Quotes About Conflict

ABSURDITY, n. A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.

ACCUSE, v.t. To affirm another's guilt or unworth; most commonly as a justification of ourselves for having wronged him.

BOUNDARY, n. In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations, separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of the other.

The fever of battle burned hot in its heart; its brain was intoxicated with the wine of strife.

A guerra é a forma de Deus en­si­nar ge­o­grafia aos ame­ri­ca­nos.

En tiempo de paz prepara la guerra" tiene un significado más profundo de lo que parece; quiere decir, no sólo que todas las cosas terrestres tienen un fin, que el cambio es la única ley inmutable y eterna, sino que el terreno de la paz está sembrado con las semillas de la guerra y favorece su germinación y crecimiento.

GUNPOWDER, n. An agency employed by civilized nations for the settlement of disputes which might become troublesome if left unadjusted. By most writers the invention of gunpowder is ascribed to the Chinese, but not upon very convincing evidence. Milton says it was invented by the devil to dispel angels with, and this opinion seems to derive some support from the scarcity of angels.

INSURRECTION, n. An unsuccessful revolution. Disaffection's failure to substitute misrule for bad government.

LITIGANT, n. A person about to give up his skin for the hope of retaining his bones. LITIGATION, n. A machine which you go into as a pig and come out of as a sausage.

LOGOMACHY, n. A war in which the weapons are words and the wounds punctures in the swim-bladder of self-esteem—a kind of contest in which, the vanquished being unconscious of defeat, the victor is denied the reward of success.

APOLOGIZE, v.i. To lay the foundation for a future offence.

CANNON, n. An instrument employed in the rectification of national boundaries.

PROJECTILE, n. The final arbiter in international disputes. Formerly these disputes were settled by physical contact of the disputants, with such simple arguments as the rudimentary logic of the times could supply—the sword, the spear, and so forth. With the growth of prudence in military affairs the projectile came more and more into favor, and is now held in high esteem by the most courageous. Its capital defect is that it requires personal attendance at the point of propulsion.

CONTROVERSY, n. A battle in which spittle or ink replaces the injurious cannon-ball and the inconsiderate bayonet.

My cousin tried to kill me today, he said. He realized that his voice held an edge of hysteria. She nearly succeeded. But I guess that's fair, since I was trying to kill her at the time.

Excuse me." The cold voice behind us made me cringe for reasons that had nothing to do with falcons or Rei's abdication. Danica turned with a smile, and I struggled to do the same. Despite how well the recent months had gone, Nacola Shardae still refused to believe that a serpiente man could possibly be the right mate for her only daughter. Because of that, she hated me as only a mother could.

when merchants and traders begin to run wars – hundreds of lives depend on bribes.

Well, he's scraping up what there is. Reckon we'll need every ready hand when it comes to a battle. Yours too, maybe.' 'Oh, you'll have to hold me back!' Calder slapped the hilt of his sword. 'Can't wait to get started!' 'You ever even drawn the fucking thing?' sneered Tenways, stretching his neck out to spit again. 'Just the once. I had to trim your daughter's hairy cunt before I could get at it.

That's what war does. Strips people and places of their identities and turns them into enemies in a line, positions to be taken, resources to be foraged. Anonymous things that can be carelessly crushed, and stolen, and burned without guilt.

War is no place for good men.

Hard words are for fools and cowards. Calder might have been both, but Logen was neither. If you mean to kill, you're better getting right to it than talking about it. Talk only makes the other man ready, and that's the last thing you want. So Logen said nothing. Calder could take that for weakness if he pleased, and so much the better. Fights might find Logen depressingly often, but he was long, long past looking for them.

Let Father Peace spill tears over the methods. Mother War smiles upon results.

A man with a missing eye after a man with a missing finger. There's a song in there somewhere, I reckon.

In bloody days, swords were worth more than gods.