---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you wish for peace, understand war…"
description: "\"“If you wish for peace, understand war. —B. H. Liddell Hart in Strategy (1967)”\" — David B. Agus"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg"
---

#  If you wish for peace, understand war. —B. H. Liddell Hart…

![“If you wish for peace, understand war. —B. H. Liddell Hart in Strategy (1967)” quote by David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg)

> ““If you wish for peace, understand war. —B. H. Liddell Hart in Strategy (1967)””

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding conflict is essential to achieving peace.

**In simple terms:** Know war to find peace.

Key Takeaway

Study conflict to resolve it.

Themes

peace war strategy

Mood

analytical inspirational

Type

strategic philosophical

When to use this quote

- diplomacy
- negotiation
- policy design

Key Concepts

conflict resolution strategic thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “war” represent in your life?
- How can you apply strategic insight to personal peace?

A Different Perspective

Peace can be pursued without fully grasping war.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hart Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hart-strategy-2206295/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-understand-1756659/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Strategy 1967](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy-1967-2206296/) [Understand War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-war-1165931/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wish Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish-peace-305102/)

## Related quotes

> [If you wish for peace, understand war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war/)

[B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/)

> [If you want peace, understand war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/if-you-want-peace-understand-war/)

[B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/)

> [I have a sense of being at peace. I understand when you give the sign of peace, and when the priest says, 'Peace be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/i-have-a-sense-of-being-at-peace-i-understand-when-you-give-the-sign/)

[Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/)

> [It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/it-is-understanding-that-gives-us-an-ability-to-have-peace-when-we/)

[Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/)

> [I want people to be able to be at peace with themselves and understand who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-mclaughlin/i-want-people-to-be-able-to-be-at-peace-with-themselves-and/)

[Caleb McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-mclaughlin/)

> [Only now do I understand the war against boredom, the lost cause of empty hours, of empty days and nights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/only-now-do-i-understand-the-war-against-boredom-the-lost-cause-of/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [We, the Poles, do not understand war as a symbol but as a real fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-sikorski/we-the-poles-do-not-understand-war-as-a-symbol-but-as-a-real-fight/)

[Wladyslaw Sikorski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladyslaw-sikorski/)

> [If you don't understand weapons you don't understand fighting. If you don't understand fighting you don't understand war. If you don't understand war you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/if-you-don-t-understand-weapons-you-don-t-understand-fighting-if-you/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [Women are so much a part of war, even if they tend to see another side of it. To say they don't understand war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/women-are-so-much-a-part-of-war-even-if-they-tend-to-see-another-side/)

[Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/)

> [“The fighting was horrendous. Bloodshed and death lie everywhere around us. It was not exciting, Vindhya. It is fearsome, and we were all scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-megan-varnadore/the-fighting-was-horrendous-bloodshed-and-death-lie-everywhere-around/)

[Jennifer Megan Varnadore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-megan-varnadore/)

> [“I didn't understand the war. It was new, and they all said it would be there for a long time, but where it was,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-didn-t-understand-the-war-it-was-new-and-they-all-said-it-would-be/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [War is by definition the indiscriminate killing of huge numbers of people for ends that are uncertain. Think about means and ends, and apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/war-is-by-definition-the-indiscriminate-killing-of-huge-numbers-of/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [The one thing I don't understand is war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/the-one-thing-i-don-t-understand-is-war/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [My hope is that the memory of death and disgrace will be so intense that the people of the United States will be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/my-hope-is-that-the-memory-of-death-and-disgrace-will-be-so-intense/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

> [But how can you understand a war without any knowledge of the society where it happens? It's like trying to understand birth without knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annia-ciezadlo/but-how-can-you-understand-a-war-without-any-knowledge-of-the-society/)

[Annia Ciezadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annia-ciezadlo/)

## More by David B. Agus

> [“one must first know the rules to break them,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/one-must-first-know-the-rules-to-break-them/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“I highly recommend Pollan’s book In Defense of Food”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/i-highly-recommend-pollan-s-book-in-defense-of-food/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“cancer is as old as the human race and has been documented since ancient history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/cancer-is-as-old-as-the-human-race-and-has-been-documented-since/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“Children of parents who reported having a rule about bedtime scored about 6 percentage points higher on an assessment of their vocabulary compared with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/children-of-parents-who-reported-having-a-rule-about-bedtime-scored/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“we are ranked thirty-seventh in overall health-system performance by the World Health Organization,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/we-are-ranked-thirty-seventh-in-overall-health-system-performance-by/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“the 1997 movie Gattaca”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/the-1997-movie-gattaca/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“What NFL Football Players and Nuns Can Teach Us about Deadly Inflammation—and How to Control It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/what-nfl-football-players-and-nuns-can-teach-us-about-deadly/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“Ten or twenty years from now, a droplet of blood may be all that your doctor needs to catch a fomenting illness, even cancer,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/ten-or-twenty-years-from-now-a-droplet-of-blood-may-be-all-that-your/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“All nature is concerned with is that you can maintain your system in a way that will support future life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/all-nature-is-concerned-with-is-that-you-can-maintain-your-system-in/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“a 2010 study of Swedish women revealed that those who took multivitamins were 19 percent more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/a-2010-study-of-swedish-women-revealed-that-those-who-took/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“Think of the body as a self-maintaining factory; it is constantly regenerating itself down to every cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/think-of-the-body-as-a-self-maintaining-factory-it-is-constantly/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“Instead of saying, “You know, my house has water,” we say, “My plumbing is leaking.” Instead of saying, “Somebody has cancer,” we should say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/instead-of-saying-you-know-my-house-has-water-we-say-my-plumbing-is/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“DNA governs probabilities more than it dictates destinies,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/dna-governs-probabilities-more-than-it-dictates-destinies/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“People can get well for any number of reasons, none of which may be due to any prescribed treatment or “elixir.” Indeed, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/people-can-get-well-for-any-number-of-reasons-none-of-which-may-be/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

> [“Without your health, you have nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/without-your-health-you-have-nothing/)

[David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

[Explore all 64 David B. Agus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/)

## More Peace quotes

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/)

[W.J. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Achieving mental harmony is one of the greatest goals and experiences in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kambiz-mostofizadeh/achieving-mental-harmony-is-one-of-the-greatest-goals-and-experiences/)

[Kambiz Mostofizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kambiz-mostofizadeh/)

> [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/)

[Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/)

> [“Tranquillity is courage in repose. It is a statical manifestation of valor, as daring deeds are a dynamical. A truly brave man is ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inazo-nitobe/tranquillity-is-courage-in-repose-it-is-a-statical-manifestation-of/)

[Inazo Nitobe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inazo-nitobe/)

> [“There is no fortune greater than peace; there is no force greater than peace; there is no excellent tapas greater than peace; there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muruganar/there-is-no-fortune-greater-than-peace-there-is-no-force-greater-than/)

[Muruganar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muruganar/)

> [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/)

[Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/)

> [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/)

[William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/)

> [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

> [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. It is not about one thing in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-is-like-a-fire-one-man-may-start-it-but-it-will-spread-all-over/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 27,655 Peace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If you wish for peace, understand war. —B. H. Liddell Hart in Strategy (1967)”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David B. Agus"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h-liddell-hart-in-strategy-1967/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Peace"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h-liddell-hart-in-strategy-1967/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1d/david-b-agus-10716_peace_if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h_2633130.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you wish for peace, understand war. —B. H. Liddell Hart in Strategy (1967)” — David B. Agus",
                "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": "David B. Agus",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If you wish for peace, understand...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h-liddell-hart-in-strategy-1967/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/if-you-wish-for-peace-understand-war-b-h-liddell-hart-in-strategy-1967/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
