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On occasion, terrorists will succeed despite our best efforts. That is part of the legacy of 9/11. But 9/11 also shows us that while terrorists can destroy, they are unable to create.
Richard N. Haass
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote illustrates the destructive power of terrorism contrasted with humanity's ability to build and create.

Richard N. Haass reflects on the enduring impact of 9/11, acknowledging that despite the efforts to prevent terrorism, there will be instances of success by these malicious actors. However, he emphasizes that while terrorists can inflict destruction, they cannot create lasting value or contribute positively to society, highlighting a fundamental strength of humanity in the face of such challenges.

Themes

TerrorismCreationDestruction9/11LegacyResilience

In practice

Example use cases

In an interview discussing national security strategies post-9/11.

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Quote by Richard N. Haass | QuoteProject