--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a damned sight easier to start wars…" description: "\"It is a damned sight easier to start wars than to end them. This truth has been stated for as long and as often as it has been ignored. High time and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg" --- # It is a damned sight easier to start wars than to end… ![“It is a damned sight easier to start wars than to end them. This truth has been stated for as long and as often as it has been ignored. High time and thank God, we are at least moving toward de-escalation in Vietnam. The road to extrication will be long, painful, bitter. But it must be trod. We…” quote by Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg) > “It is a damned sight easier to start wars than to end them. This truth has been stated for as long and as often as it has been ignored. High time and thank God, we are at least moving toward de-escalation in Vietnam. The road to extrication will be long, painful, bitter. But it must be trod. We are so bogged down in Vietnam that we cannot respond effectively anywhere else in the world to a military power play except through atomic bombardment.” [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting wars is far easier than ending them; de‑escalation is painful but necessary. **In simple terms:** War is easy to start, hard to stop; peace requires effort. Key Takeaway Support diplomatic solutions over military action. Themes war peace politics history ethics Mood reflective hopeful Type historical political When to use this quote - peace negotiations - public protests - foreign policy reviews - historical analysis Key Concepts realpolitik moral responsibility conflict resolution Questions to Reflect On - What steps can reduce the likelihood of future wars? - How can societies heal after conflict? A Different Perspective Peace processes are often stalled by entrenched interests and mistrust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atomic bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atomic-bomb/) [Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Escalation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escalation/) [Escalation Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escalation-vietnam-5653159/) [Extrication Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extrication-long-5653161/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ignored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignored/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-power/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Power play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-play/) [Sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sight/) [Start wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-wars/) [Thank god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thank-god/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Vietnam Respond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam-respond-5653160/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wars End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars-end-462730/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Wars almost never end the way starters had in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/wars-almost-never-end-the-way-starters-had-in-mind/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [At today's prices for medicines, doctors and hospitals-if the latter are available at any price-only millionaires can afford to be hurt or sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/at-today-s-prices-for-medicines-doctors-and-hospitals-if-the-latter/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [We will not really address our foreign policy and these endless wars that show no end in sight and seem to be getting deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/we-will-not-really-address-our-foreign-policy-and-these-endless-wars/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [“It is the oldest ironies that are still the most satisfying: man, when preparing for bloody war, will orate loudly and most eloquently in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/it-is-the-oldest-ironies-that-are-still-the-most-satisfying-man-when-2/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“One thing I learned in this world? Things don't last. People say they do. They don't. Your friends, they die. The wars go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/one-thing-i-learned-in-this-world-things-don-t-last-people-say-they/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [A smart soldier wants to know the causes of wars. Also how to end them. After all, war is the normal state of affairs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-pournelle/a-smart-soldier-wants-to-know-the-causes-of-wars-also-how-to-end-them/) [Jerry Pournelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-pournelle/) > [“We prayed these wars would end all wars -- In war we know is no romance." ( Done With Bonaparte )”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/we-prayed-these-wars-would-end-all-wars-in-war-we-know-is-no-romance/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [“This system of chain wars can end only in two ways: either it will result in horrible physical destructions and concomitant revolutionary changes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-voegelin/this-system-of-chain-wars-can-end-only-in-two-ways-either-it-will/) [Eric Voegelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-voegelin/) > [“As long as people believe in government, wars will never end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larken-rose/as-long-as-people-believe-in-government-wars-will-never-end/) [Larken Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larken-rose/) > [All wars would end immediately if the various chiefs of state dropped a little LSD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/all-wars-would-end-immediately-if-the-various-chiefs-of-state-dropped/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [“told the Reichstag that the age of “Cabinet” wars, that is wars determined by rulers for limited ends, was over: “All we have now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/told-the-reichstag-that-the-age-of-cabinet-wars-that-is-wars/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [The challenge of ending displacement is inseparable from the challenge of establishing and maintaining peace. When wars end, farmers return to their fields; children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-bacon/the-challenge-of-ending-displacement-is-inseparable-from-the/) [Kenneth Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-bacon/) > [Diplomacy in general does not resolve conflicts. Wars end not due to peace processes, but due to one side giving up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pipes/diplomacy-in-general-does-not-resolve-conflicts-wars-end-not-due-to/) [Daniel Pipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pipes/) > [It was true what Jim said, this wasn’t the end but the beginning. But the wars would end one day and Jim would come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-o-neill/it-was-true-what-jim-said-this-wasn-t-the-end-but-the-beginning-but/) [Jamie O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-o-neill/) > [No one has hit the FARC harder than I. But all wars have to end at some point, and that requires a negotiated solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-manuel-santos/no-one-has-hit-the-farc-harder-than-i-but-all-wars-have-to-end-at/) [Juan Manuel Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-manuel-santos/) ## More by Malcolm Forbes > [Once in a while there's wisdom in recognizing that the Boss is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/once-in-a-while-there-s-wisdom-in-recognizing-that-the-boss-is/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Can you understand why the Congress, most states and most cities refuse to pass legislation requiring the registration and licensing of any and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/can-you-understand-why-the-congress-most-states-and-most-cities/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [ I don't think anybody can be a success who doesn't like what they do. \[But it's\] no job if it has no challenge; there's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/i-don-t-think-anybody-can-be-a-success-who-doesn-t-like-what-they-do/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Real writers-that is, capital W Writers-rarely make much money. Their biggest reward is the occasional reader's response… Commentators-in-print voicing big fat opinions-you might call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/real-writers-that-is-capital-w-writers-rarely-make-much-money-their/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/when-things-are-bad-we-take-comfort-in-the-thought-that-they-could/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Some people as a result of adversity are sadder, wiser, kinder, more human. Most of us are better, though, when things go better. Knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/some-people-as-a-result-of-adversity-are-sadder-wiser-kinder-more/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [The best vision is insight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/the-best-vision-is-insight/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [When you don't understand, it's sometimes easier to look like you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/when-you-don-t-understand-it-s-sometimes-easier-to-look-like-you-do/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-s-so-much-easier-to-suggest-solutions-when-you-don-t-know-too-much/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Security isn't securities. It's knowing that someone cares whether you are or cease to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/security-isn-t-securities-it-s-knowing-that-someone-cares-whether-you/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [It is unfortunate we can't buy many business executives for what they are worth and sell them for what they think they are worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-is-unfortunate-we-can-t-buy-many-business-executives-for-what-they/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [It is all one to me if a man comes from Sing Sing Prison or Harvard. We hire a man, not his history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-is-all-one-to-me-if-a-man-comes-from-sing-sing-prison-or-harvard/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [Compliment others on the virtues they have; and they're not half as pleased as being complimented for the ones they don't have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/compliment-others-on-the-virtues-they-have-and-they-re-not-half-as/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [. . . the most difficult thing asked by our young is not our earnings but our ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/the-most-difficult-thing-asked-by-our-young-is-not-our-earnings-but/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) [Explore all 232 Malcolm Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) ## More Atomic bomb quotes > [Gee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/gee-i-wish-we-had-one-of-them-doomsday-machines-things/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [“If we do not stop these mar-makers not,...it will soon be too late. We are the only nation that can halt this crusade. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-aldridge/if-we-do-not-stop-these-mar-makers-not-it-will-soon-be-too-late-we/) [James Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-aldridge/) > [We have genuflected before the god of science only to find that it has given us the atomic bomb, producing fears and anxieties that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-genuflected-before-the-god-of-science-only-to-find-that-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“when an atomic bomb is detonated above the earth’s atmosphere, it can generate a “pulse wave,” which travels at the speed of light, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-r-forstchen/when-an-atomic-bomb-is-detonated-above-the-earth-s-atmosphere-it-can/) [William R. Forstchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-r-forstchen/) > [“I come and stand at every door But none can hear my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz-m-hikmet/i-come-and-stand-at-every-door-but-none-can-hear-my-silent-tread-i/) [Nazim Hikmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz-m-hikmet/) > [“Who wants to serve in a police vice squad, spending hours peeking into men’s johns to detect acts of homosexuality? Who wants a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/who-wants-to-serve-in-a-police-vice-squad-spending-hours-peeking-into/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [We know have the power of God in many ways: the atomic bomb, the ability to create life in a test tube, cloning, artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/we-know-have-the-power-of-god-in-many-ways-the-atomic-bomb-the/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [In some ways more painful is the fact that their experience appears to be fading from the collective memory of humankind. Having never experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadatoshi-akiba/in-some-ways-more-painful-is-the-fact-that-their-experience-appears/) [Tadatoshi Akiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadatoshi-akiba/) > [I like ada BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer-2/i-like-ada-booooooooooooootttttttttttttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/) [J Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer-2/) > [The ginkgo tree is from the era of dinosaurs, but while the dinosaur has been extinguished, the modern ginkgo has not changed. After the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-nakanishi/the-ginkgo-tree-is-from-the-era-of-dinosaurs-but-while-the-dinosaur/) [Koji Nakanishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-nakanishi/) > [If some nuclear properties of the heavy elements had been a little different from what they turned out to be, it might have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/if-some-nuclear-properties-of-the-heavy-elements-had-been-a-little/) [Emilio G. Segre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-g-segre/) > [I had been conscious of depression and so I voiced to (Sec. Of War Stimson) my grave misgivings, first on the basis of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-had-been-conscious-of-depression-and-so-i-voiced-to-sec-of-war/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The cumulative amount of man-made global pollution that's in the atmosphere now traps as much extra heat energy every day as would be released…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-cumulative-amount-of-man-made-global-pollution-that-s-in-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [“The best defense industry is to build good relationships with your neighbors! The best missile, the best tank, the best atomic bomb is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-best-defense-industry-is-to-build-good-relationships-with-your/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I was born in the middle of the Second World War when the United States dropped their atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-was-born-in-the-middle-of-the-second-world-war-when-the-united/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) [Browse all 232 Atomic bomb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atomic-bomb/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is a damned sight easier to start wars than to end them. This truth has been stated for as long and as often as it has been ignored. High time and thank God, we are at least moving toward de-escalation in Vietnam. The road to extrication will be long, painful, bitter. But it must be trod. We are so bogged down in Vietnam that we cannot respond effectively anywhere else in the world to a military power play except through atomic bombardment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Forbes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-wars-than-to-end-them-this-truth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atomic bomb" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-wars-than-to-end-them-this-truth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/malcolm-forbes-1510_atomic-bomb_it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-war_2338920.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a damned sight easier to start wars than to end them. This truth has been stated for as long and as…” — Malcolm Forbes", "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": "Malcolm Forbes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is a damned sight easier...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-wars-than-to-end-them-this-truth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/it-is-a-damned-sight-easier-to-start-wars-than-to-end-them-this-truth/#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 } } ] } ```