--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the First World War made painfully…" description: "\"As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg" --- # As the First World War made painfully clear, when… ![“As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have a remarkably enduring tendency not to foresee problems that, in hindsight, seem obvious.” quote by Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg) > “As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have a remarkably enduring tendency not to foresee problems that, in hindsight, seem obvious.” [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders often underestimate war complexities, assuming quick victories and overlooking obvious problems. **In simple terms:** War leaders assume easy wins and miss obvious risks. Key Takeaway Plan for long‑term challenges. Themes war leadership overconfidence historical lessons strategy Mood cautious critical Type historical political When to use this quote - campaign planning - policy making - historical study Key Concepts military history political analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders better anticipate hidden risks? - What checks prevent blind optimism? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can lead to catastrophic miscalculations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Assume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Enduring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring/) [Enduring Tendency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring-tendency-1629594/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [First world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-world/) [First world war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-world-war/) [Foresee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foresee/) [Generals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generals/) [Hindsight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindsight/) [Invariably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invariably/) [Lead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Painfully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painfully/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians/) [Politicians Generals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians-generals-681787/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Remarkably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remarkably/) [Seem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seem/) [Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swift/) [Tendency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendency/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Invariably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-invariably-1629592/) [War Painfully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-painfully-1629593/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/) ## Related quotes > [“Every war invariably results in terrible tragedies, immense waste and sinful destruction. All wars, no matter how big or small, how nearby or far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takayuki-ishii/every-war-invariably-results-in-terrible-tragedies-immense-waste-and/) [Takayuki Ishii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takayuki-ishii/) > [All of the promises of politicians, generals, madmen, and crusaders that war can create peace have yet to be borne out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/all-of-the-promises-of-politicians-generals-madmen-and-crusaders-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“I resent the hell out of the politicians and generals who force events on us that structure our lives, that dictate the memories we'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-garc-a/i-resent-the-hell-out-of-the-politicians-and-generals-who-force/) [Cristina García](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-garc-a/) > [Not only generals can be politicians, and not only generals can be defense ministers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-shaked/not-only-generals-can-be-politicians-and-not-only-generals-can-be/) [Ayelet Shaked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-shaked/) > [“One of the main secrets of success is the ability to foresee the situation a few steps forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahara-sanders/one-of-the-main-secrets-of-success-is-the-ability-to-foresee-the/) [Sahara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahara-sanders/) > [He who would foresee what is to happen should look to what has happened: for all that is has its counterpart in time past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/he-who-would-foresee-what-is-to-happen-should-look-to-what-has/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [The mind cannot foresee its own advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-mind-cannot-foresee-its-own-advance/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Just as the PC bled back into industrial economy, I think the Internet is going to bleed back into our overall economy and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/just-as-the-pc-bled-back-into-industrial-economy-i-think-the-internet/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [“I do not foresee making love with an animal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/i-do-not-foresee-making-love-with-an-animal/) [Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/) > [“The mind can never foresee its own advance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-mind-can-never-foresee-its-own-advance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If men could foresee the future, they would still behave as they do now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russian-proverb/if-men-could-foresee-the-future-they-would-still-behave-as-they-do-now/) [Russian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russian-proverb/) > [For healthy adult people, the really big thing we can foresee are ways of intervening in the ageing process, either by slowing or reversing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bostrom/for-healthy-adult-people-the-really-big-thing-we-can-foresee-are-ways/) [Nick Bostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bostrom/) > [If I had political responsibility, I would want to prepare for a plan B that would foresee that the European currency union, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peer-steinbruck/if-i-had-political-responsibility-i-would-want-to-prepare-for-a-plan/) [Peer Steinbruck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peer-steinbruck/) > [“I foresee that my life will be much better in future”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-c-mathobela/i-foresee-that-my-life-will-be-much-better-in-future/) [K.C Mathobela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-c-mathobela/) > [I didn't foresee troubles in my second film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/i-didn-t-foresee-troubles-in-my-second-film/) [Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/) ## More by Adam Hochschild > [“No one can know, of course, accurate population figures from an era before there was a census, but many officials on the ground at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/no-one-can-know-of-course-accurate-population-figures-from-an-era/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“those who made the greatest fortunes from the Scramble for Africa, like Leopold, were often men who had fortunes to begin with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/those-who-made-the-greatest-fortunes-from-the-scramble-for-africa/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“The lust for slave profits engulfed even some of the priests, who abandoned their preaching, took black women as concubines, kept slaves themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/the-lust-for-slave-profits-engulfed-even-some-of-the-priests-who/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [All of us living in today's world are facing an enormous crisis - arguably the greatest that humanity has ever faced - in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/all-of-us-living-in-today-s-world-are-facing-an-enormous-crisis/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“Nelson W. Aldrich of Rhode Island. Aldrich, a multimillionaire, a card-playing partner of J. Pierpont Morgan, the father-in-law of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/nelson-w-aldrich-of-rhode-island-aldrich-a-multimillionaire-a-card/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“The very people who are most ardent against entangling alliances insist most fanatically upon our doing one hundred things a year on humanitarian grounds. . . .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/the-very-people-who-are-most-ardent-against-entangling-alliances/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [ “When Leopold wrote that the precise frontiers of the new state or states would be defined later, \[German Chancellor\] Bismarck said to an aide,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/when-leopold-wrote-that-the-precise-frontiers-of-the-new-state-or/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [Compared with how we've ducked it in the United States, Canada should be really proud of how you have welcomed a significant number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/compared-with-how-we-ve-ducked-it-in-the-united-states-canada-should/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“There was nothing inherently wrong with colonialism, he felt, if its administration was fair and just. He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/there-was-nothing-inherently-wrong-with-colonialism-he-felt-if-its/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“The others had been driven into the desert to die of thirst (the Germans poisoned the waterholes), were shot, or—to economize on bullets—bayoneted or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/the-others-had-been-driven-into-the-desert-to-die-of-thirst-the/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“We run the risk of someday seeing our native population collapse and disappear,” fretfully declared the permanent committee of the National Colonial Congress of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/we-run-the-risk-of-someday-seeing-our-native-population-collapse-and/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“Those who are conquered," wrote the philosopher Ibn Khaldun in the fourteenth century, "always want to imitate the conqueror in his main characteristics—in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/those-who-are-conquered-wrote-the-philosopher-ibn-khaldun-in-the/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“each of the two great archrivals, Booker T. Washington and WE.B. Du Bois, invited”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/each-of-the-two-great-archrivals-booker-t-washington-and-we-b-du-bois/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/work-is-hard-distractions-are-plentiful-and-time-is-short/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [“A parade of witnesses offered horrifying testimony. One of the most impressive was Chief Lontulu of Bolima, who had been flogged with the chicotte,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/a-parade-of-witnesses-offered-horrifying-testimony-one-of-the-most/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) [Explore all 114 Adam Hochschild quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have a remarkably enduring tendency not to foresee problems that, in hindsight, seem obvious.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Adam Hochschild" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d1/adam-hochschild-4138_almost_as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-cl_145048.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they…” — Adam Hochschild", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Adam Hochschild", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As the First World War made...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/as-the-first-world-war-made-painfully-clear-when-politicians-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```