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I would not hesitate to say that nine out of ten of the critics of the peace movement get the argument turned upside down. 'You cannot change human nature' has become a sort of incantation with those critics. Perhaps you cannot 'change human nature' - I don't indeed know what the phrase means. But you can certainly change human behavior, which is what matters, as the whole panorama of history shows.

Norman Angell#37

PeaceHistoryHuman natureChangeBehaviorCriticism

About this quote

What does it mean?
Critics claim human nature is unchangeable, but history proves human behavior can change.
In plain terms
People say we cannot change who we are, but we can change how we act.
What can you take from it?
Focus on changing behavior, not nature.

Where it applies

  • social reform
  • peace activism
  • education

Putting it to work

  • promote behavioral change
  • cite historical precedents
  • challenge fatalism

Questions to consider

  • What defines human nature versus behavior?
  • Has history shown behavioral change?

Another view

Changing deep-seated behaviors requires sustained effort over time.

More from Norman Angell

  1. The fact that men are naturally quarrelsome is presumed to be an argument against such institutions as the League. But it is precisely the fact of the natural …

    Permalink to quote #36
  2. Not more knowledge but better use of the knowledge which we now have, is perhaps the main educational need and the main educational problem which confronts us.

    Permalink to quote #38
  3. In the modern world, material is only wealth if you can get rid of it. The British miner cannot eat his coal, nor clothe his children with it, nor build his ho…

    Permalink to quote #35

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