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Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
Otto Von Bismarck
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Preventive war is an irrational act driven by fear, akin to taking extreme measures against a perceived threat to one's existence.

This quote by Otto Von Bismarck suggests that engaging in a preventive war, or waging war to avoid a future threat, is fundamentally flawed and self-destructive. It uses the metaphor of suicide to illustrate the irrationality of taking drastic actions motivated by fear rather than rational decision-making, emphasizing that such actions often lead to more harm than good.

Themes

Preventive WarFearSuicideIrrationalitySelf-DestructionPhilosophy

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about military strategy, you could use this quote to highlight the dangers of acting out of fear.

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