“War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.”

—  Thomas Mann

As quoted in This I Believe (1954), by Edward R. Murrow, p. 16
Variant: War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace.
Source: This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of One Hundred Thoughtful Men and Women

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Oct. 1, 2023. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace." by Thomas Mann?
Thomas Mann photo
Thomas Mann 159
German novelist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate 1875–1955

Related quotes

Erich Fromm photo

“Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.”

Erich Fromm (1900–1980) German social psychologist and psychoanalyst

Source: Man for Himself (1947), Ch. 3 "Human Nature and Character

Walker Percy photo

“Peace is only better than war if peace is not hell too. War being hell makes sense.”

Walker Percy book The Second Coming

The Second Coming (1980)

Sri Chinmoy photo

“Man invents war. Man discovers peace. He invents war from without. He discovers peace from within. War man throws. Peace man sows. The smile of war is the flood of human blood. The smile of peace is the love, below, above.”

Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007) Indian writer and guru

Songs of the Soul (1971)

Pope John Paul II photo

“Faced with problems and disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility: escape in selfishness, escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence, escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. But today, I propose to you the option of love, which is the opposite of escape.”

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) 264th Pope of the Catholic Church, saint

Homily during the Holy Mass on Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts, on 1 October 1979, during the pope's first apostolic journey to the United States
Source: Libreria Editrice Vaticana http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/homilies/1979/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_19791001_usa-boston_en.html

A. J. Muste photo

“We cannot have peace if we are only concerned with peace. War is not an accident. It is the logical outcome of a certain way of life. If we want to attack war, we have to attack that way of life.
Disarmament cannot be achieved nor can the problem of war be resolved without being accompanied by profound changes in the economic order and the structure of society.”

A. J. Muste (1885–1967) Christian pacifist and civil rights activist

As quoted in Our Generation Against Nuclear War (1983) by Dimitrios I. Roussopoulos.

Peace Pilgrim photo

“In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful. Among mature people war would not be a problem — it would be impossible.”

Peace Pilgrim (1908–1981) American non-denominational spiritual teacher

Steps Toward Inner Peace : Harmonious Principles for Human Living http://www.peacepilgrim.net/FoPP/htm/steps.htm
Context: In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful. Among mature people war would not be a problem — it would be impossible. In their immaturity people want, at the same time, peace and the things which make war. However, people can mature just as children grow up. Yes, our institutions and our leaders reflect our immaturity, but as we mature we will elect better leaders and set up better institutions. It always comes back to the thing so many of us wish to avoid: working to improve ourselves.

Bertolt Brecht photo

“Their peace and their war
Are like wind and storm.War grows from their peace.”

Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German poet, playwright, theatre director

"Those at the top say: peace and war" [Die Oberen sagen: Friede und Krieg] from "A German War Primer" [Deutsche Kriegsfibel] (1937), trans. Lee Baxendall in Poems, 1913-1956, p. 288
Poems, 1913-1956 (1976)

Fortunatus Nwachukwu photo

“Peace that is imposed is only war that is postponed, while peace that is agreed, peace that is reached through dialogue, is lasting peace.”

Fortunatus Nwachukwu (1960) Roman Catholic archbishop

Priests are “first and foremost bridge builders”: Nigerian-born Permanent Observer to UN https://www.aciafrica.org/news/5470/priests-are-first-and-foremost-bridge-builders-nigerian-born-permanent-observer-to-un (18 March 2022)

Pope John Paul II photo

“wars are often the cause of further wars because they fuel deep hatreds, create situations of injustice and trample upon people's dignity and rights. Wars generally do not resolve the problems for which they are fought and therefore, in addition to causing horrendous damage, they prove ultimately futile. War is a defeat for humanity. Only in peace and through peace can respect for human dignity and its inalienable rights be guaranteed.”

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) 264th Pope of the Catholic Church, saint

Message for the celebration of XXXIII World Day of Peace, 8 December 1999
Source: www.vatican.va http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/peace/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_08121999_xxxiii-world-day-for-peace_en.html

Related topics