QuoteProject
Ambition and hatred are enough to bring Iraq and al Qaeda together.
Colin Powell
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Ambition can unite disparate groups, even those with opposing values, through a common goal or hatred.

The quote by Colin Powell suggests that the driving forces of ambition and hatred can transcend ideological and cultural boundaries, bringing together unlikely allies like Iraq and al Qaeda. It highlights how powerful motivations can lead to collaborations that might seem contradictory at first glance, reflecting on the complexities of global politics and human relationships.

Themes

AmbitionHatredPoliticsUnityConflict

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about international relations, one could use this quote to illustrate how common goals can unite even the most unlikely of partners.

More from Colin Powell

Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says 'we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best. 'Spare me the grim litany of the 'realist;' give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.
Colin PowellRead
One of the fondest expressions around is that we can't be the world's policeman. But guess who gets called when suddenly someone needs a cop.
Colin PowellRead
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.
Colin PowellRead
If you get the dirty end of the stick, sharpen it and turn it into a useful tool.
Colin PowellRead
High-quality early-childhood programs and health coverage have expanded, and the number of mentoring relationships for at-risk youth has risen dramatically. That progress is encouraging, but it's not evenly distributed.
Colin PowellRead
As I've thought about gay marriage, I don't see any reason not to say that [couples] should be able to get married.
Colin PowellRead

Similar quotes

God makes us as broken bread and poured-out wine to please Him. Beware of competing calls once the call of God grips you.
Oswald ChambersRead
My name is Stephen Leeds, and I am perfectly sane. My hallucinations, however, are all quite mad.
Brandon SandersonRead
Every good mathematician is at least half a philosopher, and every good philosopher is at least half a mathematician.
Gottlob FregeRead
Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you - even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition.
Neil GaimanRead
In the women's world, as well as in the men's world, there exists the class law and the class struggle, and it appears as fully established that sometimes between the socialist working women and those belonging to the middle class, there may be antagonisms.
Clara ZetkinRead
The natural cause of the human mind is certainly from credulity to skepticism.
Thomas JeffersonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.