Short of nuclear war itself, population growth is the gravest issue the world faces. If we do not act, the problem will be solved by famine, riots, insurrection and war.
Robert McnamaraRead
All the evidence of history suggests that man is indeed a rational animal, but with a near infinite capacity for folly. . . . He draws blueprints for Utopia, but never quite gets it built. In the end he plugs away obstinately with the only building material really ever at hand--his own part comic, part tragic, part cussed, but part glorious nature.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Humans are rational yet prone to foolishness, striving for idealism but often falling short.
This quote reflects on the duality of human nature, acknowledging our capacity for rational thought alongside our tendency towards folly. It suggests that while humans aspire to create a perfect society or Utopia, they struggle with the imperfect realities of their own nature, which is both comic and tragic. Ultimately, it highlights the resilience of humanity as we continue to build and strive despite our shortcomings.
Themes
Human NatureFollyUtopiaRationalityStriving
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on human progress, one might use this quote to illustrate the complexities of human ambition.
More from Robert Mcnamara
All quotes βAt my age, 85, I'm at age where I can look back and derive some conclusions about my actions. My rule has been try to learn, try to understand what happened. Develop the lessons and pass them on.
Robert McnamaraRead
Poor planning or poor execution of plans is simply to let some force other than reason shape reality.
Robert McnamaraRead
Coercion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
Robert McnamaraRead
I want to say, and this is very important: at the end we lucked out. It was luck that prevented nuclear war. We came that close to nuclear war at the end. Rational individuals: Kennedy was rational; Khrushchev was rational; Castro was rational. Rational individuals came that close to total destruction of their societies. And that danger exists today.
Robert McnamaraRead
The indefinite combination of human fallibility and nuclear weapons will lead to the destruction of nations.
Robert McnamaraRead
Similar quotes
This was not an act of terrorism, but it was an act of war.
George W. BushRead
Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brain of the living.
Karl MarxRead
The truth is all around you, plain to behold. The night is dark and full of terrors, the day bright and beautiful and full of hope. One is black, the other white. There is ice and there is fire. Hate and love. Bitter and sweet. Male and female. Pain and pleasure. Winter and summer. Evil and good. Death and life. Everywhere, opposites.
George R. R. MartinRead
In an age of relativism, orthodoxy is the only possible rebellion left
Peter KreeftRead
I feel it now: there's a power in me to grasp and give shape to my world I know that nothing has ever been real without my beholding it. All becoming has need me.
Rainer Maria RilkeRead
In the game of thrones, even the humblest pieces can have wills of their own. Sometimes they refuse to make the moves you've planned for them.
George R. R. MartinRead