Kevin

“the beginning of wisdom in human as well as international affairs was knowing when to stop.”
― Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

“The sums acquired by the administrators of this domaine extraordinaire in the period of France’s zenith were quite remarkable and in some ways foreshadow Nazi Germany’s plunder of its satellites and conquered foes during the Second World War.”
― Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

“It was vital for Germany, Admiral Tirpitz urged Kaiser Wilhelm, to build a big navy, so that it would be one of the “four World Powers: Russia, England, America and Germany.”10 France, too, must be up there, warned a Monsieur Darcy, for “those who do not advance, go backwards and who goes back goes under.”
― Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

“A large military establishment may, like a great monument, look imposing to the impressionable observer; but if it is not resting upon a firm foundation (in this case, a productive national economy), it runs the risk of a future collapse.”
― Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers