--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are no good wars or bad wars. The…" description: "\"There are no good wars or bad wars. The only thing bad about a war is to lose it. All wars have been fought for a so-called good Cause on both sides. B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/charles-bukowski-73_army_there-are-no-good-wars-or-bad-wars-the-o_3024196.jpg" --- # There are no good wars or bad wars. The only thing bad… ![“There are no good wars or bad wars. The only thing bad about a war is to lose it. All wars have been fought for a so-called good Cause on both sides. But only the victor's Cause becomes history's Noble Cause. It's not a matter of who is right or who is wrong, it's a matter of who has the best…” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/charles-bukowski-73_army_there-are-no-good-wars-or-bad-wars-the-o_3024196.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/charles-bukowski-73_army_there-are-no-good-wars-or-bad-wars-the-o_3024196.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/charles-bukowski-73_army_there-are-no-good-wars-or-bad-wars-the-o_3024196.jpg) > “There are no good wars or bad wars. The only thing bad about a war is to lose it. All wars have been fought for a so-called good Cause on both sides. But only the victor's Cause becomes history's Noble Cause. It's not a matter of who is right or who is wrong, it's a matter of who has the best generals and the better army!” [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wars are morally ambiguous; victory determines historical narrative, not ethical truth. **In simple terms:** War’s morality is complex. Key Takeaway Question narratives of conflict. Themes war history truth power propaganda Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political debates - education - media analysis Key Concepts ethical relativism political power historical revisionism Questions to Reflect On - How do we discern truth in war? - What role does power play in moral judgments? A Different Perspective Victors shape history, not facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Bad Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-wars-4271008/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Good war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-war/) [Good Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-wars-889693/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Lose Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-wars-4320846/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Noble Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-cause/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Victor 's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victor-s/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars/) [Wars Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars-bad-771575/) ## Related quotes > [Are there really good wars and bad wars? 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And this is precisely what they were - and were intended to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-nuremburg-trials-were-attacked-at-the-time-as-victor-s-justice/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Amid the cheering of the crowds, he hardly heard his master's voice, but he saw the familiar head and shoulders, and the bright flag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-thompson-seton/amid-the-cheering-of-the-crowds-he-hardly-heard-his-master-s-voice/) [Ernest Thompson Seton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-thompson-seton/) > [ When \[men\] go to war, what they want is to impose on their enemies the victor's will and call it peace. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/when-men-go-to-war-what-they-want-is-to-impose-on-their-enemies-the/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Prayer is repeating the victor's name (Jesus) into the ears of Satan and insisting on his retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-d-gordon/prayer-is-repeating-the-victor-s-name-jesus-into-the-ears-of-satan/) [S. D Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-d-gordon/) ## More by Charles Bukowski > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. 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Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) [Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are no good wars or bad wars. The only thing bad about a war is to lose it. All wars have been fought for a so-called good Cause on both sides. But only the victor's Cause becomes history's Noble Cause. 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