Quotes About Conflict

The distinction between war and nonwar may be arbitrary, but we want it to be sharp and clear, because many actions that are considered both immoral and illegal in peacetime are permissible—even praiseworthy—in wartime. Recall

Why wait passively for the next terrorist attack--or a nuclear missile launched by a rogue state, or a cyberattack emanating from China or from a group of disaffected Estonian teens-- when we could be eliminating the root causes of conflict by fostering economic development and good governance, building relationships, creating networks of agents and allies, collecting data, promoting "new narratives," or striking potential future enemies before they can develop the ability to harm us?

We tell ourselves that a central project of law and political institutions is the reduction of violence, but this is mostly a fairly tale. Law and politics play a role in structuring violence, but rarely "reduce" it.

the first law enforcement death in the United States—like so many that came later—involved complex elements of race and arose out of conflict between the haves and the have-nots.

Violence is a puzzle. We all say we oppose violence and want to reduce it, but no human society gets by without it.

Victory or defeat? It is the slogan of all-powerful militarism in every belligerent nation. And yet, what can victory bring to the proletariat?

As a teacher myself I've been in situations where parents come at you, and sometimes parents come across like the teacher doesn't want the best for their kid and it can be really, really hurtful.

It isn't enough to say "Be honest" or "Do the right thing," because in moments of conflict many of us lack the skills to move through the fear and put our values into action. The context of the situation really matters more than a catchphrase. What's way more useful for boys is to talk to them about what integrity looks like to you under duress.

Popularity doesn't mean people like you. It means people know you have power and it's not worth confronting you in a conflict. It's like having shiny armor that gives you protection to do what you want—plus some girls (especially the ones who like shiny things) think you're hot. Of course, what armor also does is hide your weaknesses. Before you realize it, you're so dependent on it that you feel like you always have to wear it.

People fight over technology in ways they never would face-to-face because they can say their version of events without getting immediate feedback that might challenge it. It allows people to throw more intense self-righteous temper tantrums.

What I'm talking about is how we maintain our ethics and moral compass when we're in a group. Why? Because conflict is inevitable, and at some point one person will abuse his or her power over another person.

I made a big mistake, which I'm really trying to deal with. You bringing it up makes me feel worse. I'm not sure if that's your point, but I promise you that I would never make you feel bad if you were in my situation, so I'm done talking about this." GIRLS

So she'd "teased" Lily as their mother called it, unwilling to concede that one of her girls was tormenting the other with the relentlessness of a pilgrim.

Humor can bring us together around our inescapable foibles, confusions, and miscommunications, and especially over the ways in which we find ourselves acting entitled and demanding, or putting other people down, or flying at each other's throats.

And the wicked thing is, that when we're really upset, we always take it out on the people who are closest and whom we love the most.

They drew their water from sloughs or tiny springs, lighted their homes with kerosene. Yet here they were, each person, presenting themselves in worn immaculate clothing. As Indians had for generation after generation, they were attempting to understand a white man reading endlessly from a sheaf of papers.

Joseph Smith and the early Mormons had tried their best to murder all Indians in their path across the country, but in the end did not quite succeed. Arthur V. Watkins decided to use the power of his office to finish what the prophet had started. He didn't even have to get his hands bloody.

if the northern lights had anything to do with it they would have chosen an electrostatic copier, as the lights were themselves electrical impulses born of powerful conflicting charges between the sun and the magnetic poles of the earth.

We're from here," said Thomas. He thought awhile, drank some tea. "Think about this. If we Indians had picked up and gone over there and killed most of you and took over your land, what about that? Say you had a big farm in England. We camp there and kick you off. What do you say?

How could Indians hold themselves apart, when the vanquishers sometimes held their arms out, to crush them to their hearts, with something like love?

I spend my time dwelling on revenge and try to deal with the monsters crawling out of the ashes.

Tree of Smoke and excoriated Johnson

He led and directed conversations. He did not resort to subterfuge, certainly of this nature. And yet, even if he had, not one of the Catholic Daughters, nuns, or Theresians, would have challenged him. This elderly Ojibwe woman did so with a perfect ease.

Many books and movies had in their plots some echoes of my secret experiences with Flora. Places haunted by unquiet Indians were standard. Hotels were disturbed by Indians whose bones lay underneath the basements and floors -- a neat psychic excavation of American unease with its brutal history.