“A civilization at war chooses only the most obvious enemy, and often also the one perceived, at first, to be the most easily defeatable. But that enemy is not the true enemy, nor is it the gravest threat to that civilisation. Thus a civilization at war often chooses the wrong enemy.”

The Bonehunters (2006)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Aug. 5, 2022. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "A civilization at war chooses only the most obvious enemy, and often also the one perceived, at first, to be the most e…" by Steven Erikson?
Steven Erikson photo
Steven Erikson 136
Canadian fantasy author 1959

Related quotes

George W. Bush photo

“Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

2000s, 2005, Address to the National Endowment for Democracy (October 2005)

Norodom Sihanouk photo
Albert Kesselring photo

“War is possible only if you have a lot of enemies. If all the enemies get together and form one front - if you cut down the number of enemies - there would be no war.”

Albert Kesselring (1885–1960) German Luftwaffe Generalfeldmarschall during World War II

To Leon Goldensohn, February 4, 1946, from "The Nuremberg Interviews" by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004.

George Orwell photo

“Having defeated your enemy you have to choose (unless you want another war within a generation) between exterminating him and treating him generously.”

George Orwell (1903–1950) English author and journalist

Source: "As I Please," Tribune, (24 December 1943)

Ho Chi Minh photo

“The Trotskyists are not only the enemies of Communism, they are also the enemies of democracy and of progress. They are the most infamous traitors and spies.”

Ho Chi Minh (1890–1969) Vietnamese communist leader and first president of Vietnam

From a letter sent to the Communist Party of Vietnam, quoted in Vietnam & Trotskyism https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/vietnam/pirani/hochiminh.htm (1987)

Eric Hoffer photo

“A war is not won if the defeated enemy has not been turned into a friend.”

Eric Hoffer (1898–1983) American philosopher

Source: Reflections on the Human Condition (1973), p. 127

Sun Tzu photo
Lev Mekhlis photo

“Our war with the capitalist world will be a just and progressive war. The Red Army will act decisively, seeking complete defeat and destruction of the enemy, transferring combat operations to the territory of the enemy.”

Lev Mekhlis (1889–1953) Soviet politician

Speech to Red Army personnel, 13 May 1940
Source: http://www.warmech.ru/1941war/sher_4.html

George S. Patton photo

“We've defeated the wrong enemy”

George S. Patton (1885–1945) United States Army general

It is unknown if Patton ever said these precise words. However, Anthony Cave Brown notes https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/36062/did-gen-patton-say-we-defeated-the-wrong-enemy/36063#36063 in Bodyguard of Lies Volume II that "Patton was relieved of command of the 3rd Army by Eisenhower just after the end of the war for stating publicly that America had been fighting the wrong enemy— Germany instead of Russia", so it is at least an accurate paraphrase. For further discussion, see relevant threads on skeptics.stackexchange.com https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/36062/did-gen-patton-say-we-defeated-the-wrong-enemy and /r/AskHistorians https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/640pg5/what_did_general_george_s_patton_mean_when_he/.
Disputed

Sun Tzu photo

“Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.”

是故上攻伐谋
The Art of War, Chapter III · Strategic Attack
Variant: Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

Related topics