--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War is absolutely the last card any…" description: "\"“War is absolutely the last card any national leader should play, and only when every other alternative has been exhausted. If the hand was being playe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg" --- # War is absolutely the last card any national leader should… ![“War is absolutely the last card any national leader should play, and only when every other alternative has been exhausted. If the hand was being played by an old soldier, a war veteran, I can assure you he would guard that war card to the bitter end and play it reluctantly and with the fear and…” quote by Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg) > ““War is absolutely the last card any national leader should play, and only when every other alternative has been exhausted. If the hand was being played by an old soldier, a war veteran, I can assure you he would guard that war card to the bitter end and play it reluctantly and with the fear and trepidation of experience.”” [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War should be a last resort, used only after all other options fail, and even then with great reluctance due to its costs. **In simple terms:** War is a final, reluctant choice. Key Takeaway Consider alternatives before resorting to war. Themes war leadership ethics Mood somber reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - diplomacy - military planning - conflict resolution Key Concepts strategic restraint human cost Questions to Reflect On - What non‑military options could be pursued first? - How does experience shape leaders’ willingness to fight? A Different Perspective War may still be chosen despite exhaustion of alternatives, reflecting political pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War veteran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-veteran/) ## Related quotes > [We can have a World War, I see absolutely no reason why we shouldn't have a World Party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/we-can-have-a-world-war-i-see-absolutely-no-reason-why-we-shouldn-t/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [In Europe itself it is not probable that war will ever absolutely cease until science discovers some destroying force so simple in its administration,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/in-europe-itself-it-is-not-probable-that-war-will-ever-absolutely/) [William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/) > [We convinced him quickly that the possibility of war was absolutely nil and continued our festivity. On the next day we were ordered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-von-richthofen/we-convinced-him-quickly-that-the-possibility-of-war-was-absolutely/) [Manfred von Richthofen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-von-richthofen/) > [I hate war. Absolutely, I hate war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-schwarzkopf/i-hate-war-absolutely-i-hate-war/) [Norman Schwarzkopf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-schwarzkopf/) > [“That's the attractive thing about war. Absolutely everything gets a little something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-s-the-attractive-thing-about-war-absolutely-everything-gets-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I've always played all the old songs. I'd go and see Peter Gabriel or Madonna and be surprised if they didn't play all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyah-willcox/i-ve-always-played-all-the-old-songs-i-d-go-and-see-peter-gabriel-or/) [Toyah Willcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyah-willcox/) > [Having played the Old Course many times since my first visit in 1981, I am now of the opinion it is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-watson/having-played-the-old-course-many-times-since-my-first-visit-in-1981/) [Tom Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-watson/) > [When I played, Old-Timers' Day was my favorite day of the whole season, because I got to share a locker with one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goose-gossage/when-i-played-old-timers-day-was-my-favorite-day-of-the-whole-season/) [Goose Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goose-gossage/) > [I saw Hamlet Prince of Denmark played; but now the old plays begin to disgust this refined age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-evelyn/i-saw-hamlet-prince-of-denmark-played-but-now-the-old-plays-begin-to/) [John Evelyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-evelyn/) > [There was this old soccer game called 'Goal' for the old Nintendo, and ever since then, I've played everything from the old school games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/there-was-this-old-soccer-game-called-goal-for-the-old-nintendo-and/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [There's many a good tune played by an old banjo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/there-s-many-a-good-tune-played-by-an-old-banjo/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [I played an old woman in a wheelchair at 18.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-martindale/i-played-an-old-woman-in-a-wheelchair-at-18/) [Margo Martindale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-martindale/) > [We played an old U-Boat factory in East Germany once and that was massive - 35,000 people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-flint/we-played-an-old-u-boat-factory-in-east-germany-once-and-that-was/) [Keith Flint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-flint/) > [“Mawdryn stared at the Brigadier with such a look of pain and longing. For a moment the old soldier's mind went back thirty-five years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-grimwade/mawdryn-stared-at-the-brigadier-with-such-a-look-of-pain-and-longing/) [Peter Grimwade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-grimwade/) > [“And as he recalls the old soldier's wisdom regarding bullets and fate, how pointless evasion is when each shot has a man's name on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/and-as-he-recalls-the-old-soldier-s-wisdom-regarding-bullets-and-fate/) [Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/) ## More by Harold G. Moore > [“There is no glory in war—only good men dying terrible deaths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/there-is-no-glory-in-war-only-good-men-dying-terrible-deaths/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“In the words of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant: “There never was a time when, in my opinion, some way could not be found to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/in-the-words-of-gen-ulysses-s-grant-there-never-was-a-time-when-in-my/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“James A. Mullartey from our 1st Platoon made it back to our lines. His story: The NVA had been shooting our wounded. One came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/james-a-mullartey-from-our-1st-platoon-made-it-back-to-our-lines-his/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“There is no such thing as closure for soldiers who have survived a war. They have an obligation, a sacred duty, to remember those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/there-is-no-such-thing-as-closure-for-soldiers-who-have-survived-a/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“War is a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead. —ERNEST HEMINGWAY”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/war-is-a-crime-ask-the-infantry-and-ask-the-dead-ernest-hemingway/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“May God bless and keep all soldiers, young and old, and may that same God open the eyes of all political leaders to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/may-god-bless-and-keep-all-soldiers-young-and-old-and-may-that-same/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“There’s never been a noble war except in the history books and propaganda movies. It’s a bloody, dirty, cruel, costly mistake in almost every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/there-s-never-been-a-noble-war-except-in-the-history-books-and/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“(1) He must be competent, (2) he must exercise good judgment, and (3) he must have character. By itself, competence is meaningless without character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/1-he-must-be-competent-2-he-must-exercise-good-judgment-and-3-he-must/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“Then it came across the radio: Bravo Company had found one other survivor from our 2nd Platoon. He had been badly wounded in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/then-it-came-across-the-radio-bravo-company-had-found-one-other/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell. —WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/there-is-many-a-boy-here-today-who-looks-on-war-as-all-glory-but-boys-3/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“Never say no to yourself. Make the other guy say no.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/never-say-no-to-yourself-make-the-other-guy-say-no/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“Many of our countrymen came to hate the war we fought. Those who hated it the most—the professionally sensitive—were not, in the end, sensitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/many-of-our-countrymen-came-to-hate-the-war-we-fought-those-who-hated/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“this act is engraved in my mind deeper than any other experience in my two tours in Vietnam. A huge black enlisted man, clad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/this-act-is-engraved-in-my-mind-deeper-than-any-other-experience-in/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“A good wife is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/a-good-wife-is-far-more-precious-than-jewels-the-heart-of-her-husband/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) > [“These times, indeed all times, demand national political leaders who know not only our history but the history of the world and its nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/these-times-indeed-all-times-demand-national-political-leaders-who/) [Harold G. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) [Explore all 17 Harold G. Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/) ## More Leadership quotes > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [It is absolutely necessary... for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-absolutely-necessary-for-me-to-have-persons-that-can-think-for/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“Under the treaty of Sevres in 1920 Greece had been given Smyrna, and by 1922 the Greek army was trying to push its way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/under-the-treaty-of-sevres-in-1920-greece-had-been-given-smyrna-and/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [Some people you speak to you speak into their heads. It's logical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/some-people-you-speak-to-you-speak-into-their-heads-it-s-logical/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [You can have Asians being leading men that are sex symbols. You can have leading women powering through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-golding/you-can-have-asians-being-leading-men-that-are-sex-symbols-you-can/) [Henry Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-golding/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) [Browse all 20,954 Leadership quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“War is absolutely the last card any national leader should play, and only when every other alternative has been exhausted. If the hand was being played by an old soldier, a war veteran, I can assure you he would guard that war card to the bitter end and play it reluctantly and with the fear and trepidation of experience.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harold G. Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-national-leader-should-play-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Leadership" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-national-leader-should-play-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/harold-g-moore-30794_leadership_war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-nati_374470.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“War is absolutely the last card any national leader should play, and only when every other alternative has…” — Harold G. Moore", "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": "Harold G. Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-g-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“War is absolutely the last card...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-national-leader-should-play-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-g-moore/war-is-absolutely-the-last-card-any-national-leader-should-play-and/#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 } } ] } ```