--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mechanized warfare still left room for…" description: "\"“Mechanized warfare still left room for human qualities to play an important part in the issue. ‘Automatic warfare’ cancels them out, except in a passi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg" --- # Mechanized warfare still left room for human qualities to… ![“Mechanized warfare still left room for human qualities to play an important part in the issue. ‘Automatic warfare’ cancels them out, except in a passive form. Archidamus is at last being justified. Courage, skill and patriotism become shrinking assets. The most virile nation might not be able to…” quote by B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg) > ““Mechanized warfare still left room for human qualities to play an important part in the issue. ‘Automatic warfare’ cancels them out, except in a passive form. Archidamus is at last being justified. Courage, skill and patriotism become shrinking assets. The most virile nation might not be able to withstand another, inferior to it in all natural qualities, if the latter had some decisively superior technical appliance. (...)The advent of ‘automatic warfare’ should make plain the absurdity of warfare as a means of deciding nations’ claims to superiority. It blows away romantic vapourings about the heroic virtues of war, utilized by aggressive and ambitious leaders to generate a military spirit among their people. They can no longer claim that war is any test of a people’s fitness, or even of its national strength. Science has undermined the foundations of nationalism, at the very time when the spirit of nationalism is most rampant.”” [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War's technological progress reduces the role of human virtues, making traditional notions of heroism and nationalism obsolete. **In simple terms:** Tech makes war less about heroism. Key Takeaway Recognize technology's impact on conflict. Themes war technology nationalism heroism Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - military planning - political rhetoric - educational curricula Key Concepts mechanization strategic doctrine social psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does technology reshape national identity? - Can moral values survive in automated warfare? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on tech may ignore human agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Human qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-qualities/) [Nationalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationalism/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) ## Related quotes > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [You don't have to find out what someone's mechanical abilities are. All those factors are already a known commodity. I've seen teams win championships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-dixon/you-don-t-have-to-find-out-what-someone-s-mechanical-abilities-are/) [Larry Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-dixon/) > [I wanted to build something that was a system - that was mechanical and would propagate itself like a virus. I needed a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-wanted-to-build-something-that-was-a-system-that-was-mechanical-and/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [I enjoy working on anything mechanical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-martin/i-enjoy-working-on-anything-mechanical/) [Guy Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-martin/) > [My dad was a mechanical engineer and a drummer. We had no money, but I never felt we had no money, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-air/my-dad-was-a-mechanical-engineer-and-a-drummer-we-had-no-money-but-i/) [Donna Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-air/) > [Space can vibrate, space can fluctuate, space can be quantum mechanical, but what the devil is it? And, you know, everybody has their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/space-can-vibrate-space-can-fluctuate-space-can-be-quantum-mechanical/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [Well, guys are better at mechanical stuff and women are better at emotional stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/well-guys-are-better-at-mechanical-stuff-and-women-are-better-at/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [“The fewer moving parts, the better." "Exactly. No truer words were ever spoken in the context of engineering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cantrell/the-fewer-moving-parts-the-better-exactly-no-truer-words-were-ever/) [Christian Cantrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cantrell/) > [I didn't know why I couldn't sing - all I knew was that it was muscular or mechanical. Then, when I was diagnosed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-didn-t-know-why-i-couldn-t-sing-all-i-knew-was-that-it-was-muscular/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [As the son of a racing car designer and mechanical engineer, I was exposed to motorsports from day one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/as-the-son-of-a-racing-car-designer-and-mechanical-engineer-i-was/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [For me, it's a feel thing; it's a mechanical thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-harvey/for-me-it-s-a-feel-thing-it-s-a-mechanical-thing/) [Matt Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-harvey/) > [Cinema is made to film material: the body. By filming the material, the mechanical, the worker, we arrive at the spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/cinema-is-made-to-film-material-the-body-by-filming-the-material-the/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [Often, equipment can as easily function as a security blanket for musicians unwilling or unable to risk anything personal in the studio. Whether one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/often-equipment-can-as-easily-function-as-a-security-blanket-for/) [Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/) > [Once upon a time we were just plain people. But that was before we began having relationships with mechanical systems. Get involved with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/once-upon-a-time-we-were-just-plain-people-but-that-was-before-we/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I keep these songs in my head until I get behind the microphone. I never spend more than 30 or 40 minutes singing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/i-keep-these-songs-in-my-head-until-i-get-behind-the-microphone-i/) [Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/) ## More by B.H. Liddell Hart > [“In 1870, came the victory of the short-service troops of Prussia over the long-service troops of France, where conscription had but recently been reintroduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/in-1870-came-the-victory-of-the-short-service-troops-of-prussia-over/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“Too sane also, to anticipate the World War habit of digging in and clinging on to a depressed and depressing foothold under the enemy's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/too-sane-also-to-anticipate-the-world-war-habit-of-digging-in-and/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“The legitimate object of war is a more perfect peace"-this sentence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/the-legitimate-object-of-war-is-a-more-perfect-peace-this-sentence/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“Among men who rise to fame and leadership two types are recognizable-those who are born with a belief in themselves and those in whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/among-men-who-rise-to-fame-and-leadership-two-types-are-recognizable/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“Decisive results come sooner from sudden shocks than from long- drawn pressure. Shocks throw the opponent off his balance. Pressure allows him time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/decisive-results-come-sooner-from-sudden-shocks-than-from-long-drawn/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“The vital influences are to be detected not in the formal documents compiled by rulers, ministers, and generals but in their marginal notes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/the-vital-influences-are-to-be-detected-not-in-the-formal-documents/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“The history of ancient Greece showed that, in a democracy, emotion dominates reason to a greater extent than in any other political system, thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/the-history-of-ancient-greece-showed-that-in-a-democracy-emotion/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) > [“No man of action has more completely attained the point of view of the scientific historian, who observes the movements of mankind with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/no-man-of-action-has-more-completely-attained-the-point-of-view-of/) [B.H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) [Explore all 9 B.H. Liddell Hart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/) ## More Automatic quotes > [I saw an Emmy ad that AMC took out with all the 'Breaking Bad' nominees' photos, and there's my picture from the show. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-margolis/i-saw-an-emmy-ad-that-amc-took-out-with-all-the-breaking-bad-nominees/) [Mark Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-margolis/) > [Windows Updates have sometimes been a pain point for users. The update pop-ups can interrupt a movie or a video game, and the automatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-parr/windows-updates-have-sometimes-been-a-pain-point-for-users-the-update/) [Ben Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-parr/) > [The thing that strikes you most about being a soldier in a war zone and in action to the small extent that I was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/the-thing-that-strikes-you-most-about-being-a-soldier-in-a-war-zone/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“Being happy has -huge- advantages. One, you smile more. Training of facial muscles. Automatic! But did you know that the risible muscle, the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-friedrich/being-happy-has-huge-advantages-one-you-smile-more-training-of-facial/) René Friedrich > [The 'OK Plateau' is that place we all get to where we just stop getting better at something. Take typing, for example. You might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/the-ok-plateau-is-that-place-we-all-get-to-where-we-just-stop-getting/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [The automatic things you do are basically those things that keep you from doing the better things you need to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/the-automatic-things-you-do-are-basically-those-things-that-keep-you/) [Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/) > [For imagination sets the goal picture which our automatic mechanism works on. We act, or fail to act, not because of will, as is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/for-imagination-sets-the-goal-picture-which-our-automatic-mechanism/) [Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/) > [“„We didn’t anticipate that the formula would trigger such a violent response. In the future, you’ll only receive the unprocessed raw materials.” “So it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/we-didn-t-anticipate-that-the-formula-would-trigger-such-a-violent/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [We must make automatic and habitual, as early as possible, as many useful actions as we can. . . . The more of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-must-make-automatic-and-habitual-as-early-as-possible-as-many/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Almost everything we do is automatic, yet we're not aware of that. We feel like there's a circle of light. We're like the drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/almost-everything-we-do-is-automatic-yet-we-re-not-aware-of-that-we/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Somehow, someway, for some people there's an automatic assumption that a mayor who is African-American or some other elected official has to support another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/somehow-someway-for-some-people-there-s-an-automatic-assumption-that/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) > [Everyone has a subconscious and automatic preference of this over that. Once you're aware of that, you can take steps to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/everyone-has-a-subconscious-and-automatic-preference-of-this-over/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Resolution 1441 does not give anyone the right to an automatic use of force. Russia believes that the Iraqi problem should be regulated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-ivanov/resolution-1441-does-not-give-anyone-the-right-to-an-automatic-use-of/) Igor Ivanov > [To ordinary folks, conversion is not always automatic. It's something that may or may not require explicit assistance. See Billy Graham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/to-ordinary-folks-conversion-is-not-always-automatic-it-s-something/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [Minimize your therbligs until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime - and thereby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens and rainbows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/minimize-your-therbligs-until-it-becomes-automatic-this-doubles-your/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) Browse all 93 Automatic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mechanized warfare still left room for human qualities to play an important part in the issue. ‘Automatic warfare’ cancels them out, except in a passive form. Archidamus is at last being justified. Courage, skill and patriotism become shrinking assets. The most virile nation might not be able to withstand another, inferior to it in all natural qualities, if the latter had some decisively superior technical appliance. (...)The advent of ‘automatic warfare’ should make plain the absurdity of warfare as a means of deciding nations’ claims to superiority. It blows away romantic vapourings about the heroic virtues of war, utilized by aggressive and ambitious leaders to generate a military spirit among their people. They can no longer claim that war is any test of a people’s fitness, or even of its national strength. Science has undermined the foundations of nationalism, at the very time when the spirit of nationalism is most rampant.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B.H. Liddell Hart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-human-qualities-to-play-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Automatic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-human-qualities-to-play-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/b-h-liddell-hart-2-43967_automatic_mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-h_3160716.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mechanized warfare still left room for human qualities to play an important part in the issue. ‘Automatic…” — B.H. Liddell Hart", "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": "B.H. Liddell Hart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Mechanized warfare still left room for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-human-qualities-to-play-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart-2/mechanized-warfare-still-left-room-for-human-qualities-to-play-an/#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 } } ] } ```