--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only difference between war and…" description: "\"“The only difference between war and murder is the number of the dead.”\" — Joe Abercrombie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png" --- # The only difference between war and murder is the number… ![“The only difference between war and murder is the number of the dead.” quote by Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png) > ““The only difference between war and murder is the number of the dead.”” [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War and murder differ mainly by scale, not moral distinction. **In simple terms:** War is murder on a larger scale. Key Takeaway Recognize the human cost of conflict. Themes war morality violence Mood grim reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - military engagement - political conflict - personal aggression Key Concepts ethics human cost Questions to Reflect On - What defines the line between war and murder? - Can large-scale violence ever be moral? A Different Perspective Scale does not justify violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) [Difference War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-war-957502/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Number Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-dead-957503/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-murder-957501/) ## Related quotes > [“The only difference between war and murder is the number of dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-only-difference-between-war-and-murder-is-the-number-of-dead/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [Ez fer war, I call it murder,- There you hev it plain an' flat; I don't want to go no furder Than my Testyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/ez-fer-war-i-call-it-murder-there-you-hev-it-plain-an-flat-i-don-t/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [A considerable percentage of the people we meet on the street are people who are empty inside, that is, they are actually already dead.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-i-gurdjieff/a-considerable-percentage-of-the-people-we-meet-on-the-street-are/) [G. I. Gurdjieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-i-gurdjieff/) > [George Bush has met more foreign heads of state than I have. But a substantial number of them were dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/george-bush-has-met-more-foreign-heads-of-state-than-i-have-but-a/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“I saw the corpse, and I called the cops. But not before I called a 1-800 phone sex number with the dead guy’s phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-saw-the-corpse-and-i-called-the-cops-but-not-before-i-called-a-1/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“How would you describe the difference between modern war and modern industry—between, say, bombing and strip mining, or between chemical warfare and chemical manufacturing?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/how-would-you-describe-the-difference-between-modern-war-and-modern-2/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [How would you describe the difference between modern war and modern industry-between say, bombing and strip mining, or between chemical warfare and chemical manufacturing?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/how-would-you-describe-the-difference-between-modern-war-and-modern/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [There are times when only America can make the difference between war and peace, between freedom and repression, between life death. We cannot save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/there-are-times-when-only-america-can-make-the-difference-between-war/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“I'm a soldier in war, and the only difference between our war and the ones between humans is that this fight has been going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-allison-moulton/i-m-a-soldier-in-war-and-the-only-difference-between-our-war-and-the/) [Courtney Allison Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-allison-moulton/) > [War is murder. And the military preparations now being made for a potential major confrontation are aimed at collective murder. In a nuclear age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alva-myrdal/war-is-murder-and-the-military-preparations-now-being-made-for-a/) [Alva Myrdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alva-myrdal/) > [War is murder writ large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/war-is-murder-writ-large/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [It is not a war. It is murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-is-not-a-war-it-is-murder/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Unless a nation's life faces peril, war is murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/unless-a-nation-s-life-faces-peril-war-is-murder/) [Mustafa Kemal Ataturk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/) > [It was not war, it was murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-harvey-hill/it-was-not-war-it-was-murder/) [Daniel Harvey Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-harvey-hill/) > [All war is murder, robbery, trickery, and no nation ever escaped losses of men, prosperity and virility. War knows no victor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starr-jordan/all-war-is-murder-robbery-trickery-and-no-nation-ever-escaped-losses/) [David Starr Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starr-jordan/) ## More by Joe Abercrombie > [“She shrugged. “I fell. I’m a clumsy fool.” “I know how you feel. I’m such a fool I knocked half my teeth out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/she-shrugged-i-fell-i-m-a-clumsy-fool-i-know-how-you-feel-i-m-such-a/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [Things aren't what they used to be' is the rallying cry of small minds. When men say things used to be better, they invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/things-aren-t-what-they-used-to-be-is-the-rallying-cry-of-small-minds/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“Mercy and weakness are the same thing in war, and there's no prize for nice behavior.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/mercy-and-weakness-are-the-same-thing-in-war-and-there-s-no-prize-for/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“The lowly have small ambitions, and are satisfied with small indulgences. They need not get fair treatment. They need only think that they do... ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-lowly-have-small-ambitions-and-are-satisfied-with-small/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“What do the dice say?" Dice say nothing. They are dice." Why roll'em, then?" They are dice. What else would I do with them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/what-do-the-dice-say-dice-say-nothing-they-are-dice-why-roll-em-then/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“You have to realistic about these things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/you-have-to-realistic-about-these-things/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“That was the difference between a hero and a villain, a soldier and a murderer, a victory and a crime. Which side of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/that-was-the-difference-between-a-hero-and-a-villain-a-soldier-and-a/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“Nostalgia was becoming a favoured hobby of his. Strange, how the best moments of our lives we scarcely notice except in looking back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/nostalgia-was-becoming-a-favoured-hobby-of-his-strange-how-the-best/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“The only difference between war and murder is the number of dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-only-difference-between-war-and-murder-is-the-number-of-dead/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [Names turned over by time, like the plough turning the soil. Bringing up the new while the old were buried in the mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/names-turned-over-by-time-like-the-plough-turning-the-soil-bringing/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“Knives,’ muttered Calder, ‘and threats, and bribes, and war?’ Bayaz’ eyes shone with the lamplight. ‘Yes?’ ‘What kind of a fucking wizard are you?’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/knives-muttered-calder-and-threats-and-bribes-and-war-bayaz-eyes/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“Straining and straining, getting nowhere, but unable to stop pushing in case the rock should fall and crush him. Meanwhile, arrogant bastards who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/straining-and-straining-getting-nowhere-but-unable-to-stop-pushing-in/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“Yarvi: 'If we had known the hardship of it, we might have chosen another.' Shidwala: 'So it is with many choices.' Yarvi: 'All we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/yarvi-if-we-had-known-the-hardship-of-it-we-might-have-chosen-another/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [Sometimes men change for the better. Sometimes men change for the worse. And often, very often, given time and opportunity . . .’ He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/sometimes-men-change-for-the-better-sometimes-men-change-for-the/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [“A bitter ending' said Yarvi. 'Many sweet stories have them', said Jaud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/a-bitter-ending-said-yarvi-many-sweet-stories-have-them-said-jaud/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) [Explore all 364 Joe Abercrombie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) ## More Dead quotes > [I'm going to stay on stage until I drop dead. Then I'm going to have myself stuffed, like Trigger, and I'm going to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-m-going-to-stay-on-stage-until-i-drop-dead-then-i-m-going-to-have/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [I can't be a legend yet. I'm not dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-can-t-be-a-legend-yet-i-m-not-dead/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“I’m just–” She wanted to say “not in the mood,” but that was not only a cliché but a vast understatement. She was dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-mcintosh/i-m-just-she-wanted-to-say-not-in-the-mood-but-that-was-not-only-a/) [Will McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-mcintosh/) > [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [When we dead awaken ... we see that we have never lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/when-we-dead-awaken-we-see-that-we-have-never-lived/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [Rather be dead than cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/rather-be-dead-than-cool/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopless a thing as it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/he-was-obviously-dead-but-since-he-was-a-vampire-that-wasn-t-as/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I intend to do the Penn & Teller show until they pry my cheesy magic wand from my cold dead fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-intend-to-do-the-penn-teller-show-until-they-pry-my-cheesy-magic/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > ['Misery' left a lasting mark on me. When I die, it will be 'Kathy 'Misery' Bates Is Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bates/misery-left-a-lasting-mark-on-me-when-i-die-it-will-be-kathy-misery/) [Kathy Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bates/) > [The only good Indian is a dead Indian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/the-only-good-indian-is-a-dead-indian/) [William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/) [Browse all 3,376 Dead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The only difference between war and murder is the number of the dead.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Abercrombie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-only-difference-between-war-and-murder-is-the-number-of-the-dead/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dead" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-only-difference-between-war-and-murder-is-the-number-of-the-dead/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bb/joe-abercrombie-791_dead_the-only-difference-between-war-and-murd_1488908.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only difference between war and murder is the number of the dead.” — Joe Abercrombie", "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": "Joe Abercrombie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The only difference between war and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-only-difference-between-war-and-murder-is-the-number-of-the-dead/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-only-difference-between-war-and-murder-is-the-number-of-the-dead/#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 } } ] } ```