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If all the thought which had been expended on the construction of engines of agony and death - the modes of aggression and defence, the raising of armies, and the acquirement of those arts of tyranny and falsehood without which mixed multitudes could neither be led nor governed - had been employed to promote the true welfare and extend the real empire of man, how different would have been the present situation of human society! how different the state of knowledge in physical and moral science, upon which the power and happiness of mankind essentially depend!

Percy Bysshe Shelley#191

SocietyPeaceWarProgressScienceWarfare

About this quote

What does it mean?
Shelley laments that human intellect was wasted on war and tyranny instead of science and welfare, hindering societal progress.
In plain terms
We wasted our minds on fighting instead of improving life, which held us back.
What can you take from it?
Focus energy on progress and welfare rather than conflict.

Where it applies

  • policy making
  • scientific funding
  • historical reflection

Putting it to work

  • redirecting research
  • investing in science
  • promoting peace

Questions to consider

  • What could we achieve without war?
  • Where should we invest our minds?

Another view

It oversimplifies the role of defense in maintaining society.

More from Percy Bysshe Shelley

  1. Jesus Christ opposed with earnest eloquence the panic fears and hateful superstitions which have enslaved mankind for ages. Nations had risen against nations, …

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  2. The emptiness and folly of retaliation are apparent from every example which can be brought forward. Not only Jesus Christ, but the most eminent professors of …

    Permalink to quote #192
  3. We die, says Jesus Christ; and, when we awaken from the languor of disease, the glories and the happiness of Paradise are around us. All evil and pain have cea…

    Permalink to quote #189

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