I have a talent for dealing with difficult men.
Military police know what to do, they know the Geneva Conventions, and their objective is to provide a safe, secure, fair environment for prisoners under their control.
No one starts a war—or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so—without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war, and how he intends to conduct it.
You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war.
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war
Diplomacy is the art of letting somebody else have your way.
When a war breaks out, people say: "It's too stupid; it can't last long." But though a war may well be "too stupid," that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.
Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.
War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men.
Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.
If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
It must be thoroughly understood that war is a necessity, and that the more readily we accept it, the less will be the ardor of our opponents.
Democracy is usually seen as a pacifying force that “draws the teeth” from conflict.
The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.
Don't try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.
To make peace, one must be an uncompromising leader. To make peace, one must also embody compromise.
It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.
Violence should not always beget more violence.
History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasse. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skillful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom.
Six years ago today war was declared. Now we are starting again with officially declared peace the world in physical and spiritual chaos. History in the making can be most exhausting.
The most intense conflicts, if overcome, leave behind a sense of security and calm that is not easily disturbed. It is just these intense conflicts and their conflagration which are needed to produce valuable and lasting results.
I do have a very deep sense of regret that there was a conflict and that people lost their lives, and you know, many were responsible for that - and a lot of them wear pinstripe suits in London today.
War should be the last resort, not the first response.
A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant and a bastard.
Our shared historical experiences led myself and Mitterrand to the decision that we must do everything to prevent further wars.
