I detest war. It spoils armies.
—Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, c. 1820
Archive
Quotes
War is sweet to those who don’t know it.
—Desiderius Erasmus, 1508I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. War is hell.
—William Tecumseh Sherman, 1879I have loved war too well.
—Louis XIV, 1715There never was a good war or a bad peace.
—Benjamin Franklin, 1773You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.
—William Randolph Hearst, 1898War to the castles; peace to the cottages.
—Nicolas Chamfort, 1790War is the child of pride, and pride the daughter of riches.
—Jonathan Swift, 1697Don’t talk to me about naval tradition. It’s nothing but rum, sodomy, and the lash.
—Winston Churchill, 1939You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
—Leon TrotskyPolitical power grows out of the barrel of a gun.
—Mao Zedong, 1938The fear of war is worse than war itself.
—Seneca, c. 50I went [to war] because I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want the glory or the pay; I wanted the right thing done.
—Louisa May Alcott, 1863