--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The last day of the war provided chilling…" description: "\"“The last day of the war provided chilling closure. The ending, in its ferocity, bloodiness, and uselessness, contained the entire war in microcosm. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg" --- # The last day of the war provided chilling closure. The… ![“The last day of the war provided chilling closure. The ending, in its ferocity, bloodiness, and uselessness, contained the entire war in microcosm. The fighting went on for the hollowest of reasons: no one knew how to stop it.” quote by Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg) > ““The last day of the war provided chilling closure. The ending, in its ferocity, bloodiness, and uselessness, contained the entire war in microcosm. The fighting went on for the hollowest of reasons: no one knew how to stop it.”” [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War often ends in senseless violence that mirrors its whole tragedy, showing how conflict persists without clear purpose. **In simple terms:** War ends in pointless bloodshed that reflects its whole absurdity. Key Takeaway Recognize the futility of endless conflict. Themes war futility humanity Mood somber reflective Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - military history - peace negotiations - conflict resolution - education - media analysis Key Concepts nihilism microcosm meaninglessness Questions to Reflect On - What drives societies to repeat futile wars? - How can we break cycles of senseless conflict? A Different Perspective Even when war ends, its trauma lingers and can be glorified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chilling Closure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chilling-closure-890335/) [Closure Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closure-ending-890336/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Entire War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-war-675511/) [Last day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-day/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Microcosm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-microcosm-890334/) ## Related quotes > [“I was tired of waiting. Of making. Of doing. I wanted some closure, an ending, a feeling I had gotten somewhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-was-tired-of-waiting-of-making-of-doing-i-wanted-some-closure-an/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [War is nothing but a microcosm of peace... it shows you life in a more intense way and that's how I continue to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/war-is-nothing-but-a-microcosm-of-peace-it-shows-you-life-in-a-more/) [Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/) > [It would be the most crucial day of the entire war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/it-would-be-the-most-crucial-day-of-the-entire-war/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“If Joan of Arc could turn the tide of an entire war before her 18th birthday, you can get out of bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-jean-carroll/if-joan-of-arc-could-turn-the-tide-of-an-entire-war-before-her-18th/) [E. Jean Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-jean-carroll/) > [“Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema noted that "through the entire war, one dream never left us, not for single day : our homecoming to Holland as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-olson/erik-hazelhoff-roelfzema-noted-that-through-the-entire-war-one-dream/) [Lynne Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-olson/) > [If Joan of Arc could turn the tide of an entire war before her eighteenth birthday, you can get out of bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-jean-carroll/if-joan-of-arc-could-turn-the-tide-of-an-entire-war-before-her/) [E. Jean Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-jean-carroll/) > [I think I am in my last days, but it doesn't really matter because I have had such a beautiful life. I have lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-herz-sommer/i-think-i-am-in-my-last-days-but-it-doesn-t-really-matter-because-i/) [Alice Herz-Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-herz-sommer/) > [If today was your last day, and tomorrow was to late. Could you say goodbye to yesterday? Would you live each moment like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-today-was-your-last-day-and-tomorrow-was-to-late-could-you-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Today is the last day of your life up to this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fink/today-is-the-last-day-of-your-life-up-to-this-point/) [Joseph Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fink/) > [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We do not know about our last day on this planet. All we know of are the people whom we love and the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/we-do-not-know-about-our-last-day-on-this-planet-all-we-know-of-are/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [“I can’t help feeling as if this is my last chance,” Evan said. He was sitting opposite Dr. Lorne, a psychiatrist at the Havilland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-field/i-can-t-help-feeling-as-if-this-is-my-last-chance-evan-said-he-was/) [Ryan Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-field/) > [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [The Bible says there are things that we should look for that signal the last days and one of them of course is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-laurie/the-bible-says-there-are-things-that-we-should-look-for-that-signal/) [Greg Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-laurie/) > [Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-o-sweet-lord-jesus-thou-art-the-present-portion-of-thy-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Joseph E. Persico > [“Sergeant Powell would never understand what compelled Henry Gunther to rise up and charge the enemy. Gunther had never been seduced by dreams of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/sergeant-powell-would-never-understand-what-compelled-henry-gunther/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Henry Cabot Lodge. Wilson rejected even reasonable compromises, and Lodge refused to budge. Hence, the United States failed to enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/senate-foreign-relations-committee-henry-cabot-lodge-wilson-rejected/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“On December 18, he asked each side to set forth its terms for ending the war. The Allies demanded conditions certain to be unacceptable:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/on-december-18-he-asked-each-side-to-set-forth-its-terms-for-ending/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The first-day casualties on the Somme totaled 57,470.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-first-day-casualties-on-the-somme-totaled-57-470/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The last deaths of the Great War on the western front occurred at midnight on the twelfth in Hamont, a Belgian town near the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-deaths-of-the-great-war-on-the-western-front-occurred-at/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“German resistance continued to present a hodgepodge of fanaticism amid disorder. A British patrol entering a deserted village east of Valenciennes in the northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/german-resistance-continued-to-present-a-hodgepodge-of-fanaticism/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The imperative of war is to kill, and thus all wars are exercises in sanctioned murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-imperative-of-war-is-to-kill-and-thus-all-wars-are-exercises-in/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“The initial conclusion of the subcommittee was that “needless slaughter” took place on November 11, 1918. However, this finding was beaten back by vocal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-initial-conclusion-of-the-subcommittee-was-that-needless/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Moltke began to tamper with Schlieffen’s plan. Instead of investing 90 percent of the German Army in the French campaign, as required, he began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/moltke-began-to-tamper-with-schlieffen-s-plan-instead-of-investing-90/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Compounding the horror, German officials committed an act of staggering insensitivity: they struck a commemorative medal with a depiction of the sinking ship on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/compounding-the-horror-german-officials-committed-an-act-of/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“constant companions throughout the project: Stanley Weintraub’s A Stillness Heard Round the World, A. J. P. Taylor’s The First World War, John Keegan’s The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/constant-companions-throughout-the-project-stanley-weintraub-s-a/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Mustard gas was stubborn, clinging to the ground as long as three days. Heavier than air, it settled into craters and trenches where men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/mustard-gas-was-stubborn-clinging-to-the-ground-as-long-as-three-days/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“Barely across the Ourcq, Donovan’s battalion began taking fire from three sides. One bullet grazed Wild Bill’s thigh; another tore off the heel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/barely-across-the-ourcq-donovan-s-battalion-began-taking-fire-from/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“A great many of the Army officers were very fine in the way that they took care of their men. But there were certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/a-great-many-of-the-army-officers-were-very-fine-in-the-way-that-they/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) > [“MacArthur strode before his men, armed only with a riding crop, a cigarette holder clamped jauntily between his teeth, without the slightest suggestion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/macarthur-strode-before-his-men-armed-only-with-a-riding-crop-a/) [Joseph E. Persico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) [Explore all 66 Joseph E. Persico quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/) ## More Ending quotes > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) > [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Friendship doesn't has ending...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-doesn-t-has-ending/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 2010, Republicans took control of politics in Alabama by advocating for increased transparency and an end to government corruption, but instead of ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-crumpton/in-2010-republicans-took-control-of-politics-in-alabama-by-advocating/) [Ron Crumpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-crumpton/) > [Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-brought-the-beginning-tomorrow-brings-the-end-and-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Break ups arent always meant for make ups. Sometimes relationships end in order for you to wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/break-ups-arent-always-meant-for-make-ups-sometimes-relationships-end/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/everything-we-do-really-is-just-a-little-marker-on-the-long-road-to/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) [Browse all 1,316 Ending quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The last day of the war provided chilling closure. The ending, in its ferocity, bloodiness, and uselessness, contained the entire war in microcosm. The fighting went on for the hollowest of reasons: no one knew how to stop it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph E. Persico" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chilling-closure-the-ending-in-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ending" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chilling-closure-the-ending-in-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/joseph-e-persico-10290_ending_the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chillin_2483702.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The last day of the war provided chilling closure. The ending, in its ferocity, bloodiness, and uselessness…” — Joseph E. Persico", "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": "Joseph E. Persico", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-e-persico/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The last day of the war...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chilling-closure-the-ending-in-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-e-persico/the-last-day-of-the-war-provided-chilling-closure-the-ending-in-its/#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 } } ] } ```