It is certain that the two World Wars in which I have participated would
not have occurred had we been prepared. It is my belief that adequate
preparation on our part would have prevented or materially shortened all
our other wars beginning with that of 1812. Yet, after each of our wars,
there has always been a great hue and cry to the effect that there will be
no more wars, that disarmament is the sure road to health, happiness, and
peace; and that by removing the fire department, we will remove fires.
These ideas spring from wishful thinking and from the erroneous belief that
wars result from logical processes. There is no logic in wars. They are
produced by madmen. No man can say when future madmen will reappear. I do
not say that there will be no more wars; I devoutly hope that there will
not, but I do say that the chances of avoiding future wars will be greatly
enhanced if we are ready. -- General George Patton
No comments:
Post a Comment