--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you wage war, do it energetically and…" description: "\"If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.\" — Napoleon Bonaparte" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg" --- # If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity… ![“If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.” quote by Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg) > “If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.” [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates swift, decisive action in war to reduce overall suffering. **In simple terms:** End wars quickly to lessen cruelty. Key Takeaway Act decisively to shorten conflict. Themes war ethics strategy Mood serious determined Type strategic military When to use this quote - battlefield command - policy planning - conflict resolution Key Concepts military doctrine humanitarianism Questions to Reflect On - Is a shorter war always more humane? - What are the risks of aggressive tactics? A Different Perspective Rapid action may increase immediate casualties and moral costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-have-only-made-this-letter-longer-because-i-have-not-had-the-time-2/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-have-made-this-letter-longer-than-usual-only-because-i-have-not-had/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [If I'm writing a book, and I'm warned, 'Oh, this is unsaleable, you need to make it shorter,' or, 'It has to be this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/if-i-m-writing-a-book-and-i-m-warned-oh-this-is-unsaleable-you-need/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [My mom would always say this thing about writing - and I've taken it into account in a lot of things in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/my-mom-would-always-say-this-thing-about-writing-and-i-ve-taken-it/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [ “I made this \[letter\] very long, because I did not have the leisure to make it shorter.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-made-this-letter-very-long-because-i-did-not-have-the-leisure-to/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [ \[When opposed by leaders of her Council:\] I will make you shorter by the head! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/when-opposed-by-leaders-of-her-council-i-will-make-you-shorter-by-the/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [A great reserve and severity of manners are necessary for the command of those who are older than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-great-reserve-and-severity-of-manners-are-necessary-for-the-command/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [A victorious general must know how to employ severity, justness, and mildness by turns, if he would allay sedition or prevent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-victorious-general-must-know-how-to-employ-severity-justness-and/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [There was a time when I didn’t at any minute have the slightest idea how I could reach the next one. Yes, one can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-was-a-time-when-i-didn-t-at-any-minute-have-the-slightest-idea/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [We need to wage this war against ISIS from the air, on the ground, and online, in cyberspace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-need-to-wage-this-war-against-isis-from-the-air-on-the-ground-and/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Those with inner peace do not battle themselves. Nor do they wage war with others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/those-with-inner-peace-do-not-battle-themselves-nor-do-they-wage-war/) [Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/) > [“It is not enough to say, 'We must not wage war.' It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/it-is-not-enough-to-say-we-must-not-wage-war-it-is-necessary-to-love/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The reality is no one knows how much it will cost us to wage war with Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/the-reality-is-no-one-knows-how-much-it-will-cost-us-to-wage-war-with/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) ## More by Napoleon Bonaparte > [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Men grow old quickly on the battlefield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/men-grow-old-quickly-on-the-battlefield/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-only-victories-which-leave-no-regret-are-those-which-are-gained/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they and not the leaders of the government control the situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/when-a-government-is-dependent-upon-bankers-for-money-they-and-not/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [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/) > [All becomes easy when we follow the current of opinion; it is the ruler of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/all-becomes-easy-when-we-follow-the-current-of-opinion-it-is-the/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-bullet-that-will-kill-me-is-not-yet-cast/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [A great reputation is a great noise, the more there is of it, and the further does it swell. Land, monuments, Nations, all fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-great-reputation-is-a-great-noise-the-more-there-is-of-it-and-the/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Character is victory organized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/character-is-victory-organized/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Republican despotism is more fertile in acts of tyranny, because everyone has a hand in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/republican-despotism-is-more-fertile-in-acts-of-tyranny-because/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [My decision to destroy the authority of the blacks in Saint Domingue (Haiti) is not so much based on considerations of commerce and money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/my-decision-to-destroy-the-authority-of-the-blacks-in-saint-domingue/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [The army is the true nobility of our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-army-is-the-true-nobility-of-our-country/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [There is only one favorable moment in war; talent consists in knowing how to seize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/there-is-only-one-favorable-moment-in-war-talent-consists-in-knowing/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [A great reserve and severity of manners are necessary for the command of those who are older than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-great-reserve-and-severity-of-manners-are-necessary-for-the-command/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) [Explore all 914 Napoleon Bonaparte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Napoleon Bonaparte" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and-with-severity-this-is-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and-with-severity-this-is-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/napoleon-bonaparte-206_ifs_if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and_3101860.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and…” — Napoleon Bonaparte", "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": "Napoleon Bonaparte", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you wage war, do it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and-with-severity-this-is-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/if-you-wage-war-do-it-energetically-and-with-severity-this-is-the/#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 } } ] } ```