"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 … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."
— James Madison, Political Observations, 1795
Um, let’s see. Damn!
That sounds like it would suck.
I can’t elaborate much, I have to take a plane to . . . uh, hold on just a second.
No, I’ve decided not to go.
"Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both."
~Abraham Flexner
"Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose—and you allow him to make war at pleasure."
~Abraham Lincoln
"Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."
~Adolph Hitler
"In war, truth is the first casualty."
~Aeschylus
"When a war breaks out, people say: "It's too stupid, it can't last long." But though a war may be "too stupid," that doesn't prevent its lasting."
~Albert Camus
~
"Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war."
Albert Einstein
"No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country."
~Alexis de Tocqueville
"Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths...I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
~Barbara Bush
"Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man."
~Bertrand Russell