--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No power but Congress can declare war…" description: "\"No power but Congress can declare war, but what is the value of this constitutional provision, if the President of his own authority may make such mili..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/daniel-webster-2347_antiwar_no-power-but-congress-can-declare-war-bu_451120.jpg" --- # No power but Congress can declare war, but what is the… ![“No power but Congress can declare war, but what is the value of this constitutional provision, if the President of his own authority may make such military movements as must bring on war?” quote by Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/daniel-webster-2347_antiwar_no-power-but-congress-can-declare-war-bu_451120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/daniel-webster-2347_antiwar_no-power-but-congress-can-declare-war-bu_451120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/daniel-webster-2347_antiwar_no-power-but-congress-can-declare-war-bu_451120.jpg) > “No power but Congress can declare war, but what is the value of this constitutional provision, if the President of his own authority may make such military movements as must bring on war?” [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions the imbalance of war‑making power between Congress and the President, questioning the effectiveness of constitutional checks. **In simple terms:** Congress should decide war, but presidents can still start wars alone. Key Takeaway Beware unchecked executive military actions. Themes government war constitution power checks balances Mood critical concerned Type political legal When to use this quote - policy debates - military interventions - constitutional law discussions - international crises Key Concepts separation of powers executive authority legislative oversight Questions to Reflect On - How should a democracy limit executive war powers? - What safeguards can strengthen congressional war authority? A Different Perspective Presidential war powers can be justified in emergencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antiwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiwar/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Congress Declare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress-declare-1913927/) [Constitutional Provision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitutional-provision-1332745/) [Declare War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declare-war/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Provision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provision/) [Provision President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provision-president-2471545/) [Value Constitutional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-constitutional-2434468/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [No power but Congress can declare war; but what is the value of this constitutional provision, if the President of his own authority may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/no-power-but-congress-can-declare-war-but-what-is-the-value-of-this-2/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [The reason given by the President in asking Congress to declare war against Germany is that the German government has declared certain war zones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reason-given-by-the-president-in-asking-congress-to-declare-war/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we look at how, constitutionally, only Congress can declare war, and that is routinely ignored. Not NATO or the UN, but Congress has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/when-we-look-at-how-constitutionally-only-congress-can-declare-war/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [If Iran invaded Israel, it's up to Congress to declare war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/if-iran-invaded-israel-it-s-up-to-congress-to-declare-war/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I want a president who'll look out for American interests. Every treaty we sign has a provision that a president of the United States,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/i-want-a-president-who-ll-look-out-for-american-interests-every/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [The power to declare war, including the power of judging the causes of war, is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-power-to-declare-war-including-the-power-of-judging-the-causes-of/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Old men declare war because they have failed to solve complex political and economic problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hoppe/old-men-declare-war-because-they-have-failed-to-solve-complex/) [Art Hoppe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hoppe/) > [I ask this Congress to declare that women should earn a living equal to their efforts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-ask-this-congress-to-declare-that-women-should-earn-a-living-equal/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The notion that Congress can change the meaning given a constitutional provision by the Court is subversive of the function of judicial review; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bork/the-notion-that-congress-can-change-the-meaning-given-a/) [Robert Bork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bork/) > [There was specific constitutional provision for emergency measures in the case that Abraham Lincoln faced - an insurrection - which no other president has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/there-was-specific-constitutional-provision-for-emergency-measures-in/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [Reservation is a socio-political necessity. Hence, there is a constitutional provision for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajnath-singh/reservation-is-a-socio-political-necessity-hence-there-is-a/) [Rajnath Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajnath-singh/) > [Nothing in the 14th Amendment or in any other constitutional provision suggests that the president may usurp legislative power to prevent a violation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-tribe/nothing-in-the-14th-amendment-or-in-any-other-constitutional/) [Laurence Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-tribe/) > [We must declare war on war, so the outcome will be peace upon peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheikh-abdullah/we-must-declare-war-on-war-so-the-outcome-will-be-peace-upon-peace/) [Sheikh Abdullah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheikh-abdullah/) > [Only to he avoid misunderstandings, I must say that even last year, when I wrote my pamphlet, I heartily wished that Prussia should declare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-lassalle/only-to-he-avoid-misunderstandings-i-must-say-that-even-last-year/) [Ferdinand Lassalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-lassalle/) > [“You did all of that for me? I would declare war for you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tijan/you-did-all-of-that-for-me-i-would-declare-war-for-you/) [Tijan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tijan/) ## More by Daniel Webster > [In the nature of things, those who have no property and see their neighbors possess much more than they think them to need, cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/in-the-nature-of-things-those-who-have-no-property-and-see-their/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [“Liberty and Union, now and for ever, one and inseparable!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/liberty-and-union-now-and-for-ever-one-and-inseparable/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we raise temples, they will crumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/if-we-work-on-marble-it-will-perish-if-we-work-on-brass-time-will/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [This is the Book. I have read the Bible through many times, and now make it a practice to read it through once every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/this-is-the-book-i-have-read-the-bible-through-many-times-and-now/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/men-hang-out-their-signs-indicative-of-their-respective-trades-shoe/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [There is something on earth greater than arbitrary or despotic power. The lightning has its power, and the whirlwind has its power, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/there-is-something-on-earth-greater-than-arbitrary-or-despotic-power/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Faith puts God between us and our circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/faith-puts-god-between-us-and-our-circumstances/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Failure is more frequently from want of energy than want of capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/failure-is-more-frequently-from-want-of-energy-than-want-of-capital/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [The Bible is a book of faith, and a book of doctrine, and a book of religion, of special revelation from God; but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/the-bible-is-a-book-of-faith-and-a-book-of-doctrine-and-a-book-of/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from...the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/our-destruction-should-it-come-at-all-will-be-from-the-inattention-of/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [When the spotless ermine of the judicial robe fell on John Jay, it touched nothing less spotless than itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/when-the-spotless-ermine-of-the-judicial-robe-fell-on-john-jay-it/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [If the Union was formed by accession of States then the Union may be dissolved by the secession of States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/if-the-union-was-formed-by-accession-of-states-then-the-union-may-be/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [A solemn and religious regard to spiritual and eternal things is an indispensable element of all true greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/a-solemn-and-religious-regard-to-spiritual-and-eternal-things-is-an/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Philosophic argument, especially that drawn from the vastness of the universe, in comparison with the apparent insignificance of this globe, has sometimes shaken my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/philosophic-argument-especially-that-drawn-from-the-vastness-of-the/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [We are all agents of the same supreme power, the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/we-are-all-agents-of-the-same-supreme-power-the-people/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) [Explore all 170 Daniel Webster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) ## More Antiwar quotes > [In the struggle of good against evil, it's always the people who get killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-struggle-of-good-against-evil-it-s-always-the-people-who-get/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is a more violent world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-practice-of-violence-like-all-action-changes-the-world-but-the/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/) [Stefan Halper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-halper/) > [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Studies by Medical Corps psychiatrists of combat fatigue cases... found that fear of killing, rather than fear of being killed, was the most common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/studies-by-medical-corps-psychiatrists-of-combat-fatigue-cases-found/) [Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/) > [I believe that the entire effort of modern society should be concentrated on the endeavor to outlaw war as a method of the solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-believe-that-the-entire-effort-of-modern-society-should-be/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [In war, as it is waged now, with the enormous losses on both sides, both sides will lose. 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