The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Anyone who believes that the eternal question of war and peace in Europe is no longer there risks being deeply mistaken.
To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences.
I find by my calculations, which are according to revealed inspiration, that the sword of death is now approaching us, in the shape of pestilence, war more horrible than has been known in three lifetimes, and famine.
As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have a remarkably enduring tendency not to foresee problems that, in hindsight, seem obvious.
Now, I believe that war is never inevitable until it starts, but there has been a great proclivity in human history, and including in recent history, for war.
Wars are begun by frightened men.
War can be fun for certain people. It's a magnet for sadists, losers, and angry dreamers.
War, except in self-defense, is a failure of moral imagination.
War remains the decisive human failure.
The major deterrent to war is in a man's mind.