Albert Einstein Quotes

We believe in peace, but we are not pacifists. Sometimes we have to use force

There is a difference between myself and some of the peace people in Europe: whereas they think that the ultimate evil in the world is war, I think the ultimate evil in the world is aggression, and aggression sometimes must be repelled by force.

War can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.

A sane person doesn't think war is a good idea. I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go looking for those things.

Repel force by force

If the fight comes unsolicited, I am not willing to die meekly, to surrender without an effort. And that being so, am I still a pacifist?

Those of us who are most genuinely repelled by war and violence are also those who are most likely to decide that some things, after all, are worth fighting for.

A serious pacifist approach can't win wars against enemies whose only program is violence. That doesn't mean I think the US has fought terrorists so wisely most of the time since 9/11. But there are some enemies that need to be destroyed by force lest they destroy much much more.

For realists, war is like surgery-a painful and dangerous activity that is sometimes necessary ... A pacifist is like a Christian Scientist who is against surgery even when the alternative is the crippling or death of the patient.

Unless a nation's life faces peril, war is murder.

Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace.

If there is no direct threat why are we invading?

I'm really interested in how conflicts arise and how they reach points of no return. I'm no pacifist. Sometimes force is necessary. But war is a choice.

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.

If you are not prepared to use force to defend civilization, then be prepared to accept barbarism.

I'm not a pacifist. I feel that there are situations where fighting is inescapable, but we don't go looking for those things.

The essence of war is violence. Moderation in war is imbecility.

I am too realistic to believe in pacifism. But, nevertheless, the use of force should always be the last resort.

If it's to be a bloodbath, let it be now. Appeasement is not the answer.

Being a pacifist means that you do not seek a fight, that you use every means in your power to prevent a fight …. but if war comes into your own country, then even a pacifist it seems to me, must stand up and fight for their beliefs.

It is a mortal sin for a Catholic to become or remain a member of an organization or society, which arrogates to itself the right to bear arms or to use them against another state.

Pacifism in the face of war is not only irresponsible - it is immoral. Refusing to meet force with force in the name of peace will beget not peace, but further death and destruction, the very violence the pacifists seek to avoid.

Arms are instruments of ill omen, not the instruments of the gentleman. When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish.

Beyond the futility of armed force, and ultimately more important, is the fact that war in our time inevitably results in the indiscriminate killing of large numbers of people. To put it more bluntly, war is terrorism. That is why a 'war on terrorism' is a contradiction in terms.

The worst thing about war is that so many people enjoy it.