Henry L. Stimson Quotes

War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures.

For capitalism, war and peace are business and nothing but business.

The only neutral parties in a war are those who are making money from it.

Nowadays, of course, just about our only solvent industry is the merchandising of death, bankrolled by our grandchildren.

I think that one of the things that we all ask ourselves, whoever we are, is: who stands to make a lot of money out of this [wars]? And, certainly, it comes back to people like armaments makers, and so on and so forth.

The old saying that war is a racket has taken on an even more shameful meaning.

You believe you are dying for the fatherland—you die for some industrialist.

Show me who makes a profit from war, and I'll show you how to stop the war.

The munitions manufacturers and the war lords are in the saddle.

We have been compelled to create an armaments industry of vast proportions.

Like all wars, conflicts bring on great opportunities for business.

War is hugely profitable. It creates so much money because it's so easy to spend money very fast. There are huge fortunes to be made. So there is always an encouragement to promote war and keep it going, to make sure that we identify people who are 'others' whom we can legitimately make war upon.

Wars are never fought for altruistic reasons. They're usually fought for hegemony, for business. And then of course there's the business of war.

Many powerful people don't want peace, because they live off war.

When war becomes a trade, it benefits, like all other trades, from the division of labour.

War is good business Invest your son

That there are men in all countries who get their living by war, and by keeping up the quarrels of Nations is as shocking as it is true.

The 'defense' budget is three quarters of a trillion dollars. Profits went up last year well over 25%. I guarantee you: when war becomes that profitable, we're going to see more of it.

When war comes, two things happen - profits go way, way up and all perishables go way, way down. There becomes a market for them.

Frankly, I'd like to see the government get out of war altogether and leave the whole field to private industry.

The world is organised by the war economy and the war culture.

War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

War is a racket. It always has been... A few profit - and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.

War is big business. It's a lot of money going to and fro, and unfortunately a lot of angst, and a lot of fear, and a lot of doubt. And eventually a lot of wonderful people, like soldiers, like men and women that are out there trying to do the best they can, they come back being wounded on many levels.

War and preparation for war is not a matter of national honor and national defense, but a matter of profit for the few.