The pacifist is as surely a traitor to his country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Pacifists who refuse to defend their country betray it as much as criminals.
- In plain terms
- Refusing to fight for your country is as bad as doing harm.
- What can you take from it?
- Patriotic defense is a moral duty.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is there a duty to fight?
- When is pacifism justified?
Another view
Pacifism can also be a form of moral resistance to unjust wars.
More from Theodore Roosevelt
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their f…
Permalink to quote #123 The reactionary is always willing to take a progressive attitude on any issue that is dead.
Permalink to quote #125 The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.
Permalink to quote #122
Related quotes
As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. …
George OrwellGeorge Orwell quote #10 Those who abandon their duties do not deserve from the native land even a piece of bread. The German women and adolescents are invited to receive them, not wit…
Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Himmler quote #17 England expects that every man will do his duty.
Horatio NelsonHoratio Nelson quote #22