Othón A. León

“Why did nations turn so often to war in the belief that it was a sharp and quick instrument for shaping international affairs when again and again the instrument had proved to be blunt or unpredictable? This recurring optimism is a vital prelude to war. Anything which increases the optimism is a cause of war. Anything which dampens that optimism is a cause of peace.”
― Geoffrey Blainey, The Causes of War

“Be reverent before the dawning day. Do not think of what will be in a year, or in ten years. Think of to-day.”
― Romain Rolland, Jean-Christophe, Vol. 1

“The magnitude of these shattering changes can perhaps be grasped by imagining that the invasion had been in the reverse direction and that the Aztecs or Incas had arrived suddenly in Europe, imposed their culture and calendar, outlawed Christianity, set up sacrificial altars for thousands of victims in Madrid and Amsterdam, unwittingly spread disease on a scale that virtually matched the Black Death, melted down the golden images of Christ and the saints, threw stones at the stained-glass windows and converted the cathedral aisles into arms or food warehouses, toppled unfamiliar Greek statues and Roman columns, and carried home to the Mexican and Peruvian highlands their loot in precious metals along with slaves, indentured servants and other human trophies.”
― Geoffrey Blainey, A Short History of the World

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are… The common people are always impressed by appearances and results.”
― Lawrence Freedman, Strategy: A History