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War

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“I am not a hero; I am a soldier. When the battle is lost, I retreat and regroup; when the war is over, I lay down my sword. No last dashing charge; no futile last stand!”
David Gemmell (1948–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“War loses a great deal of its romance after a soldier has seen his first battle. I have a more vivid recollection of the first than the last one I was in. It is a classical maxim that it is sweet and becoming to die for one's country; but whoever has seen the horrors of a battlefield feels that it is far sweeter to live for it.”
John S. Mosby (1833–1916) first seen 1887 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: War Loses Its Romance (1887), as quoted at the Veterans Memorial at the Lackawanna County Courthouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
“As a soldier who has spent a quarter of his life in the study of the science of arms, let me tell you I went into the British Army believing that if you want peace you must prepare for war. I believe now that if you prepare thoroughly and efficiently for war, you get war.”
Frederick B. Maurice (1871–1951) first seen 1919 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking in Carnegie Hall, New York City, on 4 April 1919.
“I, serial number 30743, Lieutenant General in reserves Yitzhak Rabin, a soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces and in the army of peace, I, who have sent armies into fire and soldiers to their death, say today: We sail onto a war which has no casualties, no wounded, no blood nor suffering. It is the only war which is a pleasure to participate in — the war for peace.”
Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the US Congress (26 July 1994)
“This secret was extensively used by President Woodrow Wilson, during the World War. It was passed on to every soldier who fought in the war, carefully wrapped in the training received before going to the front. President Wilson told me it was a strong factor in raising the funds needed for the war. Author's Preface”
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Εducation is a war industry. Teachers, especially those involved in higher education, produce a direct war material. Our product is not the cannon, or the shell, or the dive bomber, or the dreadnaught. Ours is the even more basic material-the target. Without the target, the soldier on land, sea, or air, no war could get to the shooting stage.”
Morris Schappes (1907–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“War had become a reality; they were tired of it. A law had been passed... called the conscript act. ... From this time on till the end of the war, a soldier was simply a machine, a conscript. ... All our pride and valor had gone, and we were sick of war and the Southern Confederacy.”
Samuel R. Watkins (1839–1901) said by 1901 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All of America’s wars except the first—the war for independence — were wars for Empire. Keep that fact in mind as you hear the Memorial Day bloviations about the brave men and women who served our country in its times of peril.”
Paul Craig Roberts (born 1939) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Our Prospects Against the Russians & Chinese in WW3, Information Clearing House (28 May 2016)
“Government wars aren't my wars; they've got nowt to do with me, because my own war's all that I'll ever be bothered about.”
Alan Sillitoe (1928–2010) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner" (1958), from New and Collected Stories (1958; repr. London: Robson, 2003), p. 8.
“Wars have never made peace or preserved it or fostered its ideals. To have peace you must make peace with your enemy. To make peace only with your friends is to avoid the issue, and to permit a great principle to become absurd. Far from making peace, wars invariably serve as classrooms and laboratories where men and techniques and states of mind are prepared for the next war.”
Wendell Berry (1934–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would like to suggest that we should perhaps change direction in our efforts to bring about world peace. Up to now all the effort has been put into resolving speciﬁc conﬂicts: India–Pakistan, North–South Ireland, various African wars, Balkan wars, Russia–Chechnya, Israel–Arab, etc., etc. I’d like to suggest that we should shift emphasis and study war in general.”
Robert Aumann (born 1930) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What I mean by saying that war is wrong is not only that it is bad but that it ought not to be waged, that governments ought not to declare and fight wars, societies ought not to provide them with the means by which to do so, and individuals ought not to sanction, support and participate in wars.”
Robert L. Holmes (born 1935) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Robert L. Holmes, On War and Morality (1989) p. 15
“I would like to suggest that we should perhaps change direction in our efforts to bring about world peace. Up to now all the effort has been put into resolving speciﬁc conﬂicts: India–Pakistan, North–South Ireland, various African wars, Balkan wars, Russia–Chechnya, Israel–Arab, etc., etc. I’d like to suggest that we should shift emphasis and study war in general.”
Robert Aumann (born 1930) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is tragic to have to realize that the best I had to give as a soldier, obedience, and loyalty, was exploited for purposes which could not be recognized at the time, and that I did not see that there is a limit set even for a soldier's performance to his duty. That is my fate.”
Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946) first seen 1946 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement issued at Nuremberg, 1946. Quoted in "The Trial of the Germans" - Page 341 - by Eugene Davidson - History - 1997
“Perhaps you think that any fool could become a member of the SS. Do you really know what an SS soldier is? He is a superman. He is a professional chosen personally by Hitler. A soldier whose antecedents are analyzed for four generations back before he is given the honor of being allowed to join this elite organization.”
Klaus Barbie (1913–1991) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in "The Butcher of Lyon: The Story of Infamous Nazi Klaus Barbie" - Page 140 - by Brendan Murphy - History - 1983
“It is just as much a matter of chance that I am still alive as that I might have been hit. In a bomb-proof dug-out I might have been smashed to atoms, and in the open may survive ten hours' bombardment unscathed. No soldier survives a thousand chances. But every soldier believes in Chance and trusts his luck.”
Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Forgive me, that was the soldier speaking. Now this is the man speaking again. And the man is more than the soldier. I can bear anything. Death is a more solemn thing than all the earthly trash.”
Emilio De Bono (1866–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in "Mussolini: Twilight and Fall" - Page 129 - by Roman Dąbrowski - Italy - 1956
“Soldier: You guys aught to do a story on me suntahm. Herr: Why should we do a story about you? Soldier: 'Cause I'm so fuckin' good, 'n' that ain' no shit, neither. Got me one hunnert 'n' fifty-se'en gooks kilt. 'N' fifty caribou. Them're all certified.”
Michael Herr (1940–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When 9-11 happened, Pat Tillman quit the NFL. He gave up his million-dollar career, and humbled himself as a U.S. Army [sic] Soldier. And not just a Soldier, but as a U.S. Army Infantryman, a Ranger. Who can ever forget that picture of Tillman, an Army Private, marching in his graduation carrying his platoon guidon, that look of purpose, discipline, Americanism.”
Allen West (politician) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oh, you are a very poor soldier — a chocolate cream soldier!”
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well, I don't want to be a soldier mama, I don't want to dieWell, I don't want to be a sailor mama, I don't want to flyWell, I don't want to be a failure mama, I don't want to cryWell, I don't want to be a soldier mama, I don't want to die”
John Lennon (1940–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I regard myself as a soldier, though a soldier of peace.”
Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) first seen 1931 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at Victoria Hall, Geneva (10 December 1931)
“The German soldier has astonished the world; the Italian Bersagliere has astonished the German soldier.”
Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When first under fire an' you're wishful to duck, Don't look nor take 'eed at the man that is struck, Be thankful you're livin', and trust to your luck And march to your front like a soldier. Front, front, front like a soldier...”
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white, Remember it's ruin to run from a fight: So take open order, lie down, and sit tight, And wait for supports like a soldier. Wait, wait, wait like a soldier...”
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He was too good a soldier to go around asking questions, trying to round out his knowledge. A soldier's knowledge wasn't supposed to be round.”
Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You think like a soldier, m’lady.” Kly sounded approving. Cordelia wrinkled her brow in dismay. What an appalling compliment. The last thing she wanted was to start thinking like a soldier, playing their game by their rules. The hallucinatory military worldview was horribly infectious, though, immersed in it as she was now.”
Lois McMaster Bujold (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A nation fights well in proportion to the amount of men and materials it has. And the other equation is that the individual soldier in that army is a more effective soldier the poorer his standard of living has been in the past.”
Norman Mailer (1923–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you are good soldiers, you must also be good Christians and religious at heart. He who is no good Christian is no good man and also no Prussian soldier, and can under no circumstances perform what is required of a soldier in the Prussian Army.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The little toy dog is covered with dust, But sturdy and stanch he stands; And the little toy soldier is red with rust, And his musket moulds in his hands. Time was when the little toy dog was new, And the soldier was passing fair; And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue Kissed them and put them there.”
Eugene Field (1850–1895) said by 1895 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am still today a soldier and only a soldier. (Ich bin noch heute Soldat und nur Soldat)”
Ernst Röhm (1887–1934) said by 1934 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in "Der Orden unter dem Totenkopf: Die Geschichte der SS" - by Heinz Höhne - 1967 - Page 26
“A group came to the hospital to rescue me. I could hear them speaking in English but I was still very afraid. Then a soldier came into the room. He tore the American flag from his uniform and he handed it to me in my hand. And he told me "We're American soldiers, and we're here to take you home." And I looked at him and I said "Yes, I am an American soldier too.”
Jessica Lynch (born 1983) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You can keep your sword, for you fought proper. Like a proper soldier. Take your blade to paradise, and tell them you were killed by another proper soldier.”
Bernard Cornwell (born 1944) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A serjeant is a soldier with a halbert, and a drummer is a soldier with a drum.”
Thomas Denison (1699–1765) first seen 1748 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lloyd v. Wooddall (1748), 1 Black. 30.
“And why do soldiers wear uniforms? It certainly is not to protect the soldier. As a matter of fact, a soldier’s uniform is actually a big flashing neon arrow pointing to some kid that says to the enemy, SHOOT ME!”
Bill Whittle (born 1959) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: SANCTUARY (part 1) (18 May 2005)
“He's five feet two and he's six feet four He fights with missiles and with spears He's all of thirty-one and he's only seventeen He's been a soldier for a thousand years.He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an athiest, a Jain, a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew and he knows he shouldn't kill and he knows he always will . . . He's the universal soldier and he really is to blame”
Buffy Sainte-Marie (born 1941) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Universal Soldier", from It's My Way! (1964)
“Distinguish yourself, be indispensable. One of the dangers of the public service is that efficiency is difficult to measure and because of that, one can get easily drawn into the regular routine of ‘soldier go, soldier come; barrack remains’. Don’t fall for that.”
Olufunke Baruwa (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I once read a line written by Chinese soldier on his mission. And here I quote, “If people ask why go into such dangerous places to keep peace, please tell them someone must step forward to safeguard the fundamentals of human civilization.” This is a simple wish of a Chinese soldier. It is also a solemn commitment made by the Chinese military to the world.”
Li Shangfu (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the Levant is liberated, and if the Muslims come together in a well-guided Islamic government, a well-guided Muslim state that enforces the sharia of Allah Almighty, I will be the first soldier of such a government, and I will be under its jurisdiction. Even Dr. Ayman [al-Zawahiri] will be a soldier serving under the command of such a government [that] enforces all the instructions of Islam.”
Ahmed al-Sharaa (born 1982) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Thomas Joscelyn, "Al Nusrah Front leader refuses to break with al Qaeda", FDD's Long War Journal, 14 December 2015.
“Let the soldier be abroad if he will, he can do nothing in this age. There is another personage,--a personage less imposing in the eyes of some, perhaps insignificant. The schoolmaster is abroad, and I trust to him, armed with his primer, against the soldier in full military array.”
Lord Brougham (1779–1868) said by 1868 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“There is, for instance, only one page at the beginning of Runciman's three-volume History of the Crusades describing how the participants decided to begin four hundred years of wars, and then several thousand pages devoted to the routes, battles and other events which make up the "history" of the Crusades.”
Lloyd deMause (1931–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.”
George C. Marshall (1880–1959) said by 1959 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in A Toolbox for Humanity: More Than 9000 Years of Thought (2004) by Lloyd Albert Johnson
“I stared at the water and saw the clouds reflected in it, saw them break to reveal the moon. It was the same moon I had known as John Daker. The same bland face could be made out staring down in contentment at the antics of the creatures of the planet it circled. How many disasters had that moon witnessed? How many foolish crusades? How many wars and battles and murders?”
Michael Moorcock (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[A]ll those countless battles—those endless, and... for the greater part, useless wars, of which... fills up for so many thousand years... are but little atoms compared with the great whole of human destiny.”
Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829) said by 1829 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Battles are lost because a combatant stops fighting too soon; wars are lost because a combatant does not stop fighting soon enough.”
Charles E. Gannon (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the company wants to beat competition, the drag and the fireman have to pay for it. Some way or other. Both the company and the crew cannot win. One has to be the loser in this battle, as in all other battles.”
B. Traven (1882–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Choose your battles wisely, especially in a male-dominated industry where you can easily be perceived as an angry and embittered woman if you fight every single battle.”
Bola Adesola first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking on herself (October 10 2020)
“Don’t fight people’s battle in the industry. I’m not saying be mute to any injustices of the industry, because if you are an actor in the industry those are your battles”
Thuli Phongolo (born 1994) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hannibal won the battle through not only his dynamic leadership and the high quality of his army, but also because of a good deal of luck. Cannae was not an exercise in pure tactics, but, like all battles, a product both of the military doctrines and technology of the time and the peculiar circumstances of a specific campaign.”
Adrian Goldsworthy (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Tenacity, and a certain rigidity of manner, alternated with a tendency to cry easily (a flaw that had not yet become a virtue in politics, and for which her friends sometimes teased her good-naturedly). Adelaide's last battle was against breast cancer. She faced this too with sobriety and courage, as one of the many political battles fought alongside her lifelong friends.”
Eugenia Roccella (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source