Source for Quote Needed

G

Gary L. Griffiths

New member
I need the text of a quotation I once saw posted in an office, and the source of the quotation.

It begins, "War is a terrible thing. But not the most terrible thing..." and ends with words to the effect that liberty is preserved for those unwilling to go to war by the sacrifices of better men than themselves.

Would greatly appreciate it if anyone can furnish me the accurate text of this quotation, and who originally said it. Thanx.


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Gary L. Griffiths
Chief Instructor
Advanced Force Tactics, Inc.
 
Gary,

I believe the quotation originates from Winston Churchill. I tried to check this in Bartlett's with no luck. Hope this helps
 
"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of
moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A
man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important
than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free
unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill
 
Got it, Colombe. Thanks a million. It's just what I was looking for.

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Gary L. Griffiths
Chief Instructor
Advanced Force Tactics, Inc.

[This message has been edited by Gary L. Griffiths (edited May 21, 2000).]
 
Here's another quote rather along that parallel.

'As one reads history...one is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes which the wicked have committed, but by the punishments which the good have inflicted; and a community is infinitely more brutalised by the habitual employment of punishment than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime.'

Oscar Wilde


Best Regardsm
Don

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The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerers who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.
Adolf Hitler

[This message has been edited by Donny (edited May 21, 2000).]
 
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