--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is the oldest ironies that are still…" description: "\"“It is the oldest ironies that are still the most satisfying: man, when preparing for bloody war, will orate loudly and most eloquently in the name of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/alan-moore-583_atomic-bomb_it-is-the-oldest-ironies-that-are-still_2075061.jpg" --- # It is the oldest ironies that are still the most… ![“It is the oldest ironies that are still the most satisfying: man, when preparing for bloody war, will orate loudly and most eloquently in the name of peace. This dichotomy is not an invention of the twentieth century, yet it is in this century that the most striking examples of the phenomena have…” quote by Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/alan-moore-583_atomic-bomb_it-is-the-oldest-ironies-that-are-still_2075061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/alan-moore-583_atomic-bomb_it-is-the-oldest-ironies-that-are-still_2075061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad0/alan-moore-583_atomic-bomb_it-is-the-oldest-ironies-that-are-still_2075061.jpg) > ““It is the oldest ironies that are still the most satisfying: man, when preparing for bloody war, will orate loudly and most eloquently in the name of peace. This dichotomy is not an invention of the twentieth century, yet it is in this century that the most striking examples of the phenomena have appeared. Never before has man pursued global harmony more vocally while amassing stockpiles of weapons so devastating in their effect. The second world war - we were told - was The War to End All Wars. The development of the atomic bomb is the Weapon to End Wars. And yet wars continue. Currently, no nation on this planet is not involved in some form of armed struggle, if not against its neighbors then against internal forces. Furthermore, as ever-escalating amounts of money are poured into the pursuit of the specific weapon or conflict that will bring lasting peace, the drain on our economies creates a rundown urban landscape where crime flourishes and people are concerned less with national security than with the simple personal security needed to stop at the store late a night for a quart of milk without being mugged. The places we struggled so viciously to keep safe are becoming increasingly dangerous. The wars to end wars, the weapons to end wars, these things have failed us.”” [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Peace rhetoric masks the relentless buildup of weapons; humanity paradoxically pursues harmony while preparing for conflict. **In simple terms:** War and peace are contradictory yet intertwined. Key Takeaway Question the logic of “war to end wars.” Themes politics war peace human nature Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - policy analysis - public discourse - peace activism - budget allocation Key Concepts paradox military-industrial complex ethical contradiction Questions to Reflect On - Can true peace exist without disarmament? - What drives societies to perpetuate conflict? 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( Done With Bonaparte )”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/we-prayed-these-wars-would-end-all-wars-in-war-we-know-is-no-romance/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [“The enormous amount of financial resources and creative energy that nations have spent on wars and weapons could have been redirected to curing deadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newton-lee/the-enormous-amount-of-financial-resources-and-creative-energy-that/) [Newton Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newton-lee/) > [Don't be taken in when they paternally pat you on the shoulder and say that there's no inequality worth speaking of and no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-be-taken-in-when-they-paternally-pat-you-on-the-shoulder-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They say we have we created the man to end all wars; I say we have created a man to end all worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/they-say-we-have-we-created-the-man-to-end-all-wars-i-say-we-have/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [A smart soldier wants to know the causes of wars. Also how to end them. 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Nothing ever ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/nothing-ends-adrian-nothing-ever-ends/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [On the one occasion where I did try writing a screenplay, I found the rewriting just unendurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/on-the-one-occasion-where-i-did-try-writing-a-screenplay-i-found-the/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“The clothes you're wearing, the room, the house, the city that you're in. Everything in it started out in the human imagination. 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This dichotomy is not an invention of the twentieth century, yet it is in this century that the most striking examples of the phenomena have appeared. Never before has man pursued global harmony more vocally while amassing stockpiles of weapons so devastating in their effect. The second world war - we were told - was The War to End All Wars. The development of the atomic bomb is the Weapon to End Wars. And yet wars continue. Currently, no nation on this planet is not involved in some form of armed struggle, if not against its neighbors then against internal forces. Furthermore, as ever-escalating amounts of money are poured into the pursuit of the specific weapon or conflict that will bring lasting peace, the drain on our economies creates a rundown urban landscape where crime flourishes and people are concerned less with national security than with the simple personal security needed to stop at the store late a night for a quart of milk without being mugged. 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