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War

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“When I entered West Point, some Americans still believed the Vietnam War might end honorably. By the time I graduated, South Vietnam did not exist. As cadets, we watched the war teeter and implode, and the historical sweep was not lost on us.”
Stanley A. McChrystal (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's the end of World War I / It's the end of World War II!" - It's the End of the Western”
Wesley Willis (1963–2003) said by 2003 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Women and girls have always been affected by war. The Nobel Peace Prize has helped all of our efforts to define true peace—one that is not only the absence of war but is inclusive of opportunity.”
Leymah Gbowee (born 1972) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Talking about the effect of winning the Noble Peace Prize on her. Interview with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee 2011
“The heretic may be very irritating, he may be decidedly wrong, but the attempt to choke heresy or dissent from the dominant opinion by coercing the conscience is an incalculable danger to society. If war makes it necessary, it is the last count in the indictment against war.”
Norman Thomas (1884–1968) first seen 1917 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: War's Heretics: A Plea for the Conscientious Objector", in The Survey magazine, August 1917. Reprinted in Arthur Weinberg, Lila Shaffer Weinberg; Instead of violence : writings by the great advocates of peace and nonvio…
“We must take advantage of the victory in the anti-Japanese War to win our war against the Communist bandits, once for all.”
Bai Chongxi (1893–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Image, perception, and the making of U.S.-China relations (1998) by Hongshan Li and Zhaohui Hong, p. 268
“Everything in German sounds like a war crime. And everything in Austrian German sounds like a war crime served with whipped cream.”
Johannes Grenzfurthner (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you want boots on the ground, and you want them to be our sons and daughters, you got 14 other choices. There will always be a Bush or Clinton for you, if you want to go back to war in Iraq. But the thing is, the first war was a mistake. And I'm not sending our sons and our daughters back to Iraq.”
Rand Paul (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm tired of America always doing everybody else's fighting. I'm tired of America always paying for everybody else's war What is the one thing that brings Republicans and Democrats together? War! They love it. The more the better”
Rand Paul (born 1963) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 4 February 2019, excerpt from 5 February 2019 article on Reason, there is a full transcript from VoteSmart's list of his public statements
“What was it like?” Zeke asked, changing the subject as much as he was willing to. “Fighting in the war, I mean?” He grumbled, “It was war, you dumb kid. Everybody I liked got killed, and most of the folks I'd just as soon have shot made it out with medals on their chests. It wasn’t fair and it sure as hell wasn’t any fun. And Jesus knows it’s been going on way too long.”
Cherie Priest (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well, hell,” said Jael more genuinely, “the war. If there isn’t one, there just was one, and if there wasn’t one, there soon will be one. Eh? The war between Us and Them.”
Joanna Russ (1937–2011) said by 2011 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Watch every tendency towards militarism, for we know that preparation for war leads to war.”
William Mulock (1843–1944) first seen 1906 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Opening the Canadian National Exhibition, The Globe, 29 August 1906, page 1.
“..[war] in itself is one of the manifestations of life, like disease, love, and lust. And just as I follow fear, disease, lust, love, and hate to their utmost limits, well, now I am trying war. It is all life, wonderfully various and rich in inspiration.”
Max Beckmann (1884–1950) first seen 1915 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Briefe im Kriege May 1915, p. 67; as quoted in 'Portfolios', Alexander Dückers; in German Expressionist Prints and Drawings - Essays Vol 1.; published by Museum Associates, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California &…
“I should unconditionally refuse every direct or indirect war service and try to induce my friends to adopt the same attitude, irrespective of the general opinion of the causes of war.”
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) first seen 1929 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Einstein Would Refuse Any War Services No Matter What the Cause // Jewish Telegraphic Agency Bulletin, September 8, 1929
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) first seen 1104 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Alfred Werner, Liberal Judaism 16 (April-May 1949), Einstein Archive 30-1104, as sourced in The New Quotable Einstein by Alice Calaprice (2005), p. 173
“The fact that most of the time human beings put the truth about the nature and risks of the nuclear war out of their minds because it is too painful and therefore not "acceptable", does not alter the nature and risks of such war. The device of "rejection" may temporarily cover up anxiety, but it does not bestow peace of mind and emotional security.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Either Man will abolish war, or war will abolish Man.”
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Fact and Fiction (1961), Part IV, Ch. 10: "Can War Be Abolished?", p. 276
“Politics are almost as exciting as war, and – quite as dangerous ... [I]n war, you can only be killed once. But in politics many times.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1906 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From a conversational exchange with Harold Begbie, as cited in Master Workers, Begbie, Methuen & Co. (1906), p. 177.
“Why should anybody make a great fortune out of the war? While everybody has been serving the country, profiteers and contractors & shipping speculators have gained fortunes of a gigantic character. Why shd we be bound to bear the unpopularity of defending old Runciman's ill-gotten gains? I wd reclaim everything above £10,000 (to let the small fry off) in reduction of the War Debt.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1900 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to David Lloyd George (21 November 1918), quoted in Paul Addison, Churchill On The Home Front, 1900–1955 (1992), p. 197
“...the war between the Nazis and the Communists; the war of the non-God religions, waged with the weapons of the twentieth century. The most striking fact about the new religions was their similarity. They substituted the devil for God and hatred for love.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at the Albert Hall, London (3 December 1936), quoted in The Times (4 December 1936), p. 18
“Owing to the neglect of our defences and the mishandling of the German problem in the last five years, we seem to be very near the bleak choice between War and Shame. My feeling is that we shall choose Shame, and then have War thrown in a little later on even more adverse terms than at present.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1922 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Lord Moyne (September 1938), quoted in Martin Gilbert, Prophet of Truth: Winston S. Churchill, 1922–1939 (1976), p. 972
“Peace with Germany and Japan on our terms will not bring much rest to you and me (if I am still responsible). As I observed last time, when the war of the giants is over, the war of the pygmies will begin.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1945 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Telegram to FDR, March 18, 1945
“To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks at a White House luncheon (26 June 1954)
“One day President Roosevelt told me that he was asking publicly for suggestions about what the war should be called. I said at once 'The Unnecessary War'.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Second World War, Volume I : The Gathering Storm (1948).
“We hope that war will not take place, but if war is forced upon us then Iraq will continue to be here and this country with history of over 8000 years, this country, the cradle of the first civilization of humanity will not finish just like that even though a huge power may want to be like that. Nobody! Nobody should accept that Iraq should finish in such a way!”
Saddam Hussein (1937–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The influence of war on the community at large, on its prosperity, its morals, and its political institutions, though less striking than on the soldiery, is yet baleful. How often is a community impoverished to sustain a war in which it has no interest?”
William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) said by 1842 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When a war breaks out, people say: "It's too stupid; it can't last long." But though the war may well be "too stupid," that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.”
Albert Camus (1913–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“England, unlike in 1914, will not allow herself to blunder into a war lasting for years... Such is the fate of rich countries... Not even England has the money nowadays to fight a world war. What should England fight for? You don't get yourself killed for an ally.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 14 August 1939, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
“[T]he raw materials and agriculture of the Ukraine were vitally necessary for the future prosecution of the war. ... [the Crimea is] that Soviet aircraft carrier for attacking the Rumanian oilfields. ... My generals know nothing about the economic aspects of war.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1941 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks to General Guderian (23 August 1941), quoted in Heinz Guderian, Panzer Leader (1952), p. 200
“The Jews were the carriers of that Bolshevist infection which once threatened to destroy Europe. It was also they who incited the ranks of the plutocracies to war, and it is the Jews who have driven America to war against all her own interests, simply and solely from the Jewish capitalistic point of view.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1942 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Reichstag Assuming New Powers", (April 26, 1942)
“I can understand why mankind hasn't given up war. During a war you get to drive tanks through the sides of buildings and shoot foreigners— two things that are usually frowned on during peacetime.”
P. J. O'Rourke (1947–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I renounce war for its consequences, for the lies it lives on and propagates, for the undying hatred it arouses, for the dictatorships it puts in place of democracy, for the starvation that stalks after it. I renounce war, and never again, directly or indirectly, will I sanction or support another.”
Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Armistice sermon The Unknown Soldier (preached Sunday 12 November 1933, immediately following Armistice Day), published in The Secret of Victorious Living (1934); also in I Renounce War : The Story of the Peace Pledge U…
“Do not weep, maiden, for war is kind. Because your lover threw wild hands toward the sky And the affrighted steed ran on alone, Do not weep. War is kind.”
Stephen Crane (1871–1900) said by 1900 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Do not weep, babe, for war is kind. Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches, Raged at his breast, gulped and died, Do not weep. War is kind.”
Stephen Crane (1871–1900) said by 1900 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ultimatum to Iraq (17 March 2003)
“No device of man can remove the tragedy from war, yet it is a great advance when the guilty have far more to fear from war than the innocent.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In these 19 months that changed the world, our actions have been focused and deliberate and proportionate to the offense. We have not forgotten the victims of September the 11th, the last phone calls, the cold murder of children, the searches in the rubble. With those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and war is what they got.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our own generation is in a long war against a determined enemy — a war that will be fought by presidents of both parties, who will need steady bipartisan support from the Congress. And tonight I ask for yours. Together, let us protect our country, support the men and women who defend us, and lead this world toward freedom.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“That was the time to begin all-out preparations for war.” “On the contrary. That was the time to begin all-out prevention of war.”
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) said by 1992 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ich hatte einst ein schönes Vaterland. Der Eichenbaum Wuchs dort so hoch, die Veilchen nickten sanft. Es war ein Traum.Das küßte mich auf deutsch und sprach auf deutsch (Man glaubt es kaum Wie gut es klang) das Wort: "Ich liebe dich!" Es war ein Traum.”
Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) said by 1856 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I told NATO, the Americans, the Germans, don't push us towards military action. Otherwise there will be a European war for sure and possibly world war.”
Boris Yeltsin (1931–2007) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking on television about the NATO intervention in Kosovo, as quoted by The Guardian (April 1999)
“If I understand at all the true Spirit of the present contest, We are engaged in a Civil War ... I consider the Royalists of France, or, as they are (perhaps more properly) called, the Aristocrates, as of the party which we have taken in this civil war.”
Edmund Burke (1729–1797) first seen 1792 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Sir Gilbert Elliot (22 September 1793), quoted in P. J. Marshall and John A. Woods (eds.), The Correspondence of Edmund Burke, Volume VII: January 1792–August 1794 (1968), p. 432
“The only way there could be war is if they start it; we're not going to start a war.”
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Declaring what he would tell Yuri Andropov, head of the Soviet Union, were he in the room; in an interview for People magazine (12 June 1983)
“Peace is only better than war if peace is not hell too. War being hell makes sense.”
Walker Percy (1916–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I cannot end this discussion of defense and armaments without emphasizing our strongest hope: the creation of an orderly world where disarmament will be possible. Our aims do not prepare for war--they are efforts to discourage and resist the adventures of others that could end in war.”
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) said by 1963 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“With all of the history of war, and the human race's history unfortunately has been a good deal more war than peace, with nuclear weapons distributed all through the world, and available, and the strong reluctance of any people to accept defeat, I see the possibility in the 1970's of the President of the United States having to face a world in which 15 or 20 or 25 nations may have these weapons.”
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) said by 1963 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is quite clear that you are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state. Must you pay that price for an object however worthy it may appear to you to be? Will you listen to the appeal of one who has deliberately shunned the method of war not without considerable success?”
Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter addressed to Hitler. 23 July 1939 (Collected Works, vol. 70, pp. 20–21). Available online at .
“On the supposition that the world is to go on divided among aggressive sovereign states, with phases of war preparation known as peace and acute phases of more and more destructive war, it is quite a good move in the game. On the supposition that the world is growing up to an age of reason, and that a world of civilisation is attainable, it is a monstrous crime.”
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) first seen 1923 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the British government's decision to build the Singapore Naval Base, in an article for the Westminster Gazette (13 October 1923)
“John Cabal: If we don't end war, war will end us.”
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) said by 1946 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.”
Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) first seen 1942 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Introduction to Men at War (1942)
“We have fought this war and won it. Now let us not be sanctimonious; nor hypocritical; nor vengeful; nor stupid. Let us make our enemies incapable of ever making war again, let us re-educate them, let us learn to live in peace and justice with all countries and all peoples in this world. To do this we must educate and re-educate. But first we must educate ourselves.”
Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) said by 1961 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source