None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
What is human warfare but just this; an effort to make the laws of God and nature take sides with one party.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Human warfare seeks to align divine and natural laws with one group's interests against another.
Henry David Thoreau's quote reflects on the nature of human conflict, suggesting that warfare is not merely about physical battles but rather about an attempt to manipulate moral and natural principles to justify one's cause. It points to a deeper truth that in war, individuals often appeal to higher powers to validate their actions, framing their struggles as not just personal or political, but as aligned with cosmic laws.
Themes
WarfareConflictNatureLawsGodPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a history class discussing the justifications of war.
More from Henry David Thoreau
All quotes →Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
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Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
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As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.
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That grand old poem called Winter
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