War shapes our world in ways we can’t ignore. The pain, courage, and lessons from conflicts linger in our collective memory. Through history, words of wisdom offer a glimpse into the hearts and minds affected by war.
Quotes about war reveal stark truths and deep emotions. They remind us of sacrifice, loss, and resilience. These words connect us, helping us understand the gravity of conflict and the price of peace.
Famous Quotes About War
“In war, truth is the first casualty.”
“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.”
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”
“War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.”
“Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.”
“How is it possible to have a war without an enemy?”
“War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate.”
“In modern war… you will die like a dog for no good reason.”
“War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory.”
“In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.”
“Wars teach us not to love our enemies, but to hate our friends.”
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”
“War is the unfolding of miscalculations.”
“War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.”
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
“War is as much a punishment to the punisher as it is to the sufferer.”
“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good.”
“Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.”
“The more things change, the more they stay the same – especially true in war.”
“War, huh, yeah, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”
“War makes monsters of men and angels of the innocent.”
“War remains the decisive human failure.”
Inspirational War Quotes
“In war, truth is the first casualty.”
“We make war that we may live in peace.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“War does not determine who is right, only who is left.”
“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.”
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
“War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.”
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
“There never was a good war or a bad peace.”
“Wars begin in the minds of men, and in those minds, love and compassion would have built the defenses of peace.”
“Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.”
“In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.”
“Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base.”
“No matter what political reasons are given for war, the underlying reason is always economic.”
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”
“War is what happens when the will to negotiate has been exhausted.”
“Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.”
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
“Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down.”
“When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die.”
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
“To survive in peace and harmony, united and strong, we must have one people, one nation, one flag.”
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
Quotes About Wars Tragedy
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
“In war, truth is the first casualty.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it. Yet, war tests even the strongest among us.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die.”
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
“War leaves lasting scars, both on the land and on the soul.”
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
“War is the trade of kings.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“War is the unfolding of miscalculations.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.”
“War’s tragedy is born from humanity’s greatest sins – pride and hate.”
“War makes strange giant creatures out of us little men who inhabit the Earth.”
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
“We need to learn from history, lest we are doomed to repeat its darkest hours.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“The more you know about war, the more you hate it.”
“War never takes a wicked man by chance, the good man always.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
“The greatest tragedy of war is that it uses man’s best to do man’s worst.”
“War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.”
“The wind whispers of the fallen, the silence sings their song.”
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace.”
Thought-Provoking War Quotes
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
“In war, truth is the first casualty.”
“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“War never changes.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?”
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
“The world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them.”
“War is a defeat for humanity.”
“Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”
“Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change.”
“We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.”
“War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory.”
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”
“Make love, not war.”
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
“War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.”
“I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation.”
“In modern war… you will die like a dog for no good reason.”
“The chain reaction of evil — wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”
“War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can’t smile, grin. If you can’t grin, keep out of the way till you can.”
“Victory means exit strategy, and it’s important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is.”
Historical War Quotes
“In war, truth is the first casualty.”
“All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”
“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.”
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
“It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it.”
“Patriots always talk of dying for their country but never of killing for their country.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.”
“Wars teach us not to love our enemies, but to love our friends.”
“War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth.”
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
“In modern war… you will die like a dog for no good reason.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“The best weapon against an enemy is another enemy.”
“What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world.”
“War is not an ‘adventure.’ It is a disease. It is like typhus.”
“Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.”
“A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”
“War never changes.”
“In every battle, there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.”
War Quotes by Leaders
“In war, truth is the first casualty.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
“I saw war as a savage waste.”
“The world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them.”
“War makes good history but peace is poor reading.”
“It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it.”
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
“We need not fear those who do not fear death.”
“The most persistent sound, which reverberates through man’s history, is the beating of war drums.”
“All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.”
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“It is always easier to start a war than to end it.”
“War is the business of barbarians.”
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
“It is not only the living who are killed in war.”
“War is fear cloaked in courage.”
“War, n. A by-product of the arts of peace.”
“The purpose of all war is ultimately peace.”
“You can’t say civilization don’t advance… in every war they kill you in a new way.”
“Wars teach us not to love our enemies, but to hate our friends more.”
“When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die.”
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
“War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.”
Quotes from Soldiers
“In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“War is hell.”
“We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”
“War is the greatest evil Satan has invented to corrupt our hearts and souls. We should honor our soldiers, but we should never honor war.”
“You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake.”
“All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers.”
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
“Wars happen when diplomacy fails.”
“Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.”
“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
“No man is a man until he has been a soldier.”
“Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.”
“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”
“We make war that we may live in peace.”
“War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good.”
“A soldier’s story is a tale of endless sacrifice and profound bravery, told not with words but with actions.”
“Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
“War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.”
“Wars begin where you will, but they do not end where you please.”
Anti-War Quotes
“War is what happens when language fails.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.”
“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”
“If everyone fought for their own convictions, there would be no war.”
“War does not determine who is right — only who is left.”
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.”
“War is a defeat for humanity.”
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
“In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.”
“Violence as a way of gaining power…is being camouflaged under the guise of tradition, national honor, and national security.”
“War is a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.”
“We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.”
“What is absurd and monstrous about war is that men who have no personal quarrel should be trained to murder one another in cold blood.”
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.”
“War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.”
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
“All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.”
“I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war.”
“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”
“War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.”
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
“War makes strange bedfellows.”
“The fate of the world will be decided by the warriors of the mind.”
“When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die.”
“There never was a good war, or a bad peace.”
“Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the gun down.”
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
“War is over… if you want it.”
“Peace begins with a smile.”
Closing Thoughts
War has always been a complex and emotional topic, touching lives in countless ways. The quotes we’ve explored offer unique views and valuable insights from different times and perspectives. They serve as powerful reminders of the cost of conflict and the hope for a better future.
By reflecting on these words, we can gain a deeper understanding of the human experience during times of war. Whether you find them thought-provoking, inspiring, or somber, these quotes help connect us with the struggles and hopes of people across generations. Let these words of wisdom guide your thoughts and spark meaningful conversations about peace and resilience.
