inertia

Noun

Meaning

That property of matter by which it tends when at rest to remain so, and when in motion to continue in motion, and in the same straight line or direction, unless acted on by some external force; -- sometimes called vis inertiae.

Inertness; indisposition to motion, exertion, or action; want of energy; sluggishness.

Want of activity; sluggishness; -- said especially of the uterus, when, in labor, its contractions have nearly or wholly ceased.

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Ideals survive through change. They die through inertia in the face of challenge. Tony Blair

I've encountered a lot of people who sound like critics but very few who have substantive criticisms. There is a lot of skepticism, but it seems to be more a matter of inertia than it is of people having some real reason for thinking something else. K. Eric Drexler

I don't think we're yet evolved to the point where we're clever enough to handle a complex a situation as climate change...The inertia of humans is so huge that you can't really do anything meaningful. James Lovelock

We need what I have often called an ecological approach to the management of these resources and we do not have that now. We have the inertia of past habits, unsustainable habits. Maurice Strong

The most dangerous enemy to Israel's security is the intellectual inertia of those who are responsible for security. David Ben-Gurion

Sometimes you make up your mind about something without knowing why, and your decision persists by the power of inertia. Every year it gets harder to change. Milan Kundera

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