-the-war-your-celebration/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [War is not the only means to stop war. Men of goodwill, who fully recognize their duties, should be able, with the assistance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-is-not-the-only-means-to-stop-war-men-of-goodwill-who-fully/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What, exactly, are you doing here?" "We're trying to prevent a war. 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Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The most fundamental paradox is that, if we're never to use force, we must be prepared to use it and to use it successfully.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-most-fundamental-paradox-is-that-if-we-re-never-to-use-force-we/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph/the-surest-way-to-prevent-war-is-not-to-fear-it/) [John Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph/) > [I experienced Nazism as a child. Like many of my generation, I was motivated by the desire to prevent another war at any price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-kohl/i-experienced-nazism-as-a-child-like-many-of-my-generation-i-was/) [Helmut Kohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-kohl/) ## More by Virginia Woolf > [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. 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Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? 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I think I could happily live here & read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) [Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. 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