"Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues"

This quote by Thomas Hobbes is a reflection of his belief that war is a required evil. He is suggesting that in order to be successful in war, one must use both force and scams. Force is using physical strength or power to achieve a goal, while scams is the use of deception or hoax to gain an advantage. Hobbes believed that in order for a nation to be successful in war, it must be willing to use both of these strategies. He argued that without making use of force and fraud, a nation would be not able to accomplish success. This quote is a pointer that war is a complex and often harsh affair, which it needs a certain level of ruthlessness in order to be successful.