"The chains of military despotism, once fastened upon a nation, ages might pass away before they could be shaken off"
- William Henry Harrison
About this Quote
In this quote, William Henry Harrison is alerting against the dangers of military despotism, or the rule of a nation by a single military leader. He suggests that once a nation falls under the control of such a leader, it can be incredibly challenging to break devoid of their grasp. Harrison stresses the seriousness of this scenario by specifying that it could take ages, or a long time, for the chains of military despotism to be gotten rid of. This quote acts as a cautionary tip of the prospective repercussions of allowing a single person to hold excessive power and control over a nation.
"After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. I sure as hell wouldn't want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military"
"We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them. In short, our foreign policy will rest on the traditional American values of restraint and empathy, not on military might"
"As costly as it was in the lives of our men and women in uniform, in military assets, and in esteem and pride, Pearl Harbor was a watershed moment for America"
"Of course, there is no question that Libya - and the world - will be better off with Gaddafi out of power. I, along with many other world leaders, have embraced that goal, and will actively pursue it through non-military means. But broadening our military mission to include regime change would be a mistake"
"Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terrorism have reduced the pace of military transformation and have revealed our lack of preparation for defensive and stability operations. This Administration has overextended our military"
"Also a great part of Polish industry proved to have existed only to support the Soviet military industry, and it became superfluous and incapable of being transformed into anything else. We did not foresee that or the magnitude of these phenomena"
