---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no morality in war. Morality is…"
description: "\"There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of those judging from the distance. War is only death and destruction.\" — John Cory"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg"
---

#  There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of…

![“There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of those judging from the distance. War is only death and destruction.” quote by John Cory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg)

> “There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of those judging from the distance. War is only death and destruction.”

[John Cory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cory/)

## About This Quote

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

War lacks inherent morality; moral judgments are made by distant observers.

**In simple terms:** War is amoral; morality is distant.

Key Takeaway

Question moral narratives about conflict.

Themes

war ethics philosophy humanity

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- military training
- peace negotiations
- public discourse
- education curricula

Key Concepts

just war theory moral relativism combat trauma

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we hold actors accountable?
- Can war ever be justified?

A Different Perspective

Moral judgments can still guide conduct.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Morality Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality-privilege-4728368/) [Morality War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality-war-1660572/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-death/) [War Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-morality-4728367/)

## Related quotes

> [“There is no morality in war', they said, 'but cannibals never killed more in one day that they could eat. In your wars, thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-morgan/there-is-no-morality-in-war-they-said-but-cannibals-never-killed-more/)

[Marlo Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-morgan/)

> [“The war against death, dear Harry, is always a beautiful, noble, and wonderful, and glorious thing, and so, it follows, is the war against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-war-against-death-dear-harry-is-always-a-beautiful-noble-and/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [War is death. If we are to engage in war, then we should have to stare it straight in the face and call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-huey/war-is-death-if-we-are-to-engage-in-war-then-we-should-have-to-stare/)

[Aaron Huey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-huey/)

> [War is death's feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/war-is-death-s-feast/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [Slum kids die slowly, their lives eroded at so languid a pace that even they would have trouble tracing the disintegration. To the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/slum-kids-die-slowly-their-lives-eroded-at-so-languid-a-pace-that/)

[Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/)

> [“In every battle, there is a death. The loser may laugh it off if the war is short and sweet and without cost. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-galenorn/in-every-battle-there-is-a-death-the-loser-may-laugh-it-off-if-the/)

[Yasmine Galenorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-galenorn/)

> [“In the trenches of the First World War, English men came to love one another decently, without shame or make-believe, under the easy likelihoods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/in-the-trenches-of-the-first-world-war-english-men-came-to-love-one/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [“War and death can silence the strongest of men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-e-pendziwol/war-and-death-can-silence-the-strongest-of-men/)

[Jean E. Pendziwol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-e-pendziwol/)

> [“I cannot see the war as historians see it. Those clever fellows study all the facts and they see the war as a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-cannot-see-the-war-as-historians-see-it-those-clever-fellows-study/)

[William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/)

> [They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/they-say-that-war-is-death-s-best-friend-but-i-must-offer-you-a-2/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“Death's Diary: 1942 - It was a year for the ages, like 79, like 1346, to just name a few. Forget the scythe, God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/death-s-diary-1942-it-was-a-year-for-the-ages-like-79-like-1346-to/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“They say that war is death’s best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/they-say-that-war-is-death-s-best-friend-but-i-must-offer-you-a/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

## More by John Cory

> [War is eternity jammed into frantic minutes that will fill a lifetime with dreams and nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/war-is-eternity-jammed-into-frantic-minutes-that-will-fill-a-lifetime/)

[John Cory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cory/)

> [War is the cemetery of futures promised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/war-is-the-cemetery-of-futures-promised/)

[John Cory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cory/)

[Explore all 3 John Cory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cory/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

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

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

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

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of those judging from the distance. War is only death and destruction.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Cory"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is-the-privilege-of-those/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is-the-privilege-of-those/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd3/john-cory-88324_character_there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is_573607.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no morality in war. Morality is the privilege of those judging from the distance. War is only death…” — John Cory",
                "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": "John Cory",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cory/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is no morality in war....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is-the-privilege-of-those/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cory/there-is-no-morality-in-war-morality-is-the-privilege-of-those/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
