However great the material evil caused by war may be, it pales in comparison with the evil of the corruption of the concepts of good and evil, which it introduces into the minds of the simple, unreflecting people of the working class.
The passions aroused by war, the national hatreds, the worship of military glory, the thirst for victory or revenge, dull public conscience; pervert the best social instincts into that low, unreasoning extension of selfishness miscalled patriotism; deaden the love of liberty; lead men to submit to tyranny and usurpation from the savage thirst for cutting the throats of other people, or the fear of having their own throats cut. They so pervert religious perceptions that professed followers of Christ bless in his name the standards of murder and rapine, and thanks are given to the Prince of Peace for victories that pile the earth with mangled corpses and make hearthstones desolate!
— Henry George
A child, meeting another child with a smile, expresses an amiable joy, as does any uncorrupted human being. And meanwhile, a citizen of one nation, without even seeing a foreigner, already feels a hatred for him and is ready to inflict harm and death upon him. What a great crime it is to incite such feelings and actions in people!
The finest weapon is an unholy weapon. And that is why a wise human being will not depend on it. He values peace and calm above all else. He conquers, but not with weapons.
— Laozi
“Divide and conquer” is the golden maxim of the oppressors of mankind. It is by arousing race antipathies and exciting national animosities, by appealing to local prejudices and setting people against people, that aristocracies and despotisms have been founded and maintained. They who would free men must rise above such feelings if they would be successful.
— Henry George
War is a human condition in which power and glory go to the most base and vicious people.
