--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think, too, of the great part that is…" description: "\"“Think, too, of the great part that is played by the unpredictable in war: think of it now, before you are actually comitted to war. The longer a war l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/thucydides-2578_peace_think-too-of-the-great-part-that-is-play_1157415.jpg" --- # Think, too, of the great part that is played by the… ![“Think, too, of the great part that is played by the unpredictable in war: think of it now, before you are actually comitted to war. The longer a war lasts, the more things tend to depend on accidents. Neither you nor we can see into them: we have to abide their outcome in the dark. And when people…” quote by Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/thucydides-2578_peace_think-too-of-the-great-part-that-is-play_1157415.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/thucydides-2578_peace_think-too-of-the-great-part-that-is-play_1157415.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2aa/thucydides-2578_peace_think-too-of-the-great-part-that-is-play_1157415.jpg) > ““Think, too, of the great part that is played by the unpredictable in war: think of it now, before you are actually comitted to war. The longer a war lasts, the more things tend to depend on accidents. Neither you nor we can see into them: we have to abide their outcome in the dark. And when people are entering upon a war they do things the wrong way round. Action comes first, and it is only when they have already suffered that they begin to think.”” [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War’s unpredictability forces actions before thoughtful planning, leading to costly mistakes. **In simple terms:** War is chaotic and reactive. Key Takeaway Plan for uncertainty and adapt quickly. Themes war uncertainty decision‑making Mood cautious urgent Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - military training - crisis response - business continuity planning - emergency drills Key Concepts strategic foresight risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance rapid action with strategic reflection? - What structures reduce accidental outcomes in conflict? 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And until there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-selassie-i/until-the-philosophy-which-holds-one-race-superior-and-another/) [Haile Selassie I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-selassie-i/) > [Our country is now at war and the only way out is forward. I would not change one word I have spoken against war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starr-jordan/our-country-is-now-at-war-and-the-only-way-out-is-forward-i-would-not/) [David Starr Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starr-jordan/) ## More by Thucydides > [Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/be-convinced-that-to-be-happy-means-to-be-free-and-that-to-be-free/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [It is the habit of mankind to entrust to careless hope what they long for, and to use sovereign reason to thrust aside what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/it-is-the-habit-of-mankind-to-entrust-to-careless-hope-what-they-long/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Contempt for an assailant is best shown by bravery in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/contempt-for-an-assailant-is-best-shown-by-bravery-in-action/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [The secret of happiness is freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/the-secret-of-happiness-is-freedom/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [And it is certain that those who do not yield to their equals, who keep terms with their superiors, and are moderate towards their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/and-it-is-certain-that-those-who-do-not-yield-to-their-equals-who/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/the-strong-do-what-they-have-to-do-and-the-weak-accept-what-they-have/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [It is useless to attack men who could not be controlled even if conquered, while failure would leave us in an even worse position...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/it-is-useless-to-attack-men-who-could-not-be-controlled-even-if/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [War is an evil thing; but to submit to the dictation of other states is worse… Freedom, if we hold fast to it, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/war-is-an-evil-thing-but-to-submit-to-the-dictation-of-other-states/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Men do not rest content with parrying the attacks of a superior, but often strike the first blow to prevent the attack being made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/men-do-not-rest-content-with-parrying-the-attacks-of-a-superior-but/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [As for democracy, the men of sense among us knew what it was, and I perhaps as well as any, as I have more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/as-for-democracy-the-men-of-sense-among-us-knew-what-it-was-and-i/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [War is a matter not so much of arms as of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/war-is-a-matter-not-so-much-of-arms-as-of-money/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Amassing of wealth is an opportunity for good deeds, not hubris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/amassing-of-wealth-is-an-opportunity-for-good-deeds-not-hubris/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [People get into the habit of entrusting the things they desire to wishful thinking, and subjecting things they don't desire to exhaustive thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/people-get-into-the-habit-of-entrusting-the-things-they-desire-to/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Hope is an expensive commodity. It makes better sense to be prepared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/hope-is-an-expensive-commodity-it-makes-better-sense-to-be-prepared/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) [Explore all 160 Thucydides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) ## More Peace quotes > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. 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This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. 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