Loading Screen Quotes (ETW)
Empire: Total War
Sir, I had little hopes on Monday last but to have supped in your cabin: but it pleased God to order it otherwise. I am thankful for it. As for those cowardly captains who deserted you, hang them up, for by God they deserve it. Yours, Du Casse
Admiral Jean du Casse, to Vice-Admiral John Benbow following the Action of August 2nd 1702
When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation.
Alexander Hamilton, US Secretary of the Treasury, economist, and political theorist
Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.
Alexander Hamilton, US Secretary of the Treasury, economist, and political theorist
Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others.
Alexander Hamilton, US Secretary of the Treasury, economist, and political theorist
To err is human, to forgive divine.
Alexander Pope, English poet
Pride, the never failing vice of fools.
Alexander Pope, English poet
Wars are always fought for old men, by young boys.
anon
History repeats itself because no one was listening the first time.
anon
We make war that we may live in peace.
Aristotle, Greek philosopher
The most persistent sound which reverberates through man’s history is the beating of war drums.
Arthur Koestler, Hungarian Jewish author and polymath
Intellect is invisible to the man who has none.
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher
Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
The hardest thing of all for a soldier is to retreat.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but by God, they frighten me.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
The whole art of war consists in getting at what is on the other side of the hill.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
Up, Guards, and at 'em.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
The only thing I am afraid of is fear.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
Hard pounding, gentlemen. Let's see who pounds the longest.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be detested in France.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
As Lord Chesterfield said of the generals of his day, 'I only hope that when the enemy reads the list of their names, he trembles as I do.'
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister
I used to say of him that his presence on the field made the difference of forty thousand men.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister, speaking of Napoleon
I never saw so many shocking bad hats in my life.
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister, upon entering the House of Commons
Strange, that I came into the world with nothing, and now I am going away with this stupendous caravan of sin! Wherever I look, I see only God… I have sinned terribly, and I do not know what punishment awaits me.
Aurangzeb, the last Mughal Emperor, on his deathbed
The measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.
Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay, British poet, historian, and MP
I have been apt to think that there has never been, nor ever will be, any such thing as a good war, or a bad peace.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows or all he sees.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
Even peace may be purchased at too high a price.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
'Tis a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
You may delay, but time will not.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
Words may show a man's wit, but actions his meaning.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God Governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
To be thrown upon one's own resources, is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible.
Benjamin Franklin, US statesman, author, and scientist
Rule 1, on page 1 of the book of war, is: 'Do not march on Moscow'… Rule 2 is: 'Do not go fighting with your land armies in China.'
Bernard Law Montgomery, British general
War always finds a way.
Bertolt Brecht, German poet and playwright
War is nothing but a duel on a larger scale.
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general and military theorist
The greatest enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general and military theorist
No one starts a war - or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so - without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war, and how he intends to conduct it.
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general and military theorist
Close combat, man to man, is plainly to be regarded as the real basis of combat.
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general and military theorist
War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general and military theorist
The great uncertainty of all data in war is because all action, to a certain extent, planned in a mere twilight - like the effect of a fog - gives things exaggerated dimensions and unnatural appearance.
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian general and military theorist
For a soldier I listed, to grow great in fame, And be shot at for six-pence a day.
Charles Dibdin, British dramatist and musician, "Charity" 1791
I die happy.
Charles Fox, English politician, his last words
Stand by me, my brave grenadiers!
Charles Lee, US general, his last words
I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.
Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor
I have resolved never to start an unjust war, but never to end a legitimate one except by defeating my enemies.
Charles XII, King of Sweden
Don’t be afraid!
Charles XII, King of Sweden, his last words before being killed in battle
War is too much a serious thing to be left to military men.
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, French diplomat
Mistrust first impulses, they are nearly always good.
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, French diplomat
Cedant arma togae, concedant laurea laudi. (Let war yield to peace, laurels to paeans.)
Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher
Nervos belli, pecuniam infinitam. (The sinews of war, unlimited money.)
Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher
Silent enim leges inter arma. (Laws are silent in times of war.)
Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher
An army must inevitably consist of the scum of the people and all those for which society has no use.
Comte de Saint-Germain, French courtier and alchemist
Is this dying? Is this all? Is this what I feared when I prayed against a hard death? Oh, I can bear this! I can bear this!
Cotton Mather, American puritan minister, his last words
We have won a victory, but may I never see such another.
Count Maurice de Saxe, French general, 11th May 1745, Battle of Fontenoy
Let all brave Prussians follow me!
Count von Sedgewick, Prussian general, his last words prior to being killed by a cannonball
Oh dear…
David Garrick, British actor and theatre manager, his last words
There is no true sovereign except the nation; there can be no true legislator except the people.
Denis Diderot, French writer and natural philosopher
I am about to - or I am going to - die; either expression is correct.
Dominique Bouhours, French Jesuit grammarian, his last words
In war, indeed, there can be no substitute for victory.
Douglas MacArthur, US general
The violence of war admits no distinction; the lance, that is lifted at guilt and power, will sometimes fall on innocence and gentleness.
Dr Samuel Johnson, essayist, biographer, and poet
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Dr Samuel Johnson, essayist, biographer, and poet
Much may be made of a Scotchman, if he be caught young.
Dr Samuel Johnson, essayist, biographer, and poet
To a people warlike and indigent, an incursion into a rich country is never hurtful.
Dr Samuel Johnson, essayist, biographer, and poet
Nothing will ever be attempted, if all possible objections must be first overcome.
Dr Samuel Johnson, essayist, biographer, and poet
No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in jail, with a chance of being drowned… A man in jail has more room, better food, and commonly better company.
Dr Samuel Johnson, essayist, biographer, and poet
Liberty, too, must be limited in order to be possessed.
Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher, and political theorist
You can never play the future by the past.
Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher, and political theorist
When bad men combine, the good must associate else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.
Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher, and political theorist
All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher, and political theorist
I venture to say no war can be long carried on against the will of the people.
Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher, and political theorist
Wars are just to those to whom they are necessary.
Edmund Burke, British author, philosopher, and political theorist
We improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests, and you must win.
Edward Gibbon, English historian and MP
History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind.
Edward Gibbon, English historian and MP
As long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors, the thirst of military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters.
Edward Gibbon, English historian and MP
The Lord is a man of war.
Exodus 15.3
It is your attitude, and the suspicion that you are maturing the boldest designs against him, that imposes on your enemy.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
Without supplies no army is brave.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
Rascals, do you want to live forever?
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
The most certain way of ensuring victory is to march briskly and in good order against the enemy, always endeavouring to gain ground.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
Everything which the enemy least expects will succeed the best.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
Do not forget your dogs of war, your big guns, which are the most-to-be respected arguments of the rights of kings.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
If soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
A defensive war is apt to betray us into too frequent detachment. Those generals who have had but little experience attempt to protect every point, while those who are better acquainted with their profession, having only the capital object in view, guard against a decisive blow, and acquiesce in small misfortunes to avoid greater.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
We are made for action, and activity is the sovereign remedy for all physical ills.
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
The Empress Catherine and I are simple robbers. I just would like to know how the Empress Maria-Theresa calmed down her father confessor? She cried when she took; the more she cried, the more she took!?
Frederick II the Great, King of Prussia
The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers - they are my weakness.
Frederick William I, King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg
No, not quite naked. I shall have my uniform on.
Frederick William I, King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg, his last words
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
Against stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.
Friedrich von Schiller, German poet and philosopher
A historian is a prophet in reverse.
Friedrich von Schlegel, German poet
Mad, is he? Then I hope that he will bite some of my other generals!
George III, King of Great Britain, speaking of General Wolfe
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
George Orwell, British author and journalist
To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.
George Washington, 1st US President
War - an act of violence whose object is to constrain the enemy, to accomplish our will.
George Washington, 1st US President
Over-grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.
George Washington, 1st US President
My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.
George Washington, 1st US President
Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.
George Washington, 1st US President
Every post is honourable in which a man can serve his country.
George Washington, 1st US President
To place any dependence upon militia, is, assuredly, resting upon a broken staff.
George Washington, 1st US President
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
George Washington, 1st US President
The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.
George Washington, 1st US President
T'is well.
George Washington, 1st US President, his last words
I would rather wear out than rust out.
George Whitefield, British Methodist preacher
Show my head to the people. It is worth seeing.
Georges Danton, French radical, his last words before being guillotined
I have lived as a philosopher and die as a Christian.
Giacomo Casanova, Venetian clergyman, soldier, musician, and alchemist, his last words
Men rush to arms for slight causes, or no cause at all, and once taken up there is no longer any respect for law, divine or human.
Huig de Groot, Dutch jurist and philosopher
Prudence approaches, conscience accuses.
Immanuel Kant, Prussian philosopher and geographer
In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.
Immanuel Kant, Prussian philosopher and geographer
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.
Immanuel Kant, Prussian philosopher and geographer
So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.
Immanuel Kant, Prussian philosopher and geographer
Ultima Ratio Regum. (The final argument of kings.)
Inscription on French cannons, by order of Louis XIV
Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience.
James Boswell, Scottish diarist and author of "The Life of Samuel Johnson"
Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship; fight her till she sinks.
James Lawrence, US naval captain, his last words
You give me a credit to which I have no claim in calling me 'the writer of the Constitution of the United States'. This was not, like the fabled Goddess of Wisdom, the offspring of a single brain. It ought to be regarded as the work of many heads and many hands.
James Madison, 4th US President
A popular Government without popular information nor the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.
James Madison, 4th US President
It was by the sober sense of our citizens that we were safely and steadily conducted from monarchy to republicanism, and it is by the same agency alone we can be kept from falling back.
James Madison, 4th US President
Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.
James Madison, 4th US President
Don’t give up the ship!
James Mugford, US naval captain, his last words
What, do they run already? Then I die happy.
James Wolfe, English general, his last words following news of the fall of Quebec
Duty is heavier than iron, yet death is lighter than a feather.
Japanese proverb
They shall all be guillotined.
Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary, his last words
You must either conquer and rule or serve and lose, suffer or triumph, be the anvil or the hammer.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and polymath
Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and polymath
The essence of war is violence. Moderation in war is imbecility.
John (Jackie) Arbuthnot Fisher, British admiral
If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
John Adams, 2nd US President
Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.
John Adams, 2nd US President
We're in a war, dammit! We're going to have to offend somebody!
John Adams, 2nd US President
I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than the means.
John Adams, 2nd US President
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.
John Adams, 2nd US President
For God's Sake be sure you do not risk the cannon.
John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, British general
War is the trade of kings.
John Dryden, English poet and playwright
I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest.
John Keats, British poet
New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
John Locke, English philosopher
All men are liable to error; and most men are, in many points, by passion or interest, under temptation to it.
John Locke, English philosopher
None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but licence.
John Milton, English poet
Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe.
John Milton, English poet
I have not yet begun to fight!
John Paul Jones, US naval captain
What? Men dodging this way for single bullets? What will you do when they open fire along the whole line? I am ashamed of you. They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance…
John Sedgwick, US general, his last words before being killed by a sniper
My voice is still for war.
Joseph Addison, English poet and essayist
From hence, let fierce contending nations know, what dire effects from civil discord flow.
Joseph Addison, English poet and essayist
Every nation has the government that it deserves.
Joseph de Maistre, Savoyard lawyer and diplomat
I die.
Leonard Euler, Swiss mathematician, his last words
Gentlemen of France, perhaps you would care to fire first?
Lord Hay, British general, 11 May 1745, Battle of Fontenoy
You must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your King, and you must treat every Frenchman as if he were the Devil himself.
Lord Horatio Nelson, British admiral
No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.
Lord Horatio Nelson, British admiral
England expects that every man will do his duty.
Lord Horatio Nelson, British admiral, 21st October 1805, Battle of Trafalgar
Thank God I have done my duty.
Lord Horatio Nelson, British admiral, 21st October 1805, Battle of Trafalgar, his last words
First feelings are always the most natural.
Louis XIV, King of France, "The Sun King"
I die innocent of all the crimes laid to my charge; I pardon those who have occasioned my death; and I pray to God that the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France.
Louis XVI, King of France, his last words before being guillotined
Oh Liberty! Liberty! What crimes are committed in your name!
Madame Roland, French revolutionary, her last words before being guillotined
In an age that is utterly corrupt, the best policy is to do as others do.
Marquis de Sade, French aristocrat and novelist
I have seen what I never thought to be possible - a single line of infantry break through three lines of cavalry ranks, in order of battle, and tumble them to ruin.
Marquis Louis de Contades, French general, 1st August 1759, Battle of Minden
It has all been most interesting.
Mary Wortley, Lady Montagu, her last words
An army marches on its stomach.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Remember, gentlemen, what a Roman emperor said: "The corpse of an enemy always smells sweet."
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Charges of cavalry are equally useful at the beginning, the middle and the end of a battle. They should be made always, if possible, on the flanks of the infantry, especially when the latter is engaged in front.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Artillery is more essential to cavalry than to infantry, because cavalry has no fire for its defence, but depends on the sabre.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Between a battle lost and a battle won, the distance is immense and there stand empires.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Soldiers! Here is the battle you have so long desired! Henceforth victory depends on you; we have need of it.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
In revolution there are only two sorts of men, those who cause them and those who profit by them.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Imagination rules the world.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy's ranks.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
In war the simplest manoeuvres are the best.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Ability is nothing without opportunity.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
Read over and over again the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus, Turenne, Eugene and Frederic… This is the only way to become a great general and master the secrets of the art of war.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
In war, three-quarters turns on personal character and relations; the balance of manpower and materials counts only for the remaining quarter.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French Emperor and general
I have only one regret, that I have only one life to give for my country.
Nathan Hale, US spy, his last words prior to his execution for treason by the British, 1776
War ought to be the only study of a prince. He ought to consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes ability to execute military plans.
Niccolò Machiavelli, Florentine historian and author
We English are good at forgiving our enemies; it releases us from the obligation of liking our friends.
P.D. James, British author
The battle, Sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
Patrick Henry, American governor and radical
Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!
Patrick Henry, American governor and radical
If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable; and let it come! I repeat, Sir, let it come!
Patrick Henry, American governor and radical
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
Patrick Henry, American governor and radical
Duty and dereliction guide thee back to solitude.
Percy Bysshe Shelley, British poet
It's magnificent, but it's not war.
Pierre Bosquet, French general, observing the Charge of the Light Brigade, 25th October 1854
One minute can decide the outcome of the battle, one hour - the outcome of the campaign, and one day - the fate of the country.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
Win with ability, not with numbers.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
Accustom yourself to tireless activity.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
When the enemy is driven back, we have failed, and when he is cut off, encircled and dispersed, we have succeeded.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
The bullet is a mad thing, only the bayonet knows what it is about.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
The Church will pray to God for the dead. The survivor has honour and glory.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
The more comfort, the less courage there is.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
If we had not driven them into hell, hell would have swallowed us.
Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov, Count of Rymnik, Russian general
When a man is able to take abuse with a smile, he is worthy to become a leader.
Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Nachman from Uman, Ukrainian Jewish teacher and spiritual leader
What two ideas are more inseparable than Beer and Britannia?
Reverend Sydney Smith, English clergyman and writer
There's only one truth about war: people die.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish playwright and MP
It is well that war is so terrible. We should grow too fond of it.
Robert E. Lee, US general
Let us do evil, that good may come?
Romans 3:8
The country shall be independent, and we will be satisfied with nothing short of it.
Samuel Adams, US statesman, writer, and political theorist
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget ye were our countrymen.
Samuel Adams, US statesman, writer, and political theorist
Both regiments or none.
Samuel Adams, US statesman, writer, and political theorist
By push of bayonets, no firing until you see the whites in their eyes!
Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw, British colonel
The British Army should be a projectile to be fired by the British Navy.
Sir Edward Grey, British MP, speaking to the House of Commons
I seem to have been only a boy playing on the seashore and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary, while the ocean of truth lay undiscovered before me.
Sir Isaac Newton, English physicist
Nothing is so evident...as that war is inconsistent with the prosperity of a modern state
Sir James Denham-Steuart, British economist
Hail to the chief in triumph advances.
Sir Walter Scott, Scottish poet and novelist
All war is deception.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
One need not destroy one's enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the supreme of excellence. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
This does not mean that the enemy is to be allowed to escape. The object is to make him believe that there is a road to safety, and thus prevent his fighting with the courage of despair. After that, you may crush him.
Sun Tzu, Chinese general and author of The Art of War
Think what thousands fell in vain, Wasted with disease and anguish, Not in glorious battle slain.
The ballad of "Admiral Hosier's Ghost", 1726, based on a real event where 4000 of 4760 men died of disease in a single expedition
I see that you have made three spelling mistakes.
Thomas de Mahay, Marquis de Favras, French aristocrat, his last words upon reading his death sentence before being guillotined
War makes rattling good history; but Peace is poor reading.
Thomas Hardy, British novelist
Ben Battle was a soldier bold, and used to war's alarms, But a cannon-ball took off his legs, so he laid down his arms.
Thomas Hood, British poet and humourist, "Faithless Nelly Gray", 1826
For here I leave my second leg, And the Forty-Second Foot.
Thomas Hood, British poet and humourist, "Faithless Nelly Gray", 1826
Beer is proof that God wants us to be happy.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
It is reasonable that everyone who asks justice should do justice.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
In matters of style swim with the current, in matters of principle stand like a rock.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
If ever there was a holy war, it was that which saved our liberties and gave us independence.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
We prefer war in all cases to tribute under any form and to any people whatever.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
The greatest [calamity] which could befall [us would be] submission to a government of unlimited powers.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President
This is the fourth?
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President, his last words
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
Character is much easier kept than recovered.
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
From such beginnings of governments, what could be expected, but a continual system of war and extortion?
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
The cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.
Thomas Paine, British radical, pamphleteer, and intellectual
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
US Declaration Of Independence, July 4th 1776, regarding King George III of Great Britain
Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum. (Let him who desires peace, prepare for war.)
Vegetius, Roman writer
No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.
Voltaire, French author, wit, and philosopher
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
Voltaire, French author, wit, and philosopher
God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.
Voltaire, French author, wit, and philosopher
Where some states possess an army, the Prussian Army possesses a state.
Voltaire, French author, wit, and philosopher
In this country we find it pays to shoot an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.
Voltaire, French author, wit, and philosopher
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire, French author, wit, and philosopher
Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.
William Congreve, English dramatist
Admirals extolled for standing still, or doing nothing with a deal of skill.
William Cowper, British poet, "Table Talk", 1782
War's a game, which, were their subjects wise, Kings would not play at.
William Cowper, British poet
A noisy man is always in the right.
William Cowper, British poet
There is one certain means by which I can be sure never to see my country's ruin: I will die in the last ditch.
William III, King of England
The air of England is too pure for a slave to breathe, and so everyone who breathes it becomes free. Everyone who comes to this island is entitled to the protection of English law, whatever oppression he may have suffered and whatever may be the colour of his skin.
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, British judge, speaking on slavery, 1772
Where a goat can go, a man can go, where a man can go, he can drag a gun.
William Phillips, British artillery general
If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I would never lay down my arms - never - never - never!
William Pitt the Elder, British Prime Minister
Where laws end, tyranny begins.
William Pitt the Elder, British Prime Minister
Oh, my country! How I leave my country!
William Pitt the Younger, British Prime Minister, his last words
Never do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow.
William Pulteney, Earl of Bath, English MP
Let me have war, say I; it exceeds peace as far as day does night; it’s spritely, waking, audible, and full of vent.
William Shakespeare, English playwright
Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war!
William Shakespeare, English playwright
Those entrusted with arms should be persons of some substance and stake in the country.
William Windham, British MP
Not without hope we suffer and we mourn.
William Wordsworth, British poet
Strongest minds are often those whom the noisy world hears least.
William Wordsworth, British poet
The good die first, and they whose hearts are dry as summer burn to the socket.
William Wordsworth, British poet
Like an army defeated the snow hath retreated.
William Wordsworth, British poet
Louis XVI of France: "Is it a revolt?" A Duke of France: "No, Sir, it's a revolution."
Louis XVI, King of France, upon hearing of the revolution
There are so few who can grow old with a good grace.
Sir Richard Steele, Irish writer and publisher
No one can guarantee success in war, but only deserve it.
Sir Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
Warpath Campaign
When the white man discovered this country Indians were running it. No taxes no debt, women did all the work. White man thought he could improve on a system like this?
Old Cherokee Saying
Grown men can learn from very little children, for the hearts of the little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.
Black Elk
A very great vision is needed and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.
Crazy Horse
I am tired of fighting...from where the sun now stands, I will fight no more.
Chief Joseph
The Great Spirit Chief who rules above all will smile upon this land…and this time the Indian race is waiting and praying.
Chief Joseph
Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.
Native American Proverb
All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.
Chief Seattle
When a white army battles Indians and wins, it is called a great victory, but if they lose it is called a massacre.
Chiksika, Shawnee
We are now about to take our leave and kind farewell to our native land, the country the Great Spirit gave our Fathers, we are on the eve of leaving that country that gave us birth, it is with sorrow we are forced by the white man to quit the scenes of our childhood...we bid farewell to it and all we hold dear.
Charles Hicks, Tsalagi (Cherokee) Vice Chief speaking of The Trail of Tears, Nov. 4, 1838
One does not sell the land people walk on.
Crazy Horse
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
Crowfoot
I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself.
Lone Man
How smooth must be the language of the whites, when they can make right look like wrong, and wrong like right.
Black Hawk
We know our lands have now become more valuable. The white people think we do not know their value; but we know that the land is everlasting, and the few goods we receive for it are soon worn out and gone.
Canassatego
When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.
Chief Aupumut, Mohican, 1725
When the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear. When that happens, the Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them.
Chief Seattle
I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place.
Sitting Bull
There is no death. Only a change of worlds.
Native American Proverb
At some time there shall come among you a stranger, speaking a language you do not understand. He will try to buy the land from you, but do not sell it; keep it for an inheritance to your children.
Aseenewub, Red Lake Ojibwa
It's our stuff. We made it and we know best how to use it and care for it. And now we're going to get it back.
John Pretty On Top, Crow
Where today are the Pequot? Where are the Narragansett, the Mohican, the Pokanoket, and many other once powerful tribes of our people? They have vanished before the avarice and the oppression of the White Man, as snow before a summer sun.
Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee
The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. It is the blood of our ancestors.
Chief Plenty Coups, Crow
I will follow the white man's trail. I will make him my friend, but I will not bend my back to his burdens. I will be cunning as a coyote. I will ask him to help me understand his ways, then I will prepare the way for my children, and their children. The Great Spirit has shown me - a day will come when they will outrun the white man in his own shoes.
Many Horses
Will we let ourselves be destroyed in our turn without a struggle, give up our homes, our country bequeathed to us by the Great Spirit, the graves of our dead and everything that is dear and sacred to us? I know you will cry with me, 'Never! Never!'
Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee
It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.
Apache Proverb
Those that lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.
Blackfoot Proverb
Those who have one foot in the canoe and one foot in the boat are going to fall into the river.
Tuscarora Proverb
Force, no matter how concealed, begets resistance.
Lakota Proverb
You can't wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.
Navajo Proverb
He who would do great things should not attempt them all alone.
Seneca Proverb
A brave man dies but once, a coward many times.
Unknown Tribe
Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future.
Lumbee Proverb
White men have too many chiefs.
Nez Perce Saying
What treaty have the Sioux made with the white man that we have broken? Not one. What treaty have the white man ever made with us that they have kept? Not one.
Sitting Bull