Quotes about war and peace
540 quotes from 231 people
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary.
Mahatma Gandhi1869–1948Satyagraha Leaflet No. 13 (3 May 1919)War prosperity is like the prosperity that an earthquake or a plague brings.
Ludwig von Mises1881–1973Nation, State, and Economy (1919), p 186He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.
Sun Tzu544–496 BCThe Art of War, Chapter III · Strategic AttackEvery attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.
William Tecumseh Sherman1820–1891Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman (1889)You’ll never have a quiet world till you knock the patriotism out of the human race.
George Bernard Shaw1856–1950O’Flaherty V.C. (1919)You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don’t ever count on having both at once.
Robert A. Heinlein1907–1988Time Enough for Love (1973)I went to jail for 11 days for disturbing the peace; I was trying to disturb the war.
Joan Baezborn 1941Pop Chronicles, Show 19—Blowin’ in the Wind: Pop discovers folk music, interview recorded December 3, 1967Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.
Sun Tzu544–496 BCThe Art of War, Chapter XIII · Intelligence and EspionageAnd if there is one path above all others to war, it is the path of weakness and disunity.
John F. Kennedy1917–1963Berlin Crisis speechIn war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.
Sun Tzu544–496 BCThe Art of War, Chapter IX · Movement and Development of TroopsBeware of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance go forward and give us victories.
Abraham Lincoln1809–1865Letter to Major General Joseph Hooker (26 January 1863)To save your world you asked this man to die;
Would this man, could he see you now, ask why?
W. H. Auden1907–1973“Epitaph for the Unknown Soldier” (October 1953)Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.
Ronald Reagan1911–2004“Address at Commencement Exercises at Eureka College in Illinois,” May 9, 1982Without slavery the rebellion could never have existed; without slavery it could not continue.
You can’t say civilization don’t advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way.
Will Rogers1879–1935The Autobiography of Will Rogers (1949)