--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And always we had wars, and more wars…" description: "\"And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars - all over Europe, all over the world. \"Sometimes in the private interest of royal families..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png" --- # And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other… ![“And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars - all over Europe, all over the world. "Sometimes in the private interest of royal families," Satan said, "sometimes to crush a weak nation; but never a war started by the aggressor for any clean purpose - there is no such war in the…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png) > “And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars - all over Europe, all over the world. "Sometimes in the private interest of royal families," Satan said, "sometimes to crush a weak nation; but never a war started by the aggressor for any clean purpose - there is no such war in the history of the race."” [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War is portrayed as driven by selfish motives, never noble ones, highlighting human cruelty and political manipulation. **In simple terms:** Wars are selfish, not noble. Key Takeaway Question motives behind conflict. Themes war politics human nature Mood cynical serious Type critical historical When to use this quote - historical analysis - political debate - ethical education Key Concepts power greed imperialism Questions to Reflect On - Is any war truly just? - How do power interests shape conflict? A Different Perspective Some wars may be justified as self‑defense. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggressors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressors/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Privacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privacy/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Purpose War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-war-857335/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Royal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal/) [Royal family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-family/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Satan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satan/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-started-547746/) [Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars/) [Wars Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars-europe-650457/) [Wars Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars-wars-393748/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“The wars in Europe engulfed much of the world, precipitating and facilitating innumerable local conflicts in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including the Haitian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-bickham/the-wars-in-europe-engulfed-much-of-the-world-precipitating-and/) [Troy Bickham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-bickham/) > [The Thirty Years' War, 1618-1648, was a series of conflicts that became the last great struggle of religious wars in Europe. It was fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daniel/the-thirty-years-war-1618-1648-was-a-series-of-conflicts-that-became/) [John Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daniel/) > [Two World Wars are sufficient and we are the ones who supported this notion of a united Europe, so there would never be another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/two-world-wars-are-sufficient-and-we-are-the-ones-who-supported-this/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/poor-human-nature-what-horrible-crimes-have-been-committed-in-thy/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [Colorful demonstrations and weekend marches are vital but alone are not powerful enough to stop wars. Wars will be stopped only when soldiers refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/colorful-demonstrations-and-weekend-marches-are-vital-but-alone-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [One of the most fashionable notions of our times is that social problems like poverty and oppression breed wars. Most wars, however, are started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-of-the-most-fashionable-notions-of-our-times-is-that-social/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [...taxes are not raised to carry on wars, but that wars are raised to carry on taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/taxes-are-not-raised-to-carry-on-wars-but-that-wars-are-raised-to/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [And, you see, we are living in a world in which all wars are wars of defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/and-you-see-we-are-living-in-a-world-in-which-all-wars-are-wars-of/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [Before now poetry has taken notice Of wars, and what are wars but politics Transformed from chronic to acute and bloody?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/before-now-poetry-has-taken-notice-of-wars-and-what-are-wars-but/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [I know not whether taxes are raised to fight wars, or wars are fought in order to raise taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/i-know-not-whether-taxes-are-raised-to-fight-wars-or-wars-are-fought/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [We are living in a world in which all wars are wars of defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-wald/we-are-living-in-a-world-in-which-all-wars-are-wars-of-defense/) [George Wald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-wald/) > [I don't like wars. Any wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-simonyan/i-don-t-like-wars-any-wars/) [Margarita Simonyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-simonyan/) > [“war. Or, rather, wars. Not one, not two, but many wars, both big and small, just and unjust, wars with shifting casts of supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/war-or-rather-wars-not-one-not-two-but-many-wars-both-big-and-small/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Clarence was with me as concerned the revolution, but in a modified way. His idea was a republic, without privileged orders, but with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/clarence-was-with-me-as-concerned-the-revolution-but-in-a-modified/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“War is not violence and killing, pure and simple; war is controlled violence, for a purpose. The purpose of war is to support your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/war-is-not-violence-and-killing-pure-and-simple-war-is-controlled/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Mark Twain > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) [Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More Aggressors quotes > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) > [There is no shame in being a survivor of sexual violence. The shame is on the aggressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/there-is-no-shame-in-being-a-survivor-of-sexual-violence-the-shame-is/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [A man's excellence is like that of water; It benefits all things without striving; It takes to the low places shunned by men. Water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-man-s-excellence-is-like-that-of-water-it-benefits-all-things/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In our own native land, in defense of the freedom that is our birthright and which we ever enjoyed till the late violation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-our-own-native-land-in-defense-of-the-freedom-that-is-our/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In my experience of fights and fighting, it is invariably the aggressor who keeps getting everything wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/in-my-experience-of-fights-and-fighting-it-is-invariably-the/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [Could anyone in his right mind speak seriously of any limited nuclear war? It should be quite clear that the aggressor's actions will instantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitriy-ustinov/could-anyone-in-his-right-mind-speak-seriously-of-any-limited-nuclear/) [Dmitriy Ustinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitriy-ustinov/) > [I'm sure if you were a Bosnian during the war, you would wish to kill Serbs. Just because it is the opposite of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/i-m-sure-if-you-were-a-bosnian-during-the-war-you-would-wish-to-kill/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves ... politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves... The country is theirs, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/let-us-not-ignore-the-truth-among-ourselves-politically-we-are-the/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [Being tolerant does not mean acquiescing to the intolerable; it does not mean covering up disrespect; it does not mean coddling the aggressor or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-acquiescing-to-the-intolerable-it-does/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [If we as a society want to cure unemployment, raise real wages, and in other ways improve our economy, we will base public policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-block/if-we-as-a-society-want-to-cure-unemployment-raise-real-wages-and-in/) [Walter Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-block/) > [We must prevent a criminal understanding between the Fascist aggressors and the British and French imperialist clique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/we-must-prevent-a-criminal-understanding-between-the-fascist/) [Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/) > [Those who plead their cause in the absence of an opponent can invent to their heart's content, can pontificate without taking into account the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-de-pizan/those-who-plead-their-cause-in-the-absence-of-an-opponent-can-invent/) [Christine de Pizan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-de-pizan/) > [Our arms must be mighty ... ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/our-arms-must-be-mighty-ready-for-instant-action-so-that-no-potential/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [At the U.N., any nation that fights back is censored as an "aggressor."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/at-the-u-n-any-nation-that-fights-back-is-censored-as-an-aggressor/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [In the end, the aggressors always destroy themselves, making way for others who know how to cooperate and get along. Life is much less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/in-the-end-the-aggressors-always-destroy-themselves-making-way-for/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) [Browse all 89 Aggressors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggressors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars - all over Europe, all over the world. \"Sometimes in the private interest of royal families,\" Satan said, \"sometimes to crush a weak nation; but never a war started by the aggressor for any clean purpose - there is no such war in the history of the race.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Twain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and-still-other-wars-all-over/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aggressors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and-still-other-wars-all-over/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/mark-twain-22_aggressors_and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and_899020.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars - all over Europe, all over the world…” — Mark Twain", "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": "Mark Twain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And always we had wars, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and-still-other-wars-all-over/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/and-always-we-had-wars-and-more-wars-and-still-other-wars-all-over/#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 } } ] } ```