War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- War fails to fix wrongs and instead increases losses rather than compensating for them.
- In plain terms
- War makes problems worse instead of solving them.
- What can you take from it?
- Violence often multiplies harm instead of resolving it.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can war ever truly redress a wrong?
- What alternatives exist to armed conflict?
Another view
Sometimes war is seen as a last resort for defense.
More from Thomas Jefferson
We have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, self-preservation in the other.
Permalink to quote #198 Truth will do well enough if left to shift for herself ... She has no need of force to procure entrance into the minds of men.
Permalink to quote #200 The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching, and will give us the experience for the attack on…
Permalink to quote #197
Related quotes
Father, father We don't need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer For only love can conquer hate. You know we've got to find a way To bring some lovin' …
Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye quote #2 The memory of war weighs undiminished upon the people's minds. That is because deeper than material wounds, moral wounds are smarting, inflicted by the so-call…
Hjalmar SchachtHjalmar Schacht quote #4 Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line.
TacitusTacitus quote #8