“All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”
- George Orwell
"It is more difficult, and so more admirable, to build a fine city than to demolish one. We observe, however, that the most prosperous cities are built by private citizens, simple men, but are demolished by the wrath of princes." Desiderius Erasmus
https://stromata.co/education-of-a-christian-prince-chapter-11-on-starting-war/
Education of a Christian Prince. Chapter 11: On Starting War : Erasmus of Rotterdam : The Stromata
It is more difficult, and so more admirable, to build a fine city than to demolish one. We observe, however, that the most prosperous cities are built by private citizens, simple men, but are demolished by the wrath of princes. All too often we go to more trouble and expense to demolish a town than ..
https://stromata.co/education-of-a-christian-prince-chapter-11-on-starting-war/
The good prince will never start a war at all unless, after everything else has been tried, it cannot by any means be avoided. If we were all agreed on this, there would hardly ever be a war among men. In the end, if so pernicious a thing cannot be avoided, the prince’s first concern should be to fight with the least possible harm to his subjects, at the lowest cost in Christian blood, and to end it as quickly as possible.
