---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I cease not to advocate peace; even…"
description: "\"I cease not to advocate peace; even though unjust it is better than the most just war.\" — Marcus Tullius Cicero"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg"
---

#  I cease not to advocate peace; even though unjust it is…

![“I cease not to advocate peace; even though unjust it is better than the most just war.” quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg)

> “I cease not to advocate peace; even though unjust it is better than the most just war.”

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

## About This Quote

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

Peace is preferable even if imperfect, because war brings greater suffering.

**In simple terms:** Peace is better than war, even if flawed.

Key Takeaway

Choose peace over conflict.

Themes

peace ethics war justice

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical political

When to use this quote

- diplomacy
- conflict resolution
- personal ethics

Key Concepts

philosophy political theory moral choice

Questions to Reflect On

- Is a flawed peace worth accepting?
- When does war become justified?

A Different Perspective

Peace may be compromised by pragmatic realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anti war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) [No war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-war/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Scarcely is there any peace so unjust that it is better than even the fairest war. -Vix ulla tam iniqua pax, quin bello vel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/scarcely-is-there-any-peace-so-unjust-that-it-is-better-than-even-the/)

[Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/)

> [No more wars, no more bloodshed. Peace unto you. Shalom, salaam, forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/no-more-wars-no-more-bloodshed-peace-unto-you-shalom-salaam-forever/)

[Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/)

> [In peace sons bury fathers, but war violates the order of nature, and fathers bury sons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/in-peace-sons-bury-fathers-but-war-violates-the-order-of-nature-and/)

[Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/)

> [War's tragedy is that it uses man's best to do man's worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/war-s-tragedy-is-that-it-uses-man-s-best-to-do-man-s-worst/)

[Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/)

> [War's a game, which, were their subjects wise, Kings would not play at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/war-s-a-game-which-were-their-subjects-wise-kings-would-not-play-at/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall with our English dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/once-more-unto-the-breach-dear-friends-once-more-or-close-the-wall/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [War is the only game in which both sides lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/war-is-the-only-game-in-which-both-sides-lose/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [We are all familiar with the argument: Make war dreadful enough, and there will be no war. And we none of us believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/we-are-all-familiar-with-the-argument-make-war-dreadful-enough-and/)

[John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/)

> [Very few people chose war. They chose selfishness and the result was war. Each of us, individually and nationally, must choose: total love or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/very-few-people-chose-war-they-chose-selfishness-and-the-result-was/)

[David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/)

> [Nothing will end war unless the peoples themselves refuse to go to war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-will-end-war-unless-the-peoples-themselves-refuse-to-go-to-war/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I have little faith in the theory that organized killing is the best prelude to peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-have-little-faith-in-the-theory-that-organized-killing-is-the-best/)

[Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/)

> [No war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/no-war-by-any-nation-in-any-age-has-ever-been-declared-by-the-people/)

[Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/)

> [War is an invention of the human mind. The human mind can invent peace with justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/war-is-an-invention-of-the-human-mind-the-human-mind-can-invent-peace/)

[Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/)

> [We are all victims of war, and we all count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marla-ruzicka/we-are-all-victims-of-war-and-we-all-count/)

Marla Ruzicka

> [I was in the midst of it all - saw war where war is worst - not on the battlefields, no - in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-was-in-the-midst-of-it-all-saw-war-where-war-is-worst-not-on-the/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

## More by Marcus Tullius Cicero

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. For in invention nature is never last, education never first;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-art-then-imitate-nature-find-what-she-desires-and-follow-as-she/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/gratitude-is-not-only-the-greatest-of-virtues-but-the-parent-of-all/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Things sacred should not only be touched with the hands, but unviolated in thought. \[Lat., Res sacros non modo manibus attingi, sed ne cogitatione…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/things-sacred-should-not-only-be-touched-with-the-hands-but/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Grief is not in the nature of things, but in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/grief-is-not-in-the-nature-of-things-but-in-opinion/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Physicians, when the cause of disease is discovered, consider that the cure is discovered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/physicians-when-the-cause-of-disease-is-discovered-consider-that-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum. (Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nihil-est-incertius-vulgo-nihil-obscurius-voluntate-hominum-nihil/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [The foundations of justice are that on one shall suffer wrong; then, that the public good be promoted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-foundations-of-justice-are-that-on-one-shall-suffer-wrong-then/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [“The life of the dead is set in the memory of the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-life-of-the-dead-is-set-in-the-memory-of-the-living/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Pardon is granted to necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/pardon-is-granted-to-necessity/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Friendship embraces innumerable ends; turn where you will it is ever at your side; no barrier shuts it out; it is never untimely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/friendship-embraces-innumerable-ends-turn-where-you-will-it-is-ever/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [History is the witness of the times, the light of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/history-is-the-witness-of-the-times-the-light-of-truth-the-life-of/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [The Jews belong to a dark and repulsive force. One knows how numerous this clique is, how they stick together and what power they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-jews-belong-to-a-dark-and-repulsive-force-one-knows-how-numerous/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Nature has planted in our minds an insatiable longing to see the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nature-has-planted-in-our-minds-an-insatiable-longing-to-see-the-truth/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

[Explore all 1,068 Marcus Tullius Cicero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

## More Anti war quotes

> [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/)

Stefan Halper

> [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The way I'm going now is to focus on peace, to create peace. As Sister Corita said, "I don't go to anti-war rallies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/the-way-i-m-going-now-is-to-focus-on-peace-to-create-peace-as-sister/)

[Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/)

> [Here's the thing. Just because you're pro-troops doesn't mean you're pro-war. And just because you're anti-war doesn't mean you're anti-troops. Just because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/here-s-the-thing-just-because-you-re-pro-troops-doesn-t-mean-you-re/)

[Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/)

> [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/repetition-does-not-transform-a-lie-into-a-truth/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [Once conscription was introduced during the First World War, and once Britain's wars ceased being confined to the empire or to continental Europe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/once-conscription-was-introduced-during-the-first-world-war-and-once/)

[Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/)

[Browse all 486 Anti war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I cease not to advocate peace; even though unjust it is better than the most just war.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marcus Tullius Cicero"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-though-unjust-it-is-better-than/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anti war"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-though-unjust-it-is-better-than/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18c/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_anti-war_i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-thoug_1241674.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I cease not to advocate peace; even though unjust it is better than the most just war.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero",
                "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": "Marcus Tullius Cicero",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I cease not to advocate peace;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-though-unjust-it-is-better-than/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/i-cease-not-to-advocate-peace-even-though-unjust-it-is-better-than/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
