--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In our new age of terrifying, lethal…" description: "\"“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come, will be laun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg" --- # In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which… ![“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come, will be launched by suicidal little madmen pressing an electronic button. Such a war will not last long and none will ever follow it. There will be no…” quote by William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg) > ““In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come, will be launched by suicidal little madmen pressing an electronic button. Such a war will not last long and none will ever follow it. There will be no conquerors and no conquests, but only the charred bones of the dead on an uninhabited planet.”” [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It warns that future wars may be fought by individuals with destructive technology, leading to brief, futile conflicts without lasting conquest. **In simple terms:** Future wars could be short, pointless, and destructive due to technology. Key Takeaway Beware of technology‑driven, impulsive warfare. Themes technology war humanity destruction Mood cautionary somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - military strategy - international relations - ethical debates Key Concepts nuclear deterrence cyber warfare political instability Questions to Reflect On - Can technology be fully controlled? - What safeguards can prevent impulsive attacks? A Different Perspective May underestimate human agency in preventing such wars. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Conqueror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conqueror/) [Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Gadgets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gadgets/) [Madmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madmen/) [New age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-age/) [Nuclear war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-war/) [Nuclear weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-weapons/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadgets-which-supplanted-so/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“Adolf Hitler is probably the last of the great adventurer-conquerors in the tradition of Alexander, Caesar and Napoleon, and the Third Reich the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/adolf-hitler-is-probably-the-last-of-the-great-adventurer-conquerors-2/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [If those who support aggressive war had seen a fraction of what I've seen, if they'd watched children fry to death from Napalm and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pilger/if-those-who-support-aggressive-war-had-seen-a-fraction-of-what-i-ve/) [John Pilger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pilger/) > [At every step the vast majority have expressed horror at the idea of an aggressive war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/at-every-step-the-vast-majority-have-expressed-horror-at-the-idea-of/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [Another term for preventive war is aggressive war - starting wars because someday somebody might do something to us. That is not part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/another-term-for-preventive-war-is-aggressive-war-starting-wars/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [An aggressive war is the great crime against everything good in the world. A defensive war, which must necessarily turn to aggressive at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/an-aggressive-war-is-the-great-crime-against-everything-good-in-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-jackson/we-must-make-clear-to-the-germans-that-the-wrong-for-which-their-2/) [Robert H. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-jackson/) > [We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-jackson/we-must-make-clear-to-the-germans-that-the-wrong-for-which-their/) [Robert H. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-jackson/) > [If we can cultivate in the world the idea that aggressive war-making is the way to the prisoner's dock rather than the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-jackson/if-we-can-cultivate-in-the-world-the-idea-that-aggressive-war-making/) [Robert H. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-jackson/) > [Adolf Hitler is probably the last of the great adventurer-conquerors in the tradition of Alexander, Caesar and Napoleon, and the Third Reich the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/adolf-hitler-is-probably-the-last-of-the-great-adventurer-conquerors/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [The Cold War was over long before it was officially declared dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-cold-war-was-over-long-before-it-was-officially-declared-dead/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > ['The Underland Chronicles' is an unnecessary war for a very long time until it becomes a necessary war, because there have been all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/the-underland-chronicles-is-an-unnecessary-war-for-a-very-long-time/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“This war's not over! Not by a long shot! --Enoch”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-r-ford-2/this-war-s-not-over-not-by-a-long-shot-enoch/) [S. R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-r-ford-2/) > [A just war is in the long run far better for a man's soul than the most prosperous peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/a-just-war-is-in-the-long-run-far-better-for-a-man-s-soul-than-the/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [“I'm just sorry. Sorry that there won't be any more camping trips for kids or rock bands or even new books to read. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeyn-roberts/i-m-just-sorry-sorry-that-there-won-t-be-any-more-camping-trips-for/) [Jeyn Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeyn-roberts/) ## More by William L. Shirer > [“moment of declaration of war, if there”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/moment-of-declaration-of-war-if-there/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“This crude, cowardly bargain seems not to have unduly bothered Hitler. If Mussolini was personally attracted to him, as Ciano said, by “something deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/this-crude-cowardly-bargain-seems-not-to-have-unduly-bothered-hitler/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“The confused locksmith Drexler provided the kernel, the drunken poet Eckart some of the “spiritual” foundation, the economic crank Feder what passed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/the-confused-locksmith-drexler-provided-the-kernel-the-drunken-poet/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [Chamberlain's stubborn, fanatical insistence on giving Hitler what he wanted, his trips to Berchtesgaden and Godesberg and finally the fateful journey to Munich rescued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/chamberlain-s-stubborn-fanatical-insistence-on-giving-hitler-what-he/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadgets-which-supplanted-so/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“And though the very name of the Nazi Party proclaimed it as “socialist,” Hitler was even more vague on the kind of “socialism” he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/and-though-the-very-name-of-the-nazi-party-proclaimed-it-as-socialist/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“The disillusion among the rank-and-file Nazis, especially among the S.A. storm troopers, who formed the large core of Hitler’s mass movement, was great. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/the-disillusion-among-the-rank-and-file-nazis-especially-among-the-s/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“One of them was Fritz Thyssen, one of the earliest and biggest contributors to the party. Fleeing the "Nazi regime has ruined German industry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/one-of-them-was-fritz-thyssen-one-of-the-earliest-and-biggest/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“It never, however, drove him to the extremity of trying to find a regular job. As he makes clear in Mein Kampf, he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/it-never-however-drove-him-to-the-extremity-of-trying-to-find-a/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [Most true happiness comes from one's inner life, from the disposition of the mind and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/most-true-happiness-comes-from-one-s-inner-life-from-the-disposition/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [Adolf Hitler is probably the last of the great adventurer-conquerors in the tradition of Alexander, Caesar and Napoleon, and the Third Reich the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/adolf-hitler-is-probably-the-last-of-the-great-adventurer-conquerors/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“One of the appalling aberrations of the German officer corps from this point on rose out of this conflict of “honor”—a word which, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/one-of-the-appalling-aberrations-of-the-german-officer-corps-from/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“The power which has always started the greatest religious and political avalanches in history rolling has from time immemorial been the magic power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/the-power-which-has-always-started-the-greatest-religious-and/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [No class or group or party in Germany could escape its share of responsibility for the abandonment of the democratic Republic and the advent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/no-class-or-group-or-party-in-germany-could-escape-its-share-of/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) > [“The consequences of committing high treason, if you were a man of the extreme Right, were not unduly heavy, despite the law, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/the-consequences-of-committing-high-treason-if-you-were-a-man-of-the/) [William L. Shirer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) [Explore all 44 William L. Shirer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great aggressive war, if it should come, will be launched by suicidal little madmen pressing an electronic button. Such a war will not last long and none will ever follow it. There will be no conquerors and no conquests, but only the charred bones of the dead on an uninhabited planet.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William L. Shirer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadgets-which-supplanted-so-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadgets-which-supplanted-so-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b66/william-l-shirer-14635_age_in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadg_1567731.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In our new age of terrifying, lethal gadgets, which supplanted so swiftly the old one, the first great…” — William L. Shirer", "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": "William L. Shirer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-l-shirer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In our new age of terrifying,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadgets-which-supplanted-so-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-l-shirer/in-our-new-age-of-terrifying-lethal-gadgets-which-supplanted-so-2/#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 } } ] } ```