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War
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“The war is over — the rebels are our countrymen again. The war is over, the Rebels are our countrymen again, and the best sign of rejoicing after the victory will be to abstain from all demonstrations in the field.”
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) first seen 1865 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Upon stopping his men from cheering after Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House (9 April 1865)
“The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times.”
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) said by 1885 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“National defense through war always involves some degree of national defeat. This paradox has been with us from the very beginning of our republic. Militarization in defense of freedom reduces the freedom of the defenders. There is a fundamental inconsistency between war and freedom.”
Wendell Berry (1934–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Born enemies don't fight. Nations you would say were designed to go to war against each other — by their skins, their language, their smell: always jealous of each other, always hating each other — they're not the ones who fight. You will find the real antagonists in nations fate has groomed and made ready for the same war.”
Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A civilization at war chooses only the most obvious enemy, and often also the one perceived, at first, to be the most easily defeatable. But that enemy is not the true enemy, nor is it the gravest threat to that civilisation. Thus a civilization at war often chooses the wrong enemy.”
Steven Erikson (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all-out war, a war which will last for generations… We shall not rest until the day when we return to our home, and until we destroy Israel.”
Yasser Arafat (1929–2004) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in The Times, UK (5 August 1980).
“And finally, and most importantly, the next time we go to war, don't give a specific reason for the war that the left can seize upon and later flog us with it ad nauseam, just do it. Remember, the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club.”
Dennis Miller (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Senator Kerry now tells us he has a clear position on the [war on terror]. He voted no on Desert Storm in 1991 and yes on Desert Shield today. Then he voted no on [troop funding], just after he'd voted yes. He's campaigned against the [war] all year, but says he'd vote yes today. This nation can't afford [presidential leadership] that comes in 57 varieties.”
Mitt Romney (born 1947) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Republican Convention Speech, 2004.
“The question is: How bad do things have to get before you will do something about it? Where is your line in the sand? If you don't enforce the constitutional limitations on your government very soon, you are likely to find out what World War III will be like. I'm quite sure that I will never experience that war - because dissidents are always the first to be eliminated.”
Michael Badnarik (1954–2022) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Source: Good to be King (2004)
“It is the duty of righteous men to make war on all undeserved privilege, but one must not forget that this is a war without end.”
Primo Levi (1919–1987) said by 1987 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And we shared the story of Korean War veteran Dick Shank, who made it home to that baby boy, and lived out his life -- at 84 years old, he was still roller skating -- because no war should ever be forgotten and no veteran should ever be overlooked.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, you know, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off.”
Barack Obama (born 1961) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Obama says U.S. may be ‘worse off’ now than before Iran war", nbcnews.com (June 19, 2026)
“Da gab es vier Jahre lang ganze Quadratmeilen Landes, auf denen war der Mord obligatorisch, während er eine halbe Stunde davon entfernt ebenso streng verboten war. Sagte ich: Mord? Natürlich Mord. Soldaten sind Mörder.”
Kurt Tucholsky (1890–1935) first seen 1931 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From Der bewachte Kriegsschauplatz, published 1931 under the pseudonym Ignaz Wrobel; compare .
“I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.”
Smedley Butler (1881–1940) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From a speech (1933)
“When the war came we were shocked to find, as Mr. Thorson, the then Minister of National War Services said, that forty-six per cent of the men called were rejected because that depression had left physical and psychological scars which will never be erased from that generation.”
Tommy Douglas (1904–1986) first seen 1943 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Budget Debate, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, March 22, 1943.
“We are acting for those who are trying to free themselves from terror and violence. And if no means other than war remains for them, then we are for their war. And we are against those who escalate their terror up to the use of nuclear weapons, something currently being discussed in regard to Vietnam.”
Ulrike Meinhof (1934–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I have rejoiced that slavery is abolished. I believe it will be great for the interests of the south. So fully am I satisfied with this, as regards Virginia especially, that I would cheerfully have lost all I have lost by the war, and have suffered all I have suffered, to have this object attained.”
Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) first seen 1870 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement to John Leyburn (1 May 1870), as quoted in R. E. Lee: A Biography (1934) by Douglas Southall Freeman.
“The working class must be emancipated by the working class. Woman must be given her true place in society by the working class. Child labor must be abolished by the working class. Society must be reconstructed by the working class. The working class must be employed by the working class. The fruits of labor must be enjoyed by the working class. War, bloody war, must be ended by the working class.”
Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) said by 1926 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When we’ve agreed that something ought to be done, or not done, we get very stubborn. And when that meets up with another stubbornness, it can make a kind of war, a struggle of ideas, the only kind of war anybody ever wins.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What would that be, a world without war? It would be the real world. Peace was the true life, the life of working and learning and bringing up children to work and learn. War, which devoured work, learning, and children, was the denial of reality.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Betrayals", p. 1; first published in Blue Motel (1994)
“They say Mars absolves the warrior from the crimes of war, but those who were not the warriors, those for whom the war was said to be fought, even though they never wanted it to be fought, who absolves them?”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So hurry up and run to the one that you love. And blind him with your kindness. And he'll make war, oh war, On who you were before. And he'll claim all that has spoiled in your heart.”
Conor Oberst (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If war production should remain the only way out of a long-term depression, industrial society would be reduced to the choice between suicide through total war or suicide through total depression.”
Peter Drucker (1909–2005) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 269. Note: compare Dwight Eisenhower's January, 1961 Farewell Speech
“One certain effect of war is to diminish freedom of expression. Patriotism becomes the order of the day, and those who question the war are seen as traitors, to be silenced and imprisoned.”
Howard Zinn (1922–2010) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Howard Zinn on War (2000), Ch. 21: Just and Unjust War
“The term "just war" contains an internal contradiction. War is inherently unjust, and the great challenge of our time is how to deal with evil, tyranny, and oppression without killing huge numbers of people.”
Howard Zinn (1922–2010) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Terrorism and War (2002)
“The mistakes of the Iraq war are not only tactical and strategic, but historical. It is essentially a war of colonialism, attempted in the post-colonial age.”
Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928–2017) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (January 11, 2007).
“How can we escape from the trap that the terrorists have set us? Only by recognizing that the war on terrorism cannot be won by waging war. We must, of course, protect our security; but we must also correct the grievances on which terrorism feeds. Crime requires police work, not military action.”
George Soros (born 1930) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at the University of Pennsylvania (2002); quoted in "White House playing into Soros' hands?" by J. Michael Waller, in WorldNetDaily (1 December 2003)
“Americans, sadly, are now victims who have turned into perpetrators. Indeed, since September 2001, the war on terror has claimed more innocent victims than those terrorist attacks. This fact is unrecognized at home because the victims of the war on terror are not Americans. But the rest of the world does not draw the same distinction, and world opinion has turned against America.”
George Soros (born 1930) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: How Terrorism's Victims Became Perpetrators" (April 2004)
“What were the phenomena of the world today? If I knew little else, I knew the answer — war, and the preparations for new war.”
Norman Mailer (1923–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“imagine if the U.S. media showed uncensored, hellish images of war-even for one week. What impact would that have? I think we would be able to abolish war.”
Amy Goodman (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Before the Russian revolution, they [U.S. and Russia] were natural allies. You know that during the American Civil War, Russia supported Lincoln and the North [in contrast to Britain and France, which supported the Confederacy]. Then, we were effectively allies in the First World War. But beginning with communism, Russia ceased to exist. ...”
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I woke up this morning and fell out of bed; Trouble waiting to happen. Should've quit while I was ahead; Trouble waiting to happen. I turned on the news to the Third World War, Opened up the paper to World War IV. Just when I thought it was safe to be bored, Trouble waiting to happen.”
Warren Zevon (1947–2003) said by 2003 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I just want to also say that Congressman Paul, I've heard him now in many debates talk about bringing our troops home, and about the war in Iraq and how it's failed. And I want to tell you that that kind of isolationism, sir, is what caused World War II. We allowed... We allowed -- we allowed Hitler to come to power with that kind of attitude of isolationism and appeasement.”
John McCain (1936–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The poetry of heroism appeals irresistibly to those who don't go to a war, and even more to those whom the war is making enormously wealthy. It's always so.”
Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894–1961) first seen 1934 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Chapter 7, p. 69 (tr. 1934, ed. 1966)
“I'm in a war, a cultural war.”
Howard Stern (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This has not been a scientist's war; it has been a war in which all have had a part. The scientists, burying their old professional competition in the demand of a common cause, have shared greatly and learned much. It has been exhilarating to work in effective partnership. Now, for many, this appears to be approaching an end. What are the scientists to do next?”
Vannevar Bush (1890–1974) said by 1974 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If success was achieved on the Italian Front, I believed that victory in the War was assured. A separate peace with Austria would then be practicable, and having eliminated Austria from the War, Germany would be at our mercy.”
David Lloyd George (1863–1945) first seen 1302 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Volume II, p. 1302
“Let no one ever, from henceforth say one word in any way countenancing war. It is dangerous even to speak of how here and there the individual may gain some hardship of soul by it. For war is hell, and those who institute it are criminals. Were there even anything to say for it, it should not be said; for its spiritual disasters far outweigh any of its advantages.”
Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967) first seen 1918 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Robert Nichols in his introduction to The Counter-Attack and Other Poems (1918)
“I sympathise most deeply with your expressions on the horrors of war, than which no one can feel more strongly than I do; and earnestly hope that it may be averted. But I cannot abandon my own subjects who have appealed to me for protection. If President Kruger is reasonable, there will be no war, but the issue is in his hands.”
Queen Victoria (1819–1901) first seen 1837 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to the Queen of the Netherlands shortly before the Second Boer War (September 1899), quoted in The Letters of Queen Victoria: A Selection from Her Majesty's Correspondence Between the Years 1837 and 1861, Vol. II…
“We went over there and fought the war and eventually burned down every town in North Korea anyway, someway or another, and some in South Korea too.… Over a period of three years or so, we killed off — what — twenty percent of the population of Korea as direct casualties of war, or from starvation and exposure?”
Curtis LeMay (1906–1990) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Strategic Air Warfare: An Interview with Generals (1988), p. 88.
“War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures.”
Ron Paul (born 1935) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Conscription - The Terrible Price of War, November 21, 2003
“I must say I don't object to its being called McNamara's War. I think it is a very important war and I am pleased to be identified with it and do whatever I can to win it.”
Robert McNamara (1916–2009) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In: United States. Congress. Senate (1964) Hearings, Vol. 4, p. 177: Of the Vietnam War
“When I was a kid, we watched the Vietnam War on the six o'clock news, and it was desensitizing. You felt you were watching a war film; meanwhile you were really watching these guys getting blown to bits. Parents need to protect their kids from watching that stuff.”
Johnny Depp (born 1963) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Josh Young, "The Neverland Effect," Life (2004-11-19), p. 8
“The Aristocracy in this country are almost, and really are altogether on one side – because they have special privileges to sustain, to surrender which would make them no longer an aristocracy. Our government was purely an aristocratic one from 1690 to 1830. Nearly the whole period was one of war, and war wholly needless.”
John Bright (1811–1889) first seen 1857 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to S. Fox (24 October 1865), quoted in John Vincent, The Formation of the British Liberal Party, 1857–1868 [1966] (1972), p. 203
“And the evil is done in hopes that evil surrenders but the deeds of the devil are burned too deep in the embers and a world of hunger in vengeance will always remember So please be reassured, we seek no wider war, we seek no wider war.”
Phil Ochs (1940–1976) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: We Seek No Wider War" (1965) from Farewells & Fantasies (1997)
“Oh you tell me that there's danger to the land you call your own And you watch them build the war machine right beside your home And you tell me that you're ready to go marchin' to the war I know you're set for fighting, but what are you fighting for?”
Phil Ochs (1940–1976) first seen 1976 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Are You Fighting For" from Songs for Broadside (1976)
“I am making a very personal commitment myself. This is a war I am not accustomed to but it is a global war and we are in a global army, fighting against a global enemy - HIV/AIDS.”
Epeli Ganilau (1951–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If it were proved to me that in making war, my ideal had a chance of being realized, I would still say "No" to war. For one does not create human society on mounds of corpses.”
Louis Lecoin (1888–1971) said by 1971 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Seeds of Peace : A Catalogue of Quotations (1986) edited by Jeanne Larson and Madge Micheels-Cyrus