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.
... let everyone regard himself as the steward of God in all things which he possesses.
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home.
Common sense means living in the world as it is today; but creative people are people who don't want the world as it is today but want to make another world.
My dear young lady, crime, like death, is not confined to the old and withered alone. The youngest and fairest are too often its chosen victims.
Liberty not only means that the individual has both the opportunity and the burden of choice; it also means that he must bear the consequences of his actions. Liberty and responsibility are inseparable.
Some people would claim that things like love, joy and beauty belong to a different category from science and can't be described in scientific terms, but I think they can now be explained by the theory of evolution.
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