"Pacifists are like sheep who believe that wolves are vegetarians"
About this Quote
Montand’s line is a cold splash of realism dressed up as barnyard comedy: if you insist the world is gentle, you’re not morally elevated, you’re just easier to eat. The sheep-and-wolves metaphor works because it’s not really about animals; it’s about the asymmetry between those who swear off violence and those who see violence as a tool, a language, even a pastime. By choosing “vegetarians,” he’s mocking not only naivete but the comforting fantasy that predators can be persuaded into harmlessness by the prey’s good intentions.
The intent isn’t subtle: it’s a warning against pacifism as posture. Montand isn’t arguing against peace as a goal; he’s ridiculing pacifism as a strategy when facing actors who don’t share your rules. The subtext is darker: moral purity can become a luxury belief, a way to feel clean while outsourcing the dirty work of protection to someone else. In that frame, pacifism can look less like courage and more like denial with a halo.
Context matters. Montand, a major French star shaped by the political aftershocks of fascism, World War II, and the Cold War, lived in a Europe where “never again” competed with the reality of tanks, occupations, and ideological crackdowns. The line channels a postwar cynicism: history doesn’t reward the innocent; it rewards the prepared. It also flatters the listener into toughness, which is part of its power and its risk. When you reduce opponents to “wolves,” you make vigilance feel necessary - and escalation feel justified.
The intent isn’t subtle: it’s a warning against pacifism as posture. Montand isn’t arguing against peace as a goal; he’s ridiculing pacifism as a strategy when facing actors who don’t share your rules. The subtext is darker: moral purity can become a luxury belief, a way to feel clean while outsourcing the dirty work of protection to someone else. In that frame, pacifism can look less like courage and more like denial with a halo.
Context matters. Montand, a major French star shaped by the political aftershocks of fascism, World War II, and the Cold War, lived in a Europe where “never again” competed with the reality of tanks, occupations, and ideological crackdowns. The line channels a postwar cynicism: history doesn’t reward the innocent; it rewards the prepared. It also flatters the listener into toughness, which is part of its power and its risk. When you reduce opponents to “wolves,” you make vigilance feel necessary - and escalation feel justified.
Quote Details
| Topic | Peace |
|---|
More Quotes by Yves
Add to List
