“NEVER TAKE A HERO TO WAR-COME HOME WITH ONE”

“Like it or not, war is distinctively human. Apart from the raiding behavior of chimpanzees and the so-called wars prosecuted by certain species of ant, there is nothing in nature that comes anywhere near approximating it.”

“Self-deception is an indispensable element of war, and that despite the fact that wars are calculated and planned, there is a sense in which human beings do not know what they are doing when they cut one another down on the battlefield.”

“What of the times before when no one cared, when we could walk in the parks of our souls, not a fret or a good lay? You see, it is imperative that one absolve themselves from desire, that one lives in tepid consternation. ‘Tepid consternation’ I hear you scream. How can you have consternation when no one cares? Well, truth is, you can. It is that mind masturbation which I have always plagued you with. You know? The fear of not overcoming? Sure you do. Dillinger does. He walks in the parks of his souls where my Lucy and I sit and wait.”

“Terrorism" is a word with little content - it is a label for brutalities committed by "the enemy", and from which one's own acts of destruction are exempted. It is an inchoate and emotionally laden concept, a semantic mirror of our dishonesty and a repository for everything about war that we would like to disavow. Making a sharp distinction between war and terrorism is at best a self-deceptive game.”

“Some say babies are born with sin, others will say "what the fuck are you talking about".. babies are born as a clear canvas.. awaiting the strokes of a masterful artist.. some abstract, some contemporary.. some graffiti”

“The professed object of war generally is to preserve liberty and produce a lasting peace: but war never did and never will preserve liberty and produce a lasting peace, for it is a divine decree that all nations who take the sword shall perish with the sword. War is no more adapted to preserve liberty and produce a lasting peace than midnight darkness is to produce noonday light.”