William Winwood Reade Quotes

… war is a matter not so much of arms as of money

Endless money forms the sinews of war. Nervi belli pecunia infinita.

The sinews of war are infinite money.

Generals know nothing about the economics of war.

In the history of warfare, it has generally been the case that military superiority lies with the wealthiest states and those with the most developed administrations.

Don't forget what I discovered that over ninety percent of all national deficits from 1921 to 1939 were caused by payments for past, present, and future wars.

That is the best Government, which best provides for war.

The truth is that the fall of Napoleon is the hardest blow that our taxing system ever felt. It is now impossible to make people believe that immense fleets and armies are necessary.

The key to winning a battle is to not burden the general population with military expenses

There are no straight line projections of cost in a war.

Let him who desires peace prepare for war.

Guns will make us powerful; butter will only make us fat.

War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures.

Money is the sinews of love, as of war.

The first and most imperative necessity in war is money, for money means everything else - men, guns, ammunition.

For the first time in history, we declared war without financing it. Americans have not been asked to pay for it through taxes.

There's no excuse for skimping on national defense when the country is at war.

I came here as a practical man, to talk, not simply on the question of peace and war, but to treat another question which is of hardly less importance - the enormous and burdensome standing armaments which it is the practice of modern Governments to sustain in time of peace.

The military market is based on human folly, not normal market precepts. Human folly goes up and down, but it always exists. It's depths have never been plumbed.

... a caricature of Mr. Military Industrial Complex.

Any great power—especially a great one suddenly deprived of its traditional adversary—faces the perennial dilemma of showing a reasonable return on its costly military investments.

Though the object of being a Great Power is to be able to fight a Great War, the only way of remaining a Great Power is not to fight one.

Were the expense of war to be defrayed always by a revenue raised within the year ... wars would in general be more speedily concluded, and less wantonly undertaken

Wars cost money.

It is often easier to assemble armies than it is to assemble army revenues.