Thursday 25 June 2009

Words of Wisdom from the Once and Future King

Though published in 1958, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, has a lot of wisdom to impart to those of us living now. Parts of the novel are obvious commentaries on the second world war, but war is impartial and the observations he makes are equally valid now. These quotes are just a small sample.

"...It has to be admitted that starving nations never seem to be quite so starving that they cannot afford to have far more expensive armaments than anybody else..."

"There is no excuse for war, none whatever, and whatever the wrong which your nation might be doing to mine - short of war - my nation would be in the wrong if it started a war so as to redress it. A murderer, for instance, is not allowed to plead that his victim was rich and oppressing him - so why should a nation be allowed to? Wrongs have to be redressed by reason, not by force."

"We cannot build the future by avenging the past."

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