--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The nations slithered over the brink into…" description: "\"The nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war without any trace of apprehension or dismay... The nations backed their machines ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/david-lloyd-george-9272_apprehension_the-nations-slithered-over-the-brink-int_2511603.png" --- # The nations slithered over the brink into the boiling… ![“The nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war without any trace of apprehension or dismay... The nations backed their machines over the precipice not one of them wanted war, certainly not on this scale” quote by David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/david-lloyd-george-9272_apprehension_the-nations-slithered-over-the-brink-int_2511603.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/david-lloyd-george-9272_apprehension_the-nations-slithered-over-the-brink-int_2511603.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b71/david-lloyd-george-9272_apprehension_the-nations-slithered-over-the-brink-int_2511603.png) > “The nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war without any trace of apprehension or dismay... The nations backed their machines over the precipice not one of them wanted war, certainly not on this scale” [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nations entered war without fear, driven by political momentum despite lacking genuine desire for conflict. **In simple terms:** War began from political pressure, not fear. Key Takeaway Recognize the costs of political momentum. Themes war politics apathy mass movement historical events leadership Mood somber critical historical Type analysis political cautionary When to use this quote - policy debates - military planning - public opinion - historical analysis Key Concepts collective behavior nationalism strategic miscalculation Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can prevent reckless escalation? - How does public sentiment shape political decisions? A Different Perspective Overlooking dissent can lead to unintended war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apprehension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprehension/) [Cauldrons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cauldrons/) [Causes of war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-of-war/) [Dismay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dismay/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [We human beings do a lot of dumb things, and war is certainly the dumbest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-babbitt/we-human-beings-do-a-lot-of-dumb-things-and-war-is-certainly-the/) [Natalie Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-babbitt/) > [Nothing will ensure war more certainly or entrench rivalries more seriously than for or against thinking!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-sun/nothing-will-ensure-war-more-certainly-or-entrench-rivalries-more/) [Patricia Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-sun/) > [“World War Two had certainly made everyone very tough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/world-war-two-had-certainly-made-everyone-very-tough/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [The bomb and the entrance of the Russians into the war will certainly have an effect on hastening the victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-l-stimson/the-bomb-and-the-entrance-of-the-russians-into-the-war-will-certainly/) [Henry L. Stimson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-l-stimson/) > [I think every war certainly wears on national will and national patience, particularly a counterinsurgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/i-think-every-war-certainly-wears-on-national-will-and-national/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [War is part of what I do, it's not what I do. It's certainly not what I am and who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-farrell/war-is-part-of-what-i-do-it-s-not-what-i-do-it-s-certainly-not-what-i/) Stephen Farrell > [I loved World War II. I didn't want the war to end. I wanted the war to go on forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-meyer/i-loved-world-war-ii-i-didn-t-want-the-war-to-end-i-wanted-the-war-to/) Russ Meyer > [“I need you,” she said with such determination that it was like declaring war. I watched her lips as she said it. If she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/i-need-you-she-said-with-such-determination-that-it-was-like/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“He could not believe that ordinary people in the Culture really wanted the war, no matter how they had voted. They had their communist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/he-could-not-believe-that-ordinary-people-in-the-culture-really/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“The gods wanted war? They were about to get it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/the-gods-wanted-war-they-were-about-to-get-it/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [“In the end the war was Hitler's war. It was not perhaps the war he wanted. But it was the war he was prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-cameron-watt/in-the-end-the-war-was-hitler-s-war-it-was-not-perhaps-the-war-he/) Donald Cameron Watt > [We wanted this war and now we've got it, and I'm not sure that we know what to do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/we-wanted-this-war-and-now-we-ve-got-it-and-i-m-not-sure-that-we-know/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I wanted to do a war movie, a western and an alien movie. In reality, there are a lot of ugly things happening in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-eckhart/i-wanted-to-do-a-war-movie-a-western-and-an-alien-movie-in-reality/) [Aaron Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-eckhart/) > [We should talk about the ultimate cause of war. It's a question we should never stop asking, because if we do, there's a chance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/we-should-talk-about-the-ultimate-cause-of-war-it-s-a-question-we/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [It is a well-settled principle of the international code that where one nation owes another a liquidated debt which it refuses or neglects to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/it-is-a-well-settled-principle-of-the-international-code-that-where/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) ## More by David Lloyd George > [What do you want to be a sailor for? There are greater storms in politics than you will ever find at sea. Piracy, broadsides,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/what-do-you-want-to-be-a-sailor-for-there-are-greater-storms-in/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [No democracy has ever long survived the failure of its adherents to be ready to die for it. My own conviction is this, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/no-democracy-has-ever-long-survived-the-failure-of-its-adherents-to/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Liberty is not merely a privilege to be conferred; it is a habit to be acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/liberty-is-not-merely-a-privilege-to-be-conferred-it-is-a-habit-to-be/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Liberty has restraints but no frontiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/liberty-has-restraints-but-no-frontiers/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [With me a change of trouble is as good as a vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/with-me-a-change-of-trouble-is-as-good-as-a-vacation/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Do not be afraid of taking a big step-you cannot cross a chasm in two steps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/do-not-be-afraid-of-taking-a-big-step-you-cannot-cross-a-chasm-in-two/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [The man who tries to make the flag an object of a single party is a greater traitor to that flag than any man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/the-man-who-tries-to-make-the-flag-an-object-of-a-single-party-is-a/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [He has sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/he-has-sat-on-the-fence-so-long-that-the-iron-has-entered-his-soul/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Lucidity of speech is unquestionably one of the surest tests of mental precision...In my experience a confused talker is never a clear thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/lucidity-of-speech-is-unquestionably-one-of-the-surest-tests-of/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Sincerity is the surest road to confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/sincerity-is-the-surest-road-to-confidence/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Golf is the only game where the worst player gets the best of it. He obtains more out of it as regards both exercise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/golf-is-the-only-game-where-the-worst-player-gets-the-best-of-it-he/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [By thetest of our faith thehighest standard ofcivilization is the readiness to sacrifice for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/by-thetest-of-our-faith-thehighest-standard-ofcivilization-is-the/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [Of all the bigotries that savage the human temper there is none so stupid as the anti-Semitic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/of-all-the-bigotries-that-savage-the-human-temper-there-is-none-so/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [A politician is a person with whose politics you don't agree; if you agree with him he's a statesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/a-politician-is-a-person-with-whose-politics-you-don-t-agree-if-you/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [If you want to succeed in politics you must keep your conscience firmly under control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/if-you-want-to-succeed-in-politics-you-must-keep-your-conscience/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) [Explore all 74 David Lloyd George quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) ## More Apprehension quotes > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Perhapsthemost sublimeinsights oftheJewishprophets and the Christian gospel is the knowledge that since perfection is love, the apprehension of perfection is at once the means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/perhapsthemost-sublimeinsights-ofthejewishprophets-and-the-christian/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The apprehension whether people will like it or not also doesn't bother me much. I've always done my work with a gut feeling that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiku-sharda/the-apprehension-whether-people-will-like-it-or-not-also-doesn-t/) [Kiku Sharda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiku-sharda/) > [LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay. We live in daily apprehension of its loss; yet when lost it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/life-n-a-spiritual-pickle-preserving-the-body-from-decay-we-live-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Man may feel like a feeble and powerless pawn, at some moment in his life. This apprehension can come out of the blue, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/man-may-feel-like-a-feeble-and-powerless-pawn-at-some-moment-in-his/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [We stand for organized terror - this should be frankly admitted. Terror is an absolute necessity during times of revolution. Our aim is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dzerzhinsky/we-stand-for-organized-terror-this-should-be-frankly-admitted-terror/) Felix Dzerzhinsky > [The regulation of commerce, it is true, is a new power; but that seems to be an addition which few oppose and from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-regulation-of-commerce-it-is-true-is-a-new-power-but-that-seems/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [As a father and grandfather, I have witnessed firsthand the joy of new life entering the world. I know the pain and apprehension that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/as-a-father-and-grandfather-i-have-witnessed-firsthand-the-joy-of-new/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [Lord, enlighten thou our enemies. Sharpen their wits, give acuteness to their perceptions, and consecutiveness and clearness to their reasoning powers: we are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/lord-enlighten-thou-our-enemies-sharpen-their-wits-give-acuteness-to/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The sense of death is most in apprehension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-sense-of-death-is-most-in-apprehension/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Since philosophy is the exploration of the rational, it is for that very reason the apprehension of the present and the actual, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/since-philosophy-is-the-exploration-of-the-rational-it-is-for-that/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Injustice is not evil in itself, but only in the fear and apprehension that one will not escape those who have been set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/injustice-is-not-evil-in-itself-but-only-in-the-fear-and-apprehension/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [The fact about himself that the liar hides is that he is attempting to lead us away from a correct apprehension of reality; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-frankfurt/the-fact-about-himself-that-the-liar-hides-is-that-he-is-attempting/) [Harry Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-frankfurt/) > [“A person can hurry through or sleep walk through life, but whenever they stop to catch their breath or awaken from a long nap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-can-hurry-through-or-sleep-walk-through-life-but-whenever/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) [Browse all 258 Apprehension quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprehension/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war without any trace of apprehension or dismay... 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