Norman Schwarzkopf Quotes

If not in the interests of the state, do not act. If you cannot succeed, do not use troops. If you are not in danger, do not fight.

... the greatest moral victory in the history of civilization if it actually keeps out of a war.

Often, foreign policy - which, by definition, is largely out of American control - is simply a matter of not doing the wrong thing, the unwise thing.

I am the friend of peace and mean to preserve it for America so long as I am able. . . . No course of my choosing or of their (nations at war) will lead to war. War can come only by the wilful acts and aggressions of others.

Saying you don't want to enter every potential war in the Middle East doesn't make you an isolationist; it makes you wise.

The great lesson to be learned in the battered towns of England and the ruined cities of Germany is that the best way to win a war is to prevent it from occurring.

A wise minister would rather preserve peace than gain a victory, because he knows that even the most successful war leaves nations generally more poor, always more profligate, than it found them.

The United States is not looking for a way to launch war.

The biggest difference would be made if we don't have wars to begin with.

I consider even a victorious war as an evil, from which statesmanship must endeavor to spare nations.

I don't want to fight any wars; if you can get them off before we get there, you do it, but off they go.

A brilliant man would find a way not to fight a war.

Violence is absolutely not our method.

War can be avoided, and it ought to be avoided. I want no war.

To my mind, what we ought to have maintained from the beginning was the strictest neutrality. If we had done this, I do not believe we would have been on the verge of war at the present time.

Preventing a war is tantamount to winning a war.

The great Chinese classics have always said that it's better not to fight; that the clever man achieves his ends without violence; that a battle delayed is better than a battle fought.

I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.

What I'm trying to do, and my policy, is to disassociate, to shy away from what's going on in Syria.

Neutrality is a negative word. It does not express what America ought to feel. We are not trying to keep out of trouble; we are trying to preserve the foundations on which peace may be rebuilt.

Although we are very strong, we are pursuing a very calculating and moderate policy. We prefer a political solution and are managing the situation accordingly.

All members will refrain in their international relations from the threat or the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

Let us above all things avoid as much as possible entangling ourselves with their wars and politics … America has been the sport of European wars and politics long enough.

Our plan was to have no Interest, Connection or Embarrassment in the Politicks or Wars of Europe, if we could avoid it.

Keep us out of war. Be neutral.