War is capitalism with the gloves off.

“War is capitalism with the gloves off.”

Tom Stoppard

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

War is capitalism stripped of its polite veneer, exposing raw competition.

In simple terms: War is capitalism unmasked.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the true nature of conflict.

Themes

war capitalism truth

Mood

analytical provocative

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

political analysis
military strategy
media critique

Key Concepts

economic exploitation human nature

Questions to Reflect On

Is war always economic?
What other forces drive conflict?

A Different Perspective

Simplifies complex causes of war to economics alone.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Tom Stoppard

If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.

Tom Stoppard

If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…

Tom Stoppard

Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.

Tom Stoppard

After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with having an ashtray just out of eye line.

Tom Stoppard

The universe is deterministic all right, just like Newton said, I mean it's trying to be, but the only thing going wrong is people…

Tom Stoppard

For me, human rights simply endorse a view of life and a set of moral values that are perfectly clear to an eight-year-old child.…

Tom Stoppard

“What is an artist? For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…

Tom Stoppard

Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the…

Tom Stoppard

I'm not interested in clothes; I just like them.

Tom Stoppard

For 10 years of my life, 3 times a day, I thanked the Lord for what I was about to receive and thanked him…

Tom Stoppard

You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.

Tom Stoppard

No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.

Tom Stoppard

We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it. Before we know that there are words. Out…

Tom Stoppard

Eternity's a terrible thought. I mean, where's it all going to end?

Tom Stoppard

There is truth and falsehood in a comma.

Tom Stoppard

Explore all 559 Tom Stoppard quotes

More Capitalism quotes

Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.

Rupert Murdoch

Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.

Alan Greenspan

Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.

Ilkin Santak

There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…

Gore Vidal

Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a [Soviet socialistic] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,…

Joseph Stalin

Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.

Eric Kierans

Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…

F. A. Harper

The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…

Anonymous

Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.

Mstislav Rostropovich

There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.

Anatoly Chubais

It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…

Robert Kuttner

Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…

John Adams