| quote and author | source-- book or URL | quote in original language (if applicable) |
|---|
| "What if they gave a war and no one came? Then the war will come to you. He who stays home when the fight begins And lets others fight for his cause Should take care. He who does not take part In the battle will share in the defeat. Even avoiding battle does not avoid Battle, since not to fight for your cause Really means Fighting on behalf of your enemy's cause.
|
http://ask.metafilter.com/56968/What-if which in turn cites http://www.zeit.de/2002/06/200206_stimmts_brecht.xml Quote added 20020725, sourcing revised 20120226Sn |
Stell dir vor, es ist Krieg, und keiner geht hin Dann kommt der Krieg zu euch Wer zu Hause bleibt, wenn der Kampf beginnt Und läßt andere kämpfen für seine Sache Der muß sich vorsehen; denn Wer den Kampf nicht geteilt hat Der wird teilen die Niederlage Nicht einmal den Kampf vermeidet Wer den Kampf vermeiden will; denn Es wird kämpfen für die Sache des Feinds Wer für seine eigene Sache nicht gekämpft hat.
|
“Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come.”
|
Carl Sandburg, The People, Yes (1936), an epic poem Ask Metafilter (on-line) http://ask.metafilter.com/56968/What-if Added 2012/0216Sn | |
|
Editor's note: This pacifist quote reflects American isolationism in the 1930s. It frequently reappeared during the USA's Vietnam War era as "Suppose they gave a war and nobody came?" commonly mis-attributed to Berthold Brecht. |
||
|
When the people are disarmed War will come. [...]
He who stays home when the fight begins
|
http://www.luettgerding.net/wissen/koloman-wallisch-kantate.htm Cantata for Koloman Wallisch Koloman Wallisch, a socialist leader, was hanged on 19 February 1934 by the authoritarian Dollfuss government of Austria, in the aftermath of violent suppression of socialist militias. Quote added 20120226Sn |
Wenn das Volk entwaffnet ist Kommt der Krieg. [...]
Wer zu Hause bleibt, wenn der Kampf beginnt
|
|
Editor's note: An anonymous anti-pacifist turned the Sandburg quote above into a question and answered "Then the war will come to you," with this Brecht verse added. I am not sure when the amalgamated verse first appeared, or in what language. |
||