War and Peace

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game’s afoot: Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge Cry “God for Harry! England and Saint George!”

And sheath’d their swords for lack of argument.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead! In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility: But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, Disguise fair nature with hard-favor’d rage; Then lend the eye a terrible aspect.

Or may we cram Within this wooden O the very casques That did affright the air at Agincourt?

Peace shall go sleep with Turks and infidels.

He is come to open The purple testament of bleeding war.

Not all the water in the rough rude sea Can wash the balm from an anointed king.

There is no sure foundation set on blood, No certain life achiev’d by others’ death.

This weak piping time of peace.

Grim-visag’d war hath smooth’d his wrinkled front.

Blessed are the peacemakers on earth.

For what is wedlock forced, but a hell, An age of discord and continual strife? Whereas the contrary bringeth bliss, And is a pattern of celestial peace.

Accurst be he that first invented war.

Our swords shall play the orators for us.

What is wisdom? What gift of the gods is held in glory like this: to hold your hand victorious over the heads of those you hate? Glory is precious forever.

War never slays a bad man in its course, But the good always! 9

Anarchy, anarchy! Show me a greater evil! This is why cities tumble and the great houses rain down, This is what scatters armies!

When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing more to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.

Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war.

Look at you in war...There has never been a just one, never an honorable one, on the part of the instigator of the war.

Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind.

Peace by persuasion has a pleasant sound, but I think we should not be able to work it. We should have to tame the human race first, and history seems to show that that cannot be done.

All war must be just the killing of strangers against whom you feel no personal animosity; strangers whom, in other circumstances, you would help if you found them in trouble, and who would help you if you needed it.

Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over .