He who joyfully marches to music rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder. .Albert Einstein
About This Quote
The quote above was written by Heinrich von Kleist, a German poet, novelist, dramatist, and essayist during the 1813 German occupation of France during the Napoleonic Wars. It is sometimes used as a rallying call to fight against the evils of war.
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