Golda Meir Quotes

Is a military solution the only way to stop nations from doing bad things?

The main force used in the evolving world of humanity has hitherto been applied in the form of war.

We must be prepared to face our responsibilities and be willing to use force if necessary.

We must strive to restrain the destructive force of war, while recognizing its inexorable necessities

Force should never be the first answer, but sometimes it is the only answer.

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations—acting individually or in concert—will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

The United States will never take part in an aggressive war.

War should be not a war of choice; it should be a war of necessity. And it should be a last resort.

I am constantly challenged by pessimists who insist that military solutions are the only way to go. This was true in the 1980s, and it is true today. You should know that I do not consider myself a pacifist; there are times, in my view, when military action may be necessary.

War is much too serious a thing to be left to military men.

We had the courage to face the superpowers that wanted a military triumph for each side they supported in Central America. We told them, 'No,' and presented a peace plan.

Number one, that it is smart to communicate and negotiate with your enemy instead of just waging war with bombs and weapons of mass destruction.

I am, on principle, opposed to war and in favor of peace because I regard peace as a positive good and war as a positive evil.

Violence is my last option.

Though no one wants war, Congress needed to give the President the authority he needs to protect America while encouraging the use of diplomacy and negotiations to try and arrive at a peaceful solution to this problem.

America must be a light to the world, not just a missile.

Every government has as much of a duty to avoid war as a ship's captain has to avoid a shipwreck.

The surest way to prevent war is not to fear it.

I am in favor of a foreign policy that will cultivate relations of peace with all nations, and I will never give my influence, either as a private citizen or a public servant, for war, so long as it can be honorably avoided.

The stark and inescapable fact is that today we cannot defend our society by war since total war is total destruction, and if war is used as an instrument of policy, eventually we will have total war.

Iraq will not allow any action on its soil that could harm the U.S. We don't want any action from our soil to target our neighbors.

I think that war is diplomacy by other means, for sure, and there have been wars that have been fought for righteous reasons. There are wars that have had to be fought, and there will probably continue to be.

A world without war is not in the cards.

To establish any mode to abolish war, however advantageous it might be to Nations, would be to take from such Government the most lucrative of its branches.

If men do not now succeed in abolishing war, civilization and mankind are doomed.