---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War, I have always said, forces men to…"
description: "\"“War, I have always said, forces men to change their standards, regardless of whether their country has won or lost. Poetics and philosophies disintegr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/salvatore-quasimodo-20910_moral-principles_war-i-have-always-said-forces-men-to-cha_2487697.png"
---

#  War, I have always said, forces men to change their…

![“War, I have always said, forces men to change their standards, regardless of whether their country has won or lost. Poetics and philosophies disintegrate &quot;when the trees fall and the walls collapse &quot;. At the point when continuity was interrupted by the first nuclear explosion, it would have been…” quote by Salvatore Quasimodo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/salvatore-quasimodo-20910_moral-principles_war-i-have-always-said-forces-men-to-cha_2487697.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/salvatore-quasimodo-20910_moral-principles_war-i-have-always-said-forces-men-to-cha_2487697.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88e/salvatore-quasimodo-20910_moral-principles_war-i-have-always-said-forces-men-to-cha_2487697.png)

> ““War, I have always said, forces men to change their standards, regardless of whether their country has won or lost. Poetics and philosophies disintegrate "when the trees fall and the walls collapse ". At the point when continuity was interrupted by the first nuclear explosion, it would have been too easy to recover the formal sediment which linked us with an age of poetic decorum, of a preoccupation with poetic sounds. After the turbulence of death, moral principles and even religious proofs are called into question. Men of letters who cling to the private successes of their petty aesthetics shut themselves off from poetry's restless presence. From the night, his solitude, the poet finds day and starts a diary that is lethal to the inert. The dark landscape yields a dialogue. The politician and the mediocre poets with their armour of symbols and mystic purities pretend to ignore the real poet. It is a story which repeats itself like the cock's crow; indeed, like the cock's third crow.””

[Salvatore Quasimodo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvatore-quasimodo/)

## About This Quote

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

War disrupts moral and aesthetic standards, eroding poetic tradition and forcing a new, harsher reality.

**In simple terms:** War breaks old values and poetry.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how crisis reshapes culture.

Themes

war poetry morality change illusion

Mood

somber reflective critical

Type

literary philosophical political

When to use this quote

- post‑war society
- political rhetoric
- artistic creation
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism cultural decay aesthetic disruption

Questions to Reflect On

- How does conflict alter our sense of beauty?
- Can art survive without tradition?

A Different Perspective

Even amid chaos, some cling to outdated symbols, limiting true insight.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Lost Poetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-poetics-931521/) [Moral principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-principles/) [Philosophies Disintegrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophies-disintegrate-931522/) [Poet Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet-story-931524/) [Poetic Decorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetic-decorum-931520/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Solitude Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude-poet-931523/) [Too easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-easy/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

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