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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the role of luck in avoiding nuclear war during a tense historical moment, highlighting the rationality of the leaders involved.
In this quote, Robert McNamara reflects on the near-miss of nuclear war during the Cold War, attributing the avoidance of catastrophe to luck rather than solely to the rational decision-making of the leaders involved. He urges recognition of the precariousness of such situations, drawing attention to the persistent dangers that exist in today's world, indicating that rational decisions do not always guarantee safety from catastrophic outcomes.
Themes
NuclearWarLuckRationalityDangerSociety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of diplomacy in preventing conflict.
More from Robert Mcnamara
All quotes →At 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.
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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.
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Poor planning or poor execution of plans is simply to let some force other than reason shape reality.
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Coercion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
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The indefinite combination of human fallibility and nuclear weapons will lead to the destruction of nations.
Robert McnamaraRead
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