Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
External forces cannot defeat a dominant nation but internal missteps can. Getting trapped in a prolonged conflict threatens national strength from within.
In plain terms
The strongest nation cannot be beaten by outsiders but can destroy itself through bad choices.
What can you take from it?
Avoid getting trapped in unwinnable conflicts that drain resources.

Where it applies

  • strategic planning
  • military engagement
  • national defense

Putting it to work

  • assess conflict risks
  • avoid quagmires
  • prioritize resilience

Questions to consider

  • What defines a strategic quagmire today?
  • How do nations avoid self-inflicted defeat?

Another view

Even powerful nations can overextend themselves without realizing it.

More from George Soros

  1. President Bush has shown that he is incapable of recognizing his mistakes. He insists on making reality conform to his beliefs even at the cost of deceiving hi…

    Permalink to quote #55
  2. If we reelect President Bush we are endorsing his policies and we shall have to live with the consequences. We are facing a vicious circle of escalating violen…

    Permalink to quote #57
  3. Faith plays an important role in an open society. Exactly because our understanding is imperfect, we cannot base our decisions on knowledge alone. We need to r…

    Permalink to quote #54

Related quotes

  1. If Paulus's army had capitulated before the end, the Russians would have had the advantage of withdrawing forces against Paulus and against the southern front,…

    Erich von MansteinErich von Manstein quote #1
  2. Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones …

    Niccolo MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli quote #1
  3. There are those who propose that both sides remove all their forces from Germany. That's a silly idea. The Germans hate us; we couldn't think of removing our f…

    Vasily ChuikovVasily Chuikov quote #2