--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our strategy is one of preventing war by…" description: "\"Our strategy is one of preventing war by making it self-evident to our enemies that they're going to get their clocks cleaned if they start one.\" — Joh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/john-w-vessey-jr-57623_clock_our-strategy-is-one-of-preventing-war-by_3021892.png" --- # Our strategy is one of preventing war by making it… ![“Our strategy is one of preventing war by making it self-evident to our enemies that they're going to get their clocks cleaned if they start one.” quote by John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/john-w-vessey-jr-57623_clock_our-strategy-is-one-of-preventing-war-by_3021892.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/john-w-vessey-jr-57623_clock_our-strategy-is-one-of-preventing-war-by_3021892.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/john-w-vessey-jr-57623_clock_our-strategy-is-one-of-preventing-war-by_3021892.png) > “Our strategy is one of preventing war by making it self-evident to our enemies that they're going to get their clocks cleaned if they start one.” [John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deterrence works when adversaries see clear, overwhelming consequences for aggression. **In simple terms:** Make war too costly for enemies. Key Takeaway Show strength, avoid conflict. Themes deterrence military strategy conflict prevention Mood serious strategic Type political military When to use this quote - military planning - diplomacy - crisis management Key Concepts strategic signaling power projection Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure threats are credible? - What safeguards prevent escalation? A Different Perspective If enemies misinterpret signals, deterrence can fail. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Preventing war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preventing-war/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The way to prevent war is to bend every energy toward preventing it, not to proceed by the dubious indirection of preparing for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lerner/the-way-to-prevent-war-is-to-bend-every-energy-toward-preventing-it/) [Max Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lerner/) > [“Prayers should be for preventing war, not fighting it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hg47/prayers-should-be-for-preventing-war-not-fighting-it/) @hg47 > [Unless some effective world supergovernment for the purpose of preventing war can be set up ... the prospects for peace and human progress are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/unless-some-effective-world-supergovernment-for-the-purpose-of/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I think that if the atomic bomb did nothing more, it scared the people to the point where they realized that either they must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-think-that-if-the-atomic-bomb-did-nothing-more-it-scared-the-people/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Preventing a war is tantamount to winning a war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-castro/preventing-a-war-is-tantamount-to-winning-a-war/) [Raul Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-castro/) > [When Hillary's getting knocked around by the folks on the Hill is Bill going to go Larry King to knock her enemies around? Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-marshall/when-hillary-s-getting-knocked-around-by-the-folks-on-the-hill-is/) [Josh Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-marshall/) > [I am convinced there is no more effective method of preventing a war than a decisive stance illustrating that we are ready at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-duda/i-am-convinced-there-is-no-more-effective-method-of-preventing-a-war/) [Andrzej Duda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-duda/) > [At present, the most effective way of preventing war would be for statesmen to direct politics so as to support a sound nationalism. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/at-present-the-most-effective-way-of-preventing-war-would-be-for/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [Today the real test of power is not capacity to make war but capacity to prevent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-o-hare-mccormick/today-the-real-test-of-power-is-not-capacity-to-make-war-but-capacity/) [Anne O'Hare McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-o-hare-mccormick/) > [Preventing war is much better than protesting against the war. Protesting the war is too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/preventing-war-is-much-better-than-protesting-against-the-war/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Preventing war is the work of politicians, establishing peace is the work of educationists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/preventing-war-is-the-work-of-politicians-establishing-peace-is-the/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [If we can cultivate in the world the idea that aggressive war-making is the way to the prisoner's dock rather than the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-jackson/if-we-can-cultivate-in-the-world-the-idea-that-aggressive-war-making/) [Robert H. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-jackson/) > [Going to war accelerated the move from indirect to direct rule. Almost any state that makes war finds that it cannot pay for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tilly/going-to-war-accelerated-the-move-from-indirect-to-direct-rule-almost/) [Charles Tilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tilly/) > [“Being ready for war is not the same as making war, or liking it, young human. Make war as a last resort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-martelle/being-ready-for-war-is-not-the-same-as-making-war-or-liking-it-young/) Craig Martelle > [“You do not win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making sure that some poor bastard dies for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/you-do-not-win-a-war-by-dying-for-your-country-you-win-a-war-by/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) ## More by John W. Vessey, Jr > [We have two companies of Marines running rampant all over the northern half of this island, and three Army regiments pinned down in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-vessey-jr/we-have-two-companies-of-marines-running-rampant-all-over-the/) [John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) > [More has been screwed up on the battlefield and misunderstood in the Pentagon because of a lack of understanding of the English language than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-vessey-jr/more-has-been-screwed-up-on-the-battlefield-and-misunderstood-in-the/) [John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) > [We have two companies of MARINES running all over this island and thousands of ARMY troops doing nothing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-vessey-jr/we-have-two-companies-of-marines-running-all-over-this-island-and/) [John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) > [My job is to give the president and secretary of defense military advice before they know they need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-vessey-jr/my-job-is-to-give-the-president-and-secretary-of-defense-military/) [John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) > [Don't get small units caught in between the forces of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-vessey-jr/don-t-get-small-units-caught-in-between-the-forces-of-history/) [John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) [Explore all 6 John W. Vessey, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/) ## More Clock quotes > [Even Einstein had to rely for his time on his clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/even-einstein-had-to-rely-for-his-time-on-his-clock/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. 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He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [I don't know if it's just me or everyone, but the whole vibe with skiing is not so much thriving on competition against others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/picabo-street/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-just-me-or-everyone-but-the-whole-vibe-with/) [Picabo Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/picabo-street/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our strategy is one of preventing war by making it self-evident to our enemies that they're going to get their clocks cleaned if they start one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John W. 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