"There never is a convenient place to fight a war when the other man starts it"
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Convenience is the luxury Burke strips away in one clean, unsentimental line. As a career naval officer who helped shape U.S. strategy from World War II through the Cold War, he’s not offering a poetic lament about conflict; he’s issuing a hard operational truth. War rarely arrives on your preferred timetable, with your forces neatly staged and your politics aligned. If the “other man starts it,” the terrain, the moment, and the terms are already compromised. The sentence is a warning against the fantasy of perfect readiness.
The intent is partly strategic, partly moral. Strategically, Burke is arguing for preparedness as a permanent posture, not a mobilization you can schedule. The subtext is directed at civilians and policymakers who treat war as a discretionary project: debate it, delay it, optimize it. Burke’s rejoinder is that adversaries don’t grant you the privilege of optimization. They choose the opening move precisely to make it inconvenient - to exploit your gaps, your hesitations, your distance from the fight.
The line also carries a subtle rebuke to the language of “limited” or “manageable” wars that dominated mid-century thinking. “Convenient place” sounds almost administrative, like selecting a venue. Burke punctures that bureaucratic tone by reminding you war is initiated by an opponent with agency and intent, not by your committees. It’s a compact argument for deterrence and forward posture: if you can’t choose the battlefield, you’d better reduce the number of ways you can be surprised.
The intent is partly strategic, partly moral. Strategically, Burke is arguing for preparedness as a permanent posture, not a mobilization you can schedule. The subtext is directed at civilians and policymakers who treat war as a discretionary project: debate it, delay it, optimize it. Burke’s rejoinder is that adversaries don’t grant you the privilege of optimization. They choose the opening move precisely to make it inconvenient - to exploit your gaps, your hesitations, your distance from the fight.
The line also carries a subtle rebuke to the language of “limited” or “manageable” wars that dominated mid-century thinking. “Convenient place” sounds almost administrative, like selecting a venue. Burke punctures that bureaucratic tone by reminding you war is initiated by an opponent with agency and intent, not by your committees. It’s a compact argument for deterrence and forward posture: if you can’t choose the battlefield, you’d better reduce the number of ways you can be surprised.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
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