---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never believe any war will be smooth and…"
description: "\"Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg"
---

#  Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that…

![“Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter.” quote by Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg)

> “Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter.”

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

## 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 unpredictable and fraught with challenges; no one can fully anticipate the difficulties ahead.

**In simple terms:** War is hard and uncertain.

Key Takeaway

Prepare for adversity and stay adaptable.

Themes

war uncertainty preparation

Mood

serious determined

Type

political motivational

When to use this quote

- military planning
- political leadership
- business ventures
- project management

Key Concepts

strategy resilience risk management

Questions to Reflect On

- What unknown challenges might you face?
- How do you plan for unexpected obstacles?

A Different Perspective

Overconfidence can blind leaders to real risks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anti war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) [Antiwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiwar/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Hurricanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurricanes/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Tides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tides/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Voyages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voyages/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-victory/)

## Related quotes

> [“Let us learn our lessons. Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on that strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/let-us-learn-our-lessons-never-never-never-believe-any-war-will-be/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [“Never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and-easy-or-that-anyone/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [What is our policy? ... to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/what-is-our-policy-to-wage-war-against-a-monstrous-tyranny-never/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [The statesman who yields to war fever must realise that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-statesman-who-yields-to-war-fever-must-realise-that-once-the/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You ask, What is our policy? I will say; 'It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/you-ask-what-is-our-policy-i-will-say-it-is-to-wage-war-by-sea-land/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/if-fighting-is-sure-to-result-in-victory-then-you-must-fight/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Asking who won a given war, someone has said, is like asking who won the San Francisco earthquake. That in war there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-waltz/asking-who-won-a-given-war-someone-has-said-is-like-asking-who-won/)

[Kenneth Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-waltz/)

> [The object of war is victory, the object of victory is conquest, and the object of conquest is occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-object-of-war-is-victory-the-object-of-victory-is-conquest-and/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [The object of war is victory; that of victory is conquest; and that of conquest preservation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-secondat/the-object-of-war-is-victory-that-of-victory-is-conquest-and-that-of/)

[Charles de Secondat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-secondat/)

> [In War: Resolution; In Defeat: Defiance; In Victory: Magnanimity; In Peace: Good Will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-war-resolution-in-defeat-defiance-in-victory-magnanimity-in-peace/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited . . . What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/there-has-never-been-a-protracted-war-from-which-a-country-has-2/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [If image is everything, how can the Democratic presidential hopefuls compete with a President fresh from a war victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-woodruff/if-image-is-everything-how-can-the-democratic-presidential-hopefuls/)

[Judy Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-woodruff/)

> [Once upon a time our traditional goal in war and can anyone doubt that we are at war? - was victory. Once upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/once-upon-a-time-our-traditional-goal-in-war-and-can-anyone-doubt/)

[Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/)

> [The Red Army and Navy and the whole Soviet people must fight for every inch of Soviet soil, fight to the last drop of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/the-red-army-and-navy-and-the-whole-soviet-people-must-fight-for/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-best-victory-is-when-the-opponent-surrenders-of-its-own-accord/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

## More by Winston Churchill

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/this-is-no-time-for-ease-and-comfort-it-is-time-to-dare-and-endure/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Never, never, never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-never-never-give-up/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most times he will pick himself up and carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/man-will-occasionally-stumble-over-the-truth-but-most-times-he-will/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [God alone knows how great it is. All I hope is that it is not too late. I am very much afraid that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/god-alone-knows-how-great-it-is-all-i-hope-is-that-it-is-not-too-late/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Writing a book is an adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/writing-a-book-is-an-adventure/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/all-men-make-mistakes-but-only-wise-men-learn-from-their-mistakes/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [People who are not prepared to do unpopular things and defy the clamor of the multitude are not fit to be ministers in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/people-who-are-not-prepared-to-do-unpopular-things-and-defy-the/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [To meet Roosevelt with all his buoyant sparkle, his iridescence, was like opening a bottle of champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/to-meet-roosevelt-with-all-his-buoyant-sparkle-his-iridescence-was/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-am-always-ready-to-learn-although-i-do-not-always-like-being-taught/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [There are plenty of good ideas, if only they can be backed with the power of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-are-plenty-of-good-ideas-if-only-they-can-be-backed-with-the/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

[Explore all 1,366 Winston Churchill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

## More Anti war quotes

> [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [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/)

> [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/)

[Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/)

> [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/)

Stefan Halper

> [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The way I'm going now is to focus on peace, to create peace. As Sister Corita said, "I don't go to anti-war rallies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/the-way-i-m-going-now-is-to-focus-on-peace-to-create-peace-as-sister/)

[Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/)

> [Here's the thing. Just because you're pro-troops doesn't mean you're pro-war. And just because you're anti-war doesn't mean you're anti-troops. Just because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/here-s-the-thing-just-because-you-re-pro-troops-doesn-t-mean-you-re/)

[Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/)

> [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/repetition-does-not-transform-a-lie-into-a-truth/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [Once conscription was introduced during the First World War, and once Britain's wars ceased being confined to the empire or to continental Europe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/once-conscription-was-introduced-during-the-first-world-war-and-once/)

[Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/)

[Browse all 486 Anti war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Winston Churchill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and-easy-or-that-anyone-who/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anti war"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and-easy-or-that-anyone-who/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/561/winston-churchill-95_anti-war_never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and_1075273.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure…” — Winston Churchill",
                "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": "Winston Churchill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Never believe any war will be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and-easy-or-that-anyone-who/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-believe-any-war-will-be-smooth-and-easy-or-that-anyone-who/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
