Tuesday 13 March 2007

Fighting fire with fire

"Let us learn our lessons. Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on that strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realise that, once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events. Antiquated war officers, weak, incompetent or arrogant commanders, untrustworthy allies, hostile neutrals, malignant fortune, ugly surprises, awful miscalculations - all take their seat at the Council Board on the morrow of a declaration of war."

Winston Churchill, quoted in a letter to The Times

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great quote and something to think about.
Another one: ' A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled to, and less than that no man shall have.'
Theodore Roosvelt (1885-1919) speech at the Lincoln Monument, Springfield, Ilinois, 4th June 1903.
Do we give our fighting soldiers a square deal? Sometimes? What do you guys think?
Do we give our war journalists a square deal? This blog gives me the impression that the answer is NO

Anonymous said...

Great quote. Katriona you have me hooked with this blog. Keep up the great work.