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Einstein vs. The Romans

“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”
— Albert Einstein

“If you wish for peace, prepare for war.”
— Roman Proverb

I recently saw the Einstein quote on a bumper sticker (along with, I think, a Phish sticker and maybe a Dean sticker). Now, according to the quotations page I have linked up there, this is “attribtued” to Einstein, so I guess maybe he didn’t actually say it. Remember also another Roman quote:

“They made a wasteland and called it peace.”
— Publius Cornelius Tacitus

So, maybe the Romans had a different brand of peace in mind than did Prof. Einstein. As an informal poll of our audience, who do you side with here? One of the greatest minds of the 20th Century, or some dead Romans? Both? Neither? Discuss!

13 Responses to “Einstein vs. The Romans”

  1. SayUncle Says:

    Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

  2. -keith in mtn. view Says:

    Walk softly and carry a big stick.

  3. Xrlq Says:

    I think the peaceniks should keep the basic gist of the bumper sticker, but instead of attributing the quote to Einstein specifically, attribute it to “some really smart guy who knew a hell of a lot about physics, but beans about international politics.”

  4. Drake Says:

    Romo Victo

  5. cube Says:

    i disagree with Enstien, because of the MAD princeple.

    We did just that, until we beat the USSR on other fronts that were not the battlefield

  6. Chad Says:

    I go with the Romans

  7. Eric Says:

    .. I’ve actually seen graffiti on a bridge in Scotland.. near the seaside north of Montrose… “they make a desert, and call it peace”… in reference to the English…

    … although, I much prefer an informal USMC cadence I once sang… “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war”…. hey, if it ain’t raining, we ain’t training…

  8. Wince and Nod Says:

    Einstein may have created a more comprehensive theory of physics, but the Romans won a lot more wars.

    Yours,
    Wince

  9. GORDON Says:

    You don’t try to cure a dog with rabies by giving it a big hug.

  10. Thibodeaux Says:

    Einstein ain’t looking too good here.

  11. mike hollihan Says:

    Go up to the car with the Einstein sticker. Is the door locked? Are the keys still in the ignition? There’s your answer.

    I’m in the Teddy Roosevelt camp. “We infinitely desire peace, and the surest way of obtaining it is to show that we are not afraid of war.”

  12. markm Says:

    What Wince and Nod said. The Romans were experts in war and in a rather nasty form of international politics. Einstein never fought a war – and if he prevented any, it was because we ignored his advice and used his physics to arm up with lots and lots of nukes.

  13. Les Jones Says:

    There’s always Churchill’s “England has been offered a choice between war and shame. She has chosen shame and will get war.”

Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.

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