When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, read more

When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing.

Where is the indignation about the fact that the United States and Soviet Union have accumulated thirty thousand pounds of read more

Where is the indignation about the fact that the United States and Soviet Union have accumulated thirty thousand pounds of destructive force for every human being in the world?

Let who will boast their courage in the field,
I find but little safety from my shield,
read more

Let who will boast their courage in the field,
I find but little safety from my shield,
Nature's, not honour's law we must obey:
This made me cast my useless shield away.

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That read more

Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound read more

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.

If I am asked what we are fighting for, I can reply in two
sentences. In the first place, read more

If I am asked what we are fighting for, I can reply in two
sentences. In the first place, to fulfil a solemn international
obligation . . . an obligation of honor which no self-respecting
man could possibly have repudiated. I say, secondly, we are
fighting to vindicate the principle that small nationalities are
not to be crushed in defiance of international good faith at the
arbitrary will of a strong and overmastering Power.

'Twas in Trafalgar's bay
The saucy Frenchmen lay.

'Twas in Trafalgar's bay
The saucy Frenchmen lay.

Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform: he only read more

Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform: he only adds the infamy of servitude to the crime of murder.

Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no read more

Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both.