Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage, and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the contrasting values of youth and age in the context of war and peace.
Alec Guinness suggests that young men are often the instigators of wars, driven by virtues such as courage and an optimistic vision for the future. In contrast, older men, having experienced the consequences of conflict, tend to approach peace with a mindset colored by mistrust and caution, highlighting the differences in perspective that come with age and experience.
In practice
In a discussion on the motivations behind historical conflicts.
An Actor is an interpreter of other men's words, often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not, a craftsman, a bag of tricks, a vanity bag, a cool observer of mankind, a child and at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerize a group of innocents.
Every period ruled by mystics was an era of stagnation and want, when most men were on strike against existence.
God is the Great Engineer, creating circumstances to bring about moments in our lives of divine importance, leading us to divine appointments
Again, I shall be told that the law presumes the husband to be kind, affectionate, and ready to provide for and protect his wife. But what right, I ask, has the law to presume at all on the subject?
To humiliate and be humiliated, I think, is a crucial element in our whole social structure. It's not only the artist I'm sorry for. It's just that I know exactly where he feels most humiliated.
Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today.
In our sad condition our only consolation is the expectancy of another life. Here below all is incomprehensible.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.