Laws are like sausages. You sleep far better the less you know about how they are made.
Otto Von BismarckRead
Preventive war is like committing suicide out of fear of death.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Preventive war is an irrational act driven by fear, akin to taking extreme measures against a perceived threat to one's existence.
This quote by Otto Von Bismarck suggests that engaging in a preventive war, or waging war to avoid a future threat, is fundamentally flawed and self-destructive. It uses the metaphor of suicide to illustrate the irrationality of taking drastic actions motivated by fear rather than rational decision-making, emphasizing that such actions often lead to more harm than good.
Themes
Preventive WarFearSuicideIrrationalitySelf-DestructionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about military strategy, you could use this quote to highlight the dangers of acting out of fear.
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The less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better they'll sleep at night
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