An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
War inherently involves suffering and brutality that cannot be softened or improved.
William Tecumseh Shermanβs quote emphasizes the harsh realities of war, portraying it as a cruel and destructive force that cannot be made more palatable. Instead of romanticizing warfare or trying to soften its impact, Sherman suggests that one must confront the brutal nature of conflict as it truly is, recognizing that any effort to refine or improve war is ultimately futile.
Themes
WarCrueltyBrutalityConflictSuffering
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a debate about the ethics of military action.
More from William Tecumseh Sherman
All quotes βEvery attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
I think I understand what military fame is; to be killed on the field of battle and have your name misspelled in the newspapers.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
The young bloods of the South: sons of planters, lawyers about towns, good billiard-players and sportsmen, men who never did any work and never will... They are splendid riders, first-rate shots and utterly reckless. These men must all be killed or employed by us before we can hope for peace.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
You people of the South don't know what you are doing. This country will be drenched in blood, and God only knows how it will end. It is all folly, madness, a crime against civilization! You people speak so lightly of war; you don't know what you're talking about.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
War is too serious a matter to leave to soldiers.
William Tecumseh ShermanRead
Similar quotes
I am no more lonely than a single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel, or a horse-fly, or a bumblebee. I am no more lonely than the Mill Brook, or a weathercock, or the north star, or the south wind, or an April shower, or a January thaw, or the first spider in a new house.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Whatever you perceive, you always make a story with yourself as the main character, and that dictates your life. Then when you read 'The Four Agreements', you hear another voice beneath the story, the voice that comes from your integrity, your spirit.
Miguel Angel RuizRead
The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses.
Francis BaconRead
If God is the Creator of all things and evil is a thing, then God is the Creator of evil and He is to be blamed for its existence. No, evil is not a thing but a wrong choice, or the damage done by a wrong choice. Evil is no more a positive thing than blindness is, but it is just as real.
Peter KreeftRead
This world owes all its forward impulses to people ill at ease.
Nathaniel HawthorneRead
When life is victorious, there is birth; when it is thwarted, there is death. A warrior is always engaged in a life-and-death struggle for Peace.
Morihei UeshibaRead