--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I am well aware of the excuse which…" description: "\"“But I am well aware of the excuse which men, ever ingenious in devising mischief to themselves as well as others, offer in extenuation of their conduc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg" --- # But I am well aware of the excuse which men, ever… ![“But I am well aware of the excuse which men, ever ingenious in devising mischief to themselves as well as others, offer in extenuation of their conduct in going to war. They allege, that they are compelled to it; that they are dragged against their will to war. I answer them, deal fairly; pull off…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg) > ““But I am well aware of the excuse which men, ever ingenious in devising mischief to themselves as well as others, offer in extenuation of their conduct in going to war. They allege, that they are compelled to it; that they are dragged against their will to war. I answer them, deal fairly; pull off the mask; throw away all false colours; consult your own heart, and you will find that anger, ambition, and folly are the compulsory force that has dragged you to war, and not any necessity; unless indeed you call the insatiable cravings of a covetous mind, necessity" ' The Complaint of Peace”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 driven by personal greed, anger, and ambition, not necessity. **In simple terms:** War stems from human flaws, not true need. Key Takeaway Challenge the justifications for conflict. Themes war human nature morality Mood critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - policy debates - peace activism - education - personal ethics Key Concepts political philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What personal motives underlie your stance on war? - How can societies address the root causes of conflict? 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I answer them, deal fairly; pull off the mask; throw away all false colours; consult your own heart, and you will find that anger, ambition, and folly are the compulsory force that has dragged you to war, and not any necessity; unless indeed you call the insatiable cravings of a covetous mind, necessity\" ' The Complaint of Peace”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which-men-ever-ingenious-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christianity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which-men-ever-ingenious-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/desiderus-erasmus-192149_christianity_but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which_292193.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But I am well aware of the excuse which men, ever ingenious in devising mischief to themselves as well as…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But I am well aware of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which-men-ever-ingenious-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-am-well-aware-of-the-excuse-which-men-ever-ingenious-in/#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 } } ] } ```