--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it is not possible to reason with…" description: "\"When it is not possible to reason with holy warriors, it is necessary to immobilize them or crush them.\" — William F. Buckley, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_crush_when-it-is-not-possible-to-reason-with-h_2221516.png" --- # When it is not possible to reason with holy warriors, it… ![“When it is not possible to reason with holy warriors, it is necessary to immobilize them or crush them.” quote by William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_crush_when-it-is-not-possible-to-reason-with-h_2221516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_crush_when-it-is-not-possible-to-reason-with-h_2221516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_crush_when-it-is-not-possible-to-reason-with-h_2221516.png) > “When it is not possible to reason with holy warriors, it is necessary to immobilize them or crush them.” [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When dialogue fails with extreme opponents, force may be seen as necessary, highlighting moral dilemmas of violence. **In simple terms:** Force may be used when reasoning fails. Key Takeaway Consider ethical limits of force. Themes politics ethics conflict Mood critical serious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political negotiations - law enforcement - military interventions Key Concepts realpolitik moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - Is force ever justified against ideological foes? - What alternatives exist to violent suppression? A Different Perspective Violence can undermine legitimacy and cause backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warrior/) ## Related quotes > [Having lost faith in all else, zealots have nothing left but a holy cause to please a warrior God. They win if we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/having-lost-faith-in-all-else-zealots-have-nothing-left-but-a-holy/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [“Doubts immobilize. Believing that we are independent and competent enough to master the external tasks constantly fortifies us in our attempts to become so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/doubts-immobilize-believing-that-we-are-independent-and-competent/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [To perceive means to immobilize. To say this is to say that we seize, in the act of perception, something which outruns perception itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/to-perceive-means-to-immobilize-to-say-this-is-to-say-that-we-seize/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Needing to have things perfect is the surest way to immobilize yourself with frustration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/needing-to-have-things-perfect-is-the-surest-way-to-immobilize/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [A warrior does not beg for his life. ~Izuru Kira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/a-warrior-does-not-beg-for-his-life-izuru-kira/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [The most important thing in all human relationships is conversation, but people don’t talk anymore, they don’t sit down to talk and listen. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-most-important-thing-in-all-human-relationships-is-conversation/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Don’t be afraid of your struggles, they are making you dangerously strong and wise. They are preparing you for your superpowers. Let them happen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-struggles-they-are-making-you-dangerously/) [Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-b/the-warriors-are-a-lifestyle-i-love-every-warrior-that-stayed-they/) [Lil B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-b/) > [“1. Who is a Death Warrior? Anyone can be a Death Warrior, not just someone who is terminally ill. We are all terminally ill.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco-x-stork/1-who-is-a-death-warrior-anyone-can-be-a-death-warrior-not-just/) [Francisco X. Stork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco-x-stork/) > [A warrior, or any man for that matter, cannot possibly wish he were somewhere else; a warrior because he lives by challenge, an ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/a-warrior-or-any-man-for-that-matter-cannot-possibly-wish-he-were/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“It is one thing to study war and another to live the warriors life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/telamon-of-arcadia/it-is-one-thing-to-study-war-and-another-to-live-the-warriors-life/) Telamon of Arcadia > [“A “Kemp” was a wrestler—from cempa, the old English word for “champion” or “warrior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-kemp-was-a-wrestler-from-cempa-the-old-english-word-for-champion-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by William F. Buckley, Jr > [Louis Kelso of San Francisco, a lawyer-economist, has for years felt that he has a radical answer to the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/louis-kelso-of-san-francisco-a-lawyer-economist-has-for-years-felt/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [As a businessman, Frank Lorenzo gives capitalism a bad name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/as-a-businessman-frank-lorenzo-gives-capitalism-a-bad-name/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The Beatles are not merely awful. I would consider it sacrilegious to say anything less than that they are godawful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-beatles-are-not-merely-awful-i-would-consider-it-sacrilegious-to/) [William F. 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Buckley, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) ## More Crush quotes > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [Each child’s story is worthy of telling. There shouldn’t be a sliding scale of death. The weight of it is crushing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/each-child-s-story-is-worthy-of-telling-there-shouldn-t-be-a-sliding/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) > [I wish that I coul be her. but in the mean time dont forget about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzie-ann/i-wish-that-i-coul-be-her-but-in-the-mean-time-dont-forget-about-me/) [Kenzie-ann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzie-ann/) > [I had to smile when stories emerged questioning whether I was gay. Obviously I knew I wasn't but people were curiously desperate to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-had-to-smile-when-stories-emerged-questioning-whether-i-was-gay/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I already know that u know that I like u, the question is Wat r u going to do with that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-already-know-that-u-know-that-i-like-u-the-question-is-wat-r-u/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“My mom believed that you make your own luck. Over the stove she had hung these old, maroon painted letters that spell out, “MANIFEST.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-laybourne/my-mom-believed-that-you-make-your-own-luck-over-the-stove-she-had/) [Emmy Laybourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-laybourne/) > [I'm very disturbed to find out that the leader of the Townies has a soul and I'm beginning to develop a bit of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-m-very-disturbed-to-find-out-that-the-leader-of-the-townies-has-a/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“Connor Crane was currently the secret crush of half the female HHH population. And a couple of the males, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-halliday/connor-crane-was-currently-the-secret-crush-of-half-the-female-hhh/) [Gemma Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-halliday/) > [My dream would be to hear rocks at my window n to look out and see u just standing there, in the pouring rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blondie/my-dream-would-be-to-hear-rocks-at-my-window-n-to-look-out-and-see-u/) [Blondie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blondie/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. 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Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/) Bob Alberti > [In love, making your crush jealous is not going to help it would just make it more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-valdez/in-love-making-your-crush-jealous-is-not-going-to-help-it-would-just/) [Sarah Valdez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-valdez/) [Browse all 2,147 Crush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When it is not possible to reason with holy warriors, it is necessary to immobilize them or crush them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William F. 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