--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is easier to lead men to combat…" description: "\"It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.\" — Andre Gide" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/andre-gide-790_combat_it-is-easier-to-lead-men-to-combat-stirr_1173483.png" --- # It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their… ![“It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.” quote by Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/andre-gide-790_combat_it-is-easier-to-lead-men-to-combat-stirr_1173483.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/andre-gide-790_combat_it-is-easier-to-lead-men-to-combat-stirr_1173483.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32c/andre-gide-790_combat_it-is-easier-to-lead-men-to-combat-stirr_1173483.png) > “It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.” [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## 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 easier to incite than to sustain peace, as passion drives conflict while peace requires patient effort. **In simple terms:** War is easy, peace is hard. Key Takeaway Cultivate patience for lasting peace. Themes conflict peace leadership Mood reflective serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - military recruitment - diplomacy - community building - conflict resolution Key Concepts human nature political psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster patience over passion? - What incentives support long‑term peace work? A Different Perspective Peace demands sustained commitment, not just momentary enthusiasm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I have led men in combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-wilcox/i-have-led-men-in-combat/) [Todd Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-wilcox/) > [I have the unmitigated gall to think that I could lead men anywhere, business, politics or combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/i-have-the-unmitigated-gall-to-think-that-i-could-lead-men-anywhere/) [Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/) > [“I was no longer in the game to meet women; I was in the game to lead men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/i-was-no-longer-in-the-game-to-meet-women-i-was-in-the-game-to-lead/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) > [I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-not-apt-to-follow-blindly-the-lead-of-other-men/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“King? He could lead twenty men at most and this meant, more than likely, that he was the one who had the helmet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ben-sapir/king-he-could-lead-twenty-men-at-most-and-this-meant-more-than-likely/) [Richard Ben Sapir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ben-sapir/) > [Christ wants to lead men by their love, their personal love to Him, and the confidence of His personal love to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-bushnell/christ-wants-to-lead-men-by-their-love-their-personal-love-to-him-and/) [Horace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-bushnell/) > [It is no easy task to lead men. But it is easy enough to drive them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/it-is-no-easy-task-to-lead-men-but-it-is-easy-enough-to-drive-them/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [To lead men, you have to lead them with affection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-d-tata/to-lead-men-you-have-to-lead-them-with-affection/) [J. R. D. Tata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-d-tata/) > [Being the face of the franchise, everyone is watching you. You have to be able to lead other men. It's a lot of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-haskins/being-the-face-of-the-franchise-everyone-is-watching-you-you-have-to/) [Dwayne Haskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-haskins/) > [“He had believed the life of an officer was easy, full of undeserved privilege and comfort. He had not seen the responsibility that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fraser-collard/he-had-believed-the-life-of-an-officer-was-easy-full-of-undeserved/) [Paul Fraser Collard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fraser-collard/) > [“To lead men you must know them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/to-lead-men-you-must-know-them/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Do not try to lead men who are unwilling to follow you; if their heart is not in it, you will never find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arrian/do-not-try-to-lead-men-who-are-unwilling-to-follow-you-if-their-heart/) [Arrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arrian/) > [Of all the means I know to lead men, the most effectual is a concealed mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-weishaupt/of-all-the-means-i-know-to-lead-men-the-most-effectual-is-a-concealed/) [Adam Weishaupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-weishaupt/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) ## More by Andre Gide > [Without mysticism man can achieve nothing great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/without-mysticism-man-can-achieve-nothing-great/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“The things one feels are different about oneself are the things that are rare, that give each person their value - and these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/the-things-one-feels-are-different-about-oneself-are-the-things-that/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [I believe that in every circumstance I have been able to see rather clearly the most advantageous course I could follow, which is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/i-believe-that-in-every-circumstance-i-have-been-able-to-see-rather/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Know thyself. A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever studies himself arrest his own development. A caterpillar who seeks to know himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/know-thyself-a-maxim-as-pernicious-as-it-is-ugly-whoever-studies/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“There is a germ of revolt lying in the spirit of inquiry and critical curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-is-a-germ-of-revolt-lying-in-the-spirit-of-inquiry-and-critical/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/oh-would-that-my-mind-could-let-fall-its-dead-ideas-as-the-tree-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [God lies ahead. I convince myself and constantly repeat to myself that: He depends on us. It is through us that God is achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/god-lies-ahead-i-convince-myself-and-constantly-repeat-to-myself-that/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“Welcome everything that comes to you, but do not long for anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/welcome-everything-that-comes-to-you-but-do-not-long-for-anything-else/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Envying another man's happiness is madness; you wouldn't know what to do with it if you had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/envying-another-man-s-happiness-is-madness-you-wouldn-t-know-what-to/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [So long as we live among men, let us cherish humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/so-long-as-we-live-among-men-let-us-cherish-humanity/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is one of life's laws that as soon as one door closes another opens. But the tragedy is we look at the closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-one-of-life-s-laws-that-as-soon-as-one-door-closes-another/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“What would a narrative of happiness be like? All that can be described is what prepares it, and then what destroys it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/what-would-a-narrative-of-happiness-be-like-all-that-can-be-described/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is with noble sentiments that bad literature gets written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-with-noble-sentiments-that-bad-literature-gets-written/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“C'est dans l'extraordinaire que je me sens le plus naturel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/c-est-dans-l-extraordinaire-que-je-me-sens-le-plus-naturel/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) [Explore all 304 Andre Gide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## More Combat quotes > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Im a ham. I was immediately attracted to fencing because it seemed like a romantic, melodramatic form of combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-dickinson/im-a-ham-i-was-immediately-attracted-to-fencing-because-it-seemed/) [Bruce Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-dickinson/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Success flourishes only in perseverance ceaseless, restless perseverance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-flourishes-only-in-perseverance-ceaseless-restless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is believed by many that the military life is one of adventure and excitement. In truth, that life more often consists of long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-zahn-star-wars-thrawn/it-is-believed-by-many-that-the-military-life-is-one-of-adventure-and/) [Timothy Zahn, Star Wars: Thrawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-zahn-star-wars-thrawn/) > [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The United States can certainly defeat North Vietnam, but the United States cannot defeat a guerrilla war which is being raged from a sanctuary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-united-states-can-certainly-defeat-north-vietnam-but-the-united/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [As a soldier and combat veteran, I believe American military forces should only be used in the defense and furtherance of our nation's vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-ernst/as-a-soldier-and-combat-veteran-i-believe-american-military-forces/) [Joni Ernst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-ernst/) > [A warrior is always aware of what is worth fighting for. He does not go into combat over things that do not concern him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-warrior-is-always-aware-of-what-is-worth-fighting-for-he-does-not/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [Either we stand united and agree to combat climate change or we will all stumble and fall and condemn humanity to a tragic future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enele-sopoaga/either-we-stand-united-and-agree-to-combat-climate-change-or-we-will/) [Enele Sopoaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enele-sopoaga/) > [But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-holden/but-despite-their-heroic-acts-the-vietnam-veterans-of-america/) [Tim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-holden/) > [Any physical practice can be a competitive sport. 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