"Only the dead have seen the end of the war"

This quote by George Santayana is a pointer of the disaster of war and the supreme expense of dispute. It recommends that no one alive can truly comprehend the full degree of the damage and suffering caused by war, as only those who have actually died in battle have actually seen its end. The quote likewise implies that war is an unlimited cycle, with no real resolution or triumph. It works as a cautioning to those who are quick to resort to violence, as it indicates that war is a continuous cycle of death and destruction. Eventually, this quote works as a pointer of the significance of peace and diplomacy, and the requirement to discover alternative options to conflict.