---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A similar situation exists today,” said…"
description: "\"“A similar situation exists today,” said Stephenson. “The easy way out is to pretend there are no crises.”\" — William Stevenson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg"
---

#  A similar situation exists today,” said Stephenson. “The…

![“A similar situation exists today,” said Stephenson. “The easy way out is to pretend there are no crises.” quote by William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg)

> ““A similar situation exists today,” said Stephenson. “The easy way out is to pretend there are no crises.””

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Avoiding crises by denial only worsens problems and delays solutions.

**In simple terms:** Pretending crises don’t exist makes them worse.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge issues early.

Themes

responsibility truth crisis management

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- workplace
- public policy
- healthcare

Key Concepts

cognitive dissonance denial risk assessment

Questions to Reflect On

- What crisis are you ignoring?
- How does denial affect your decisions?

A Different Perspective

Denial can be a short‑term coping mechanism, but it erodes trust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Easy way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-way/)

## Related quotes

> [“Resolving the issues of one passage does not insulate us forever. There will be other tricky channels ahead, and we learn by moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/resolving-the-issues-of-one-passage-does-not-insulate-us-forever/)

[Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/)

> [“But life does not exist within a vacuum of bad circumstances or good ones; for each favorable situation, there exists a painfully troublesome one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-depaoli/but-life-does-not-exist-within-a-vacuum-of-bad-circumstances-or-good/)

Justin DePaoli

> [Painting is situational. And my particular situation exists within gender, race, class, sexuality, nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/painting-is-situational-and-my-particular-situation-exists-within/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [“Stephenson had large wrought-iron boiler plates available and he also had the courage of his calculations... The idea found its best-known expression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stephenson-had-large-wrought-iron-boiler-plates-available-and-he-also/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Stephenson sees two mutually exclusive options: He can write good novels at a regular rate, or he can answer a lot of individual e-mails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/stephenson-sees-two-mutually-exclusive-options-he-can-write-good/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [“Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking and thrilling.”—Time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/stephenson-has-a-once-in-a-generation-gift-he-makes-complex-ideas/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [There is no easy way to greatness in any venue. But if you work hard, good things will inevitably happen to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-long/there-is-no-easy-way-to-greatness-in-any-venue-but-if-you-work-hard/)

[Howie Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-long/)

> [The first information I consume in the morning is probably 'The New York Times' and then my Twitter feed. I think Twitter is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/the-first-information-i-consume-in-the-morning-is-probably-the-new/)

[Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/)

> [“He always found a simple, easy way to reach the correct answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/he-always-found-a-simple-easy-way-to-reach-the-correct-answer/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [The more you push yourself, the harder you go, the further you excel, the closer you are to your own success. There's no easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-you-push-yourself-the-harder-you-go-the-further-you-excel/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To mess around with Ebola is an easy way to die. Better to work with something safer, such as anthrax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-preston/to-mess-around-with-ebola-is-an-easy-way-to-die-better-to-work-with/)

[Richard Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-preston/)

> [There's no easy way to the top of anything, but it's a lot of hard work and I feel maybe I have the confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/there-s-no-easy-way-to-the-top-of-anything-but-it-s-a-lot-of-hard/)

[Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/)

> [Seasons just don't go easy all the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-spoelstra/seasons-just-don-t-go-easy-all-the-way-through/)

[Erik Spoelstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-spoelstra/)

> [“Just as Jesus called out Peter as being of the devil for tempting him to take an easy way out, I believe such thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-houston/just-as-jesus-called-out-peter-as-being-of-the-devil-for-tempting-him/)

[Brian Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-houston/)

> [“History reveals that times of suffering for the church have also been times of looking upward. Tribulation has always sobered God’s people and encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/history-reveals-that-times-of-suffering-for-the-church-have-also-been/)

[A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/)

## More by William Stevenson

> [“The greater danger to individual freedom comes from totalitarian regimes that regard any dissenting view as a threat to be destroyed—no matter if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/the-greater-danger-to-individual-freedom-comes-from-totalitarian/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/give-me-a-light-that-i-may-tread-safely-into-the-unknown-and-he/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“They cannot know What makes you as you are Nor can they hear Those voices from afar Which whisper to you You are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/they-cannot-know-what-makes-you-as-you-are-nor-can-they-hear-those/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“In the November 1940 week of nightmares, when mighty German planes bombed London, British bombers retaliated by attacking Berlin, where the Soviet foreign minister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/in-the-november-1940-week-of-nightmares-when-mighty-german-planes/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“This country is like a family,” he muttered, quoting George Orwell, “with the wrong members in control.” Even”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/this-country-is-like-a-family-he-muttered-quoting-george-orwell-with/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/but-what-were-these-hopes-in-which-he-was-disappointed-what-were/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“France was eclipsed by the solid German block, producing far more than twice her number of military males each year, towering up grim and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/france-was-eclipsed-by-the-solid-german-block-producing-far-more-than/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“There’s a considerable difference between being high-minded and soft-headed.” There”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/there-s-a-considerable-difference-between-being-high-minded-and-soft/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“IG Farben's dividends double in the first year that its subsidiary sent Zyklon-B to gas death-camp”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/ig-farben-s-dividends-double-in-the-first-year-that-its-subsidiary/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“The President would lead U.S. public opinion by defining the economic price Americans would have to pay if Hitler conquered Europe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/the-president-would-lead-u-s-public-opinion-by-defining-the-economic/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“On December 2, 1939, Vera learned that mobile gas chambers were used to murder patients in Poland's mental hospitals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/on-december-2-1939-vera-learned-that-mobile-gas-chambers-were-used-to/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“But of course Hitler had long before declared war unofficially and secretly against America, his ultimate target. He had written: ‘Our strategy is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/but-of-course-hitler-had-long-before-declared-war-unofficially-and/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“Gubby had proved primitive methods could undermine the most advanced technology,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/gubby-had-proved-primitive-methods-could-undermine-the-most-advanced/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“I had to dress up in ghastly gold braid and tassles. The result was, I became rather outspoken and brash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/i-had-to-dress-up-in-ghastly-gold-braid-and-tassles-the-result-was-i/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

> [“To him, Britain had an obligation to keep her word, to make sacrifices, to suffer pain, or to die to save the less fortunate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/to-him-britain-had-an-obligation-to-keep-her-word-to-make-sacrifices/)

[William Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

[Explore all 20 William Stevenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/)

## More Easy way quotes

> [“History reveals that times of suffering for the church have also been times of looking upward. Tribulation has always sobered God’s people and encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/history-reveals-that-times-of-suffering-for-the-church-have-also-been/)

[A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/)

> [“Just as Jesus called out Peter as being of the devil for tempting him to take an easy way out, I believe such thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-houston/just-as-jesus-called-out-peter-as-being-of-the-devil-for-tempting-him/)

[Brian Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-houston/)

> [Seasons just don't go easy all the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-spoelstra/seasons-just-don-t-go-easy-all-the-way-through/)

[Erik Spoelstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-spoelstra/)

> [There's no easy way to the top of anything, but it's a lot of hard work and I feel maybe I have the confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/there-s-no-easy-way-to-the-top-of-anything-but-it-s-a-lot-of-hard/)

[Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/)

> [To mess around with Ebola is an easy way to die. Better to work with something safer, such as anthrax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-preston/to-mess-around-with-ebola-is-an-easy-way-to-die-better-to-work-with/)

[Richard Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-preston/)

> [The more you push yourself, the harder you go, the further you excel, the closer you are to your own success. There's no easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-you-push-yourself-the-harder-you-go-the-further-you-excel/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“He always found a simple, easy way to reach the correct answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/he-always-found-a-simple-easy-way-to-reach-the-correct-answer/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [The first information I consume in the morning is probably 'The New York Times' and then my Twitter feed. I think Twitter is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/the-first-information-i-consume-in-the-morning-is-probably-the-new/)

[Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/)

> [There is no easy way to greatness in any venue. But if you work hard, good things will inevitably happen to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-long/there-is-no-easy-way-to-greatness-in-any-venue-but-if-you-work-hard/)

[Howie Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-long/)

> [You don't get there the easy way. If you feel sorry for yourself, and you let yourself go down, you will drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/you-don-t-get-there-the-easy-way-if-you-feel-sorry-for-yourself-and/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [“We can do this the easy way or the hard way… but have no doubt it will be my way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/we-can-do-this-the-easy-way-or-the-hard-way-but-have-no-doubt-it-will/)

[K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/)

> [“suffering is truly the easy way”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/suffering-is-truly-the-easy-way/)

[Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/)

> [So stand up tall and bash them back And become full of what they lack and little did you know you can beat them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theshadowofhell/so-stand-up-tall-and-bash-them-back-and-become-full-of-what-they-lack/)

TheShadowOfhell

> [“Committing suicide essentially said to friends and loved ones and the world at large that you were the only thing that mattered, that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-warren/committing-suicide-essentially-said-to-friends-and-loved-ones-and-the/)

[Christine Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-warren/)

> [Fiction is an easy way to talk about issues: I think it feels less preachy. You can have the students discuss characters in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/fiction-is-an-easy-way-to-talk-about-issues-i-think-it-feels-less/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

[Browse all 490 Easy way quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-way/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“A similar situation exists today,” said Stephenson. “The easy way out is to pretend there are no crises.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Stevenson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-stephenson-the-easy-way-out-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Easy way"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-stephenson-the-easy-way-out-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83a/william-stevenson-27780_easy-way_a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-st_2208415.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A similar situation exists today,” said Stephenson. “The easy way out is to pretend there are no crises.” — William Stevenson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "William Stevenson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stevenson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“A similar situation exists today,” said...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-stephenson-the-easy-way-out-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stevenson/a-similar-situation-exists-today-said-stephenson-the-easy-way-out-is/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
