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War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.

Posted on 02/19/2003 1:54:25 PM PST by ShelleyAa

Recently my son sent this quote to me. Would any have an interest in commenting on the substance of the stated?

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing that is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better [people] than himself."

-- John Stewart Mill

For your information regarding the author of the quote: John Stewart Mill (1806-1873) May 1999 John Stewart Mill stands as a bridge between the 18th-century concern for liberty, reason and science, and the 19th-century trend toward empiricism and collectivism. In philosophy, he systematized the utilitarian doctrines of his father and Jeremy Bentham in such works as Utilitarianism (1836), basing knowledge upon human experience and emphasizing human reason. In political economy, Mill advocated those policies that he believed most consistent with individual liberty, and he emphasized that liberty could be threatened as much by social as by political tyranny. He is probably most famous for his essay "On Liberty" (1859). He studied pre-Marxian socialist doctrine, and, although he did not become a socialist, he worked actively for improvement of the conditions of the working people. In Parliament, Mill was considered a radical because he supported such measures as public ownership of natural resources, equality for women, compulsory education, and birth control. His advocacy of women's suffrage in the debates on the Reform Bill of 1867 led to the formation of the suffrage movement. --Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: freedom; johnstewartmill; patriotic; sacrifice; war

1 posted on 02/19/2003 1:54:25 PM PST by ShelleyAa
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To: ShelleyAa
Creepy. That quote gives me flashbacks to my 4th Class year at the Air Force Academy - we were required to memorize it.
2 posted on 02/19/2003 2:00:25 PM PST by linear
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To: ShelleyAa
"Pacifists are among the most immoral of men - they make no distinction between aggression and defense. Therefore, pacifism is one of the greatest allies an aggressor can have." - Patrick Henry
3 posted on 02/19/2003 2:03:08 PM PST by Lexington Green
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To: linear
Schofield's quote, GO!

Oh, the memories...
4 posted on 02/19/2003 2:05:21 PM PST by pgyanke (We have nothing better to report?)
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To: linear
Fast, neat, average...
5 posted on 02/19/2003 2:06:10 PM PST by pgyanke (We have nothing better to report?)
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To: ShelleyAa
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things.

Amen!!We still have Chelsea and Hill.

6 posted on 02/19/2003 2:57:29 PM PST by boothead
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To: ShelleyAa
You want ugly?


7 posted on 02/19/2003 2:59:37 PM PST by dark_lord
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To: pgyanke
arrggghh

friendly, good, good.
8 posted on 02/19/2003 3:11:53 PM PST by linear
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To: ShelleyAa
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things

Hillary Clinton is the ugliest of things, inside and outside.

9 posted on 02/19/2003 3:30:52 PM PST by fifteendogs
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: ShelleyAa
"War is not 'the best way of settling differences; it is the only way of preventing their being settled for you." -GK Chesterton
11 posted on 02/19/2003 5:36:02 PM PST by Straight Vermonter (I don't believe in hyphenating Americans)
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To: Lexington Green; ShelleyAa
You guys are just ripping off my profile page... ;^)

Here's one more for ya: "Beware the fury of a patient man" -- John Dryden

Oh, yeah, he's patient, and determined....


12 posted on 02/19/2003 5:37:45 PM PST by rightwingreligiousfanatic (HHD)
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To: boothead
Udgly? No! They are downright fugly!
13 posted on 02/20/2003 10:30:53 AM PST by sheik yerbouty
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