"Who Has the Spiritual Atom Bomb?" in Liberation (November 1965).
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It is said that if the United States were to stop shooting and withdraw its troops from Vietnam, the Viet Cong would then stage a great purge of the people who we have been seeking to protect — have pledged to protect. First of all, so far they have been getting precious little protection from us. The Vietnamese people as human individuals have been shot at by the French, by us, by Communists, by guerrillas for years. Maybe, if only somebody would stop shooting at them that would be something to the good.

— A. J. Muste

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It is said that if the United States were to stop shooting and withdraw its troops from Vietnam, the Viet Cong would then stage a great purge of the people who we have been seeking to protect — have pledged to protect. First of all, so far they have been getting precious little protection from us. The Vietnamese people as human individuals have been shot at by the French, by us, by Communists, by guerrillas for years. Maybe, if only somebody would stop shooting at them that would be something to the good." in the context of ""Who Has the Spiritual Atom Bomb?" in Liberation (November 1965)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "A. J. Muste" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
A. J. Muste

About A. J. Muste

A. J. Muste (January 8, 1885 – February 11, 1967) was a Dutch-born American clergyman who eventually became a Quaker, Christian pacifist, socialist and social activist involved in the U.S. labor and civil rights movements.