We have become too civilized to grasp the obvious. For the truth is very simple. To survive you often have to fight, and to fight you have to dirty yourself. War is evil, and it is often the lesser evil. Those who take the sword perish by the sword, and those who don't take the sword perish by smelly diseases.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Survival often requires fighting and getting dirty; war is evil but sometimes the lesser evil compared to disease.
- In plain terms
- To survive you may have to fight, and war, though bad, can be better than dying of disease.
- What can you take from it?
- Conflict may be a necessary, though undesirable, means of survival.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is war truly the lesser evil?
- Can non‑violent solutions ever replace violent conflict?
Another view
War brings massive destruction; alternatives like diplomacy should be pursued.
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