--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War can so easily be gilt with romance…" description: "\"War can so easily be gilt with romance and heroism and solemn national duty and patriotism and the like by persons whose superficial literary and orato..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/george-bernard-shaw-68_abyss_war-can-so-easily-be-gilt-with-romance-a_2797500.png" --- # War can so easily be gilt with romance and heroism and… ![“War can so easily be gilt with romance and heroism and solemn national duty and patriotism and the like by persons whose superficial literary and oratorical talent covers an abyss of Godforsaken folly.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/george-bernard-shaw-68_abyss_war-can-so-easily-be-gilt-with-romance-a_2797500.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/george-bernard-shaw-68_abyss_war-can-so-easily-be-gilt-with-romance-a_2797500.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/george-bernard-shaw-68_abyss_war-can-so-easily-be-gilt-with-romance-a_2797500.png) > “War can so easily be gilt with romance and heroism and solemn national duty and patriotism and the like by persons whose superficial literary and oratorical talent covers an abyss of Godforsaken folly.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War is romanticized by those with shallow talent, hiding deep folly. **In simple terms:** War is glorified by the uninformed, masking absurdity. Key Takeaway Question romantic notions of war. Themes war romanticism critique folly Mood cynical critical Type satirical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - media analysis - historical study - peace activism - education curricula Key Concepts Satire social commentary Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies glorify conflict? - How can we promote realistic war perspectives? A Different Perspective Patriotic narratives can obscure real costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [Great war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-war/) [Heroism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroism/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Solemn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solemn/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [It is inhuman to continue a war which could easily be ended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/it-is-inhuman-to-continue-a-war-which-could-easily-be-ended/) [Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) > [nobody can save you but yourself and you’re worth saving. it’s a war not easily won but if anything is worth winning then this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/nobody-can-save-you-but-yourself-and-you-re-worth-saving-it-s-a-war/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“Nobody can save you but yourself. 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