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The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.

— Robert Wilson Lynd Searchlights and Nightingales [Google Books snippet view only (1939)

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War

More quotes by Robert Wilson Lynd

In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.

Solomon in All His Glory (1922)

We welcome almost any break in the monotony of things, and a man has only to murder a series of wives in a new way to become known to millions of people who have never heard of Homer.

Most of us can remember a time when a birthday — especially if it was one's own — brightened the world as if a second sun had risen.

Robert Lynd (1969)

There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas.

The art of writing history is the art of emphasizing the significant facts at the expense of the insignificant. And it is the same in every field of knowledge. Knowledge is power only if a man knows what facts not to bother about.

Robert Lynd (1926)

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All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.

Albert Einstein Moral Decay (1937)

The last half of the 20th century will seem like a wild party for rich kids, compared to what's coming now.

Hunter S. Thompson

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

George Santayana Soliloquies in England and Later Soliloquies (1922)

Wars produce many stories of fiction, some of which are told until they are believed to be true.

Ulysses S. Grant Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant (1885)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Robert Wilson Lynd (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.