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Leo Tolstoy Quotes about War

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Patriotism in its simplest, clearest, and most indubitable meaning is nothing but an instrument for the attainment of the government's ambitious and mercenary aims, and a renunciation of human dignity, common sense, and

Patriotism in its simplest, clearest, and most indubitable meaning is nothing but an instrument for the attainment of the government's ambitious and mercenary aims, and a renunciation of human dignity, common sense, and conscience by the governed, and a slavish submission to those who hold power. That is what is really preached wherever patriotism is championed. Patriotism is slavery.

War, Government, Common Sense

Leo Tolstoy (graf) (1951). “The kingdom of God: and peace essays”

If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.

War, Would Be, Conviction

Leo Tolstoy (2016). “War and Peace”, Xist Publishing

The greater the state, the more wrong and cruel its patriotism, and the greater is the sum of suffering upon which its power is founded.

Peace, War, Patriotism

Leo Tolstoy, J. M. Packham (2015). “Leo Tolstoy: Letters and Papers”, p.15, Lulu Press, Inc

To abolish war it is necessary to abolish patriotism, and to abolish patriotism it is necessary first to understand that it is an evil. Tell people that patriotism is bad and most will reply, 'Yes, bad patriotism is bad, but mine is good patriotism.'

War, People, Evil

You consider war to be inevitable? Very good. Let everyone who advocates war be enrolled in a special regiment of advance-guards, for the front of every storm, of every attack, to lead them all!

War, Special, Storm

Leo Tolstoy (2015). “Anna Karenina: Tolstoy's Collections”, p.866, 谷月社

Tell people that war is an evil, and they will laugh; for who does not know it? Tell them that patriotism is an evil, and most of them will agree, but with a reservation. "Yes," they will say, "wrong patriotism is an evil; but there is another kind, the kind we hold." But just what this good patriotism is, no one explains.

War, People, Evil

graf Leo Tolstoy (1899). “Essays, Letters, Miscellanies. [Edited by Nathan Haskell Dole]”

In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments, the governments alone, independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful.

Peace, War, Independent

graf Leo Tolstoy (1904). “Essays, letters, miscellanies”

War is so unjust and ugly that all who wage it must try to stifle the voice of conscience within themselves.

War, Voice, Trying

Indeed, ask every man separately whether he thinks it laudable and worthy of a man of this age to hold a position from which he receives a salary disproportionate to his work; to take from the people--often in poverty--taxes to be spent on constructing cannon, torpedoes, and other instruments of butchery, so as to make war on people with whom we wish to be at peace, and who feel the same wish in regard to us; or to receive a salary for devoting one's whole life to constructing these instruments of butchery, or to preparing oneself and others for the work of murder.

War, Men, Thinking

War is like a game of chess ... but with this little difference, that in chess you may think over each move as long as you please and are not limited for time, and with this difference too, that a knight is always stronger than a pawn, and two pawns are always stronger than one, while in war a battalion is sometimes stronger than a division and sometimes weaker than a company. The relative strength of bodies of troops can never be known to anyone.... Success never depends, and never will depend, on position, or equipment, or even on numbers, and least of all on position.

War, Moving, Thinking

Christianity, with its doctrine of humility, of forgiveness, of love, is incompatible with the state, with its haughtiness, its violence, its punishment, its wars

Love, Christian, War

War is not courtesy but the most horrible thing in life; and we ought to understand that, and not play at war. We ought to accept this terrible necessity sternly and seriously. It all lies in that: get rid of falsehood and let war be war and not a game.

War, Lying, Games

Leo Tolstoy (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Leo Tolstoy (Illustrated)”, p.1507, Delphi Classics

We must not only cease our present desire for the growth of the state, but we must desire its decrease, its weakening.

Peace, War, Growth

Leo Tolstoy, J. M. Packham (2015). “Leo Tolstoy: Letters and Papers”, p.15, Lulu Press, Inc

Well, my theory is this: war is such a terrible, such an atrocious, thing that no man, at least no Christian man, has the right to assume the responsibility of beginning it; but it belongs to government alone, when it becomes inevitable.

Christian, War, Responsibility

"Anna Karenina".

War is not a polite recreation but the vilest thing in life, and we ought to understand that and not play at war.

War, Play, Things In Life

Leo Tolstoy (2012). “War and Peace”, p.886, Modern Library

[D]iscipline consists in this, that the men who undergo the instruction and have followed it for a certain time are completely deprived of everything which is precious to a man-of the chief human property, rational freedom-and become submissive, machine-like implements of murder in the hands of their organized hierarchic authorities.

War, Men, Hands

graf Leo Tolstoy (1905). “The Complete Works of Count Tolstoy”

Men are so accustomed to maintaining external order by violence that they cannot conceive of life being possible without violence.

Peace, War, Men

Where is there any book of the law so clear to each man as that written in his heart?

War, Book, Heart

Leo Tolstoy (2016). “What Men Live By and Other Tales”, p.39, Xist Publishing

Violence produces only something resembling justice, but it distances people from the possibility of living justly, without violence.

Peace, War, Distance

It boils down to this: we should have done with humbug, and let war be war, and not a game ... If there were none of this magnanimity business in warfare, we should never go to war, except for something worth facing certain death for.

War, Should Have, Games

What an immense mass of evil must result...from allowing men to assume the right of anticipating what may happen.

Peace, War, Men

Leo Tolstoy (2009). “The Kingdom of God Is Within You: Easyread Edition”, p.42, ReadHowYouWant.com

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