War

"J'y suis, et j'y reste."

"War contains so much folly, as well as wickedness, that much is to be hoped from the progress of reason; and if any thing is to be hoped, every thing ought to be tried."

"Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force, of the people. The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war, and in the degeneracy of manners and of morals engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

"No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."

"I am very much against war, because war is uncivilized. People should not solve problems through killing people. That's not the way to do things. We are people who have the capacity to negotiate. We should negotiate around the table. We should arbitrate, or we should go through a court of law. Malaysia had a problem with Indonesia. It had a problem with the Philippines. It had a problem with Singapore. We went to the World Court and we accepted the findings of the whole court. We lost one, we win one. But if you go to war, even if you achieve victory, many, many people would suffer. People would kill, and money will be lost. Wars bankrupt nations."

"Unhappily, history proves that war is, in a certain sense, the habitual state of mankind, which is to say that human blood must flow without interruption somewhere or other on the globe, and that for every nation, peace is only a respite."

"Now the real fruits of human nature – the arts, sciences, great enterprises, lofty conceptions, manly virtues – are due especially to the state of war. […] In a word, we can say that blood is the manure of the plant we call genius."

"War is divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature which are as much general as particular, consequences little known because little studied, but which are nevertheless incontestable. War is divine in the mysterious glory that surrounds it and in the no less inexplicable attraction that draws us to it. War is divine by the manner in which it breaks out."

"Opinion is so powerful in war that it can alter the nature of the same event and give it two different names, for no reason other than its own whim. A general throws his men between two enemy armies and he writes to his king, I have split him, he has lost. His opponent writes to his king, He has put himself between two fires, he is lost. Which of the two is mistaken? Whoever is seized by the cold goddess. Assuming that all things, especially size, are at least approximately equal, the only difference between the two positions is a purely moral one. It is imagination that loses battles."

"He says, “No ruler in the history of the world has ever been able to afford a war. They’re not affordable things. No prince ever says, ‘This is my budget, so this is the kind of war I can have.’ You enter into one and it uses up all the money you’ve got, and then it breaks you and bankrupts you.”"

"The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue."

"Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre, Mironton, mironton, mirontaine, Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre, Ne sait quand reviendra."

"The only hope for peace is to teach people who are full of pep and unbound force to enjoy being bound--enjoy submission to kind authority, wise authority, not merely tolerate such submission. Wars will only cease when humans enjoy being bound."

"Cineri gloria sera venit. (Also given as Cineri gloria sera sunt and Cineri gloria sera est.)"

"Step by step. Heart to heart. Left, right, left. We all fall down, like toy soldiers. Bit by bit torn apart, we never win, but the battle wages on for toy soldiers."

"War is not the greatest evil, though it is an evil. The open struggle of the battlefield is not the greatest evil; worse is that chronic condition of society which makes possible the violence of the stronger to the weaker; worse than war are insincerity and falsehood; worse is that egotism hidden under the mask of humanity and nobility in mind; worse is cowardice passing itself off as fortitude; worse is sophistry deceiving the sensible and wise. Death is not worse than a dishonourable life which destroys its own soul as well as that of its neighbour."

"And silence broods like spirit on the brae, A glimmering moon begins, the moonlight runs Over the grasses of the ancient way Rutted this morning by the passing guns."

"For a flying foe Discreet and provident conquerors build up A bridge of gold."

"Some undone widow sits upon mine arm, And takes away the use of it; and my sword, Glued to my scabbard with wronged orphan's tears, Will not be drawn."

"Wars and rumours of wars."

"Only a fool or a fraud talks tough or romantically about war."

"All quiet along the Potomac."

"How do wars begin? Through affront, through bravado, through stupidity or overconfidence, through sacred purpose or greed."

"There's some say that we wan, some say that they wan, Some say that nane wan at a', man, But one thing I'm sure that at Sheriff-Muir, A battle there was which I saw, man. And we ran and they ran, and they ran and we ran, And we ran, and they ran awa', man."

"[W]ar is so complex, it’s beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend allthe variables. Our judgement, our understanding, are not adequate."

"There is war in the skies!"

"City fighting also places enormous challenges on ground forces. Fighting in urban terrain generally favors the defenders, who can place snipers in windows and hide down narrow alleys. Even with precision munitions, it is difficult to use air and artillery power in a dense urban battle. Much of the fighting falls on the shoulders of the individual soldiers, who have to clear the city block by block."

"War challenges virtually every other institution of society—the justice and equity of its economy, the adequacy of its political systems, the energy of its productive plant, the bases, wisdom and purposes of its foreign policy."

"What though the field be lost? All is not lost; the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate And courage never to submit or yield, And what is else not to be overcome."

"Heard so oft In worst extremes, and on the perilous edge Of battle."

"Th' imperial ensign, which, full high advanc'd, Shone like a meteor, streaming to the wind. With gems and golden lustre rich emblazed, Seraphic arms and trophies."

"My sentence is for open war."

"Others more mild, Retreated in a silent valley, sing With notes angelical to many a harp Their own heroic deeds and hapless fall By doom of battle."

"Black it stood as night, Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell, And shook a dreadful dart."

"So frown'd the mighty combatants, that hell Grew darker at their frown."

"Arms on armour clashing bray'd Horrible discord, and the madding wheels Of brazen chariots ray'd; dire was the noise Of conflict."

"To overcome in battle, and subdue Nations, and bring home spoils with infinite Man-slaughter, shall be held the highest pitch Of human glory."

"The brazen throat of war."

"No war or battle sound Was heard the world around."

"War prosperity is like the prosperity that an earthquake or a plague brings."

"In addition to economic and military , wartime measures typically encourage a high degree of political, social and intellectual conformity. The general idea is that, in the face of an existential challenge from a vicious enemy, ought to cease. The media tends to become more patriotic, as do former ."

"Partout, à l’origine des sociétés, on voit donc les races les plus fortes, les plus guerrières, s’attribuer le gouvernement exclusif des sociétés ; partout on voit ces races s’attribuer, dans certaines circonscriptions plus ou moins étendues, selon leur nombre et leur force, le monopole de la sécurité.Et, ce monopole étant excessivement profitable par sa nature même, partout on voit aussi les races investies du monopole de la sécurité se livrer à des luttes acharnées, afin d’augmenter l’étendue de leur marché, le nombre de leurs consommateurs forcés, partant la quotité de leurs bénéfices.La guerre était la conséquence nécessaire, inévitable de l’établissement du monopole de la sécurité.Comme une autre conséquence inévitable, ce monopole devait engendrer tous les autres monopoles."

"In the wars of the European powers in matters relating to themselves we have never taken any part, nor does it comport with our policy so to do. It is only when our rights are invaded or seriously menaced that we resent injuries or make preparation for our defence."

"War hath no fury like a non-combatant."

"Most of the people who get sent to die in wars are young men who've got a lot of energy and would probably rather, in a better world, be putting that energy into copulation rather than going over there and blowing some other young man's guts out."

"Thrilled ye ever with the story How on stricken fields of glory Men have stood beneath the murderous iron hail!"

"How stupid are all who deny hope! How blind are those who affirm the advantage of wars!"

"Cooperation must be accepted as the foundation of Existence. Only through the broadest cooperation is it possible to find the true relationship between the state and national labor. Otherwise the ruinous indebtedness of the state will increase. The solution of such a problem by means of war will be a sign of barbarism. One must think not about the destruction of nations, but about the improvement of the planet!"

"We had nae heed for the parish bell, But still—when the bugle cried, We went for you to Neuve Chapelle, We went for you to the yetts o' Hell, And there for you we died!"

"They hold it atrocious to kill a fellow creature; therefore war is in their eyes incomprehensible and repulsive, a thing for which their language has no word."