Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.
—Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German Poet, Playwright, Theater Personality
A weapon is an enemy even to its owner.
—Turkish Proverb
It’s not enough to be able to pick up a sword. You have to know which end to poke into the enemy.
—Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English Fantasy Writer
Over any such tangled wave of problems the S-1 secret would be dominant and yet we will not know until after that time probably, until after that meeting, whether this is a weapon in our hands or not.
—Henry L. Stimson (1867–1950) American Political leader, Military Leader, Lawyer
Science burrows its insulted head in the filth of slaughterous inventions
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher
Above all, I regret that scientific experiments—some of them mine—should have produced such a terrible weapon as the hydrogen bomb. Regret, with all my soul, but not guilt.
—Harold Urey (1893–1981) American Chemist
We are in the grip of a scientific materialism, caught in a vicious cycle where our security today seems to depend on regimentation and weapons which will ruin us tomorrow.
—Charles Lindbergh (1902–74) American Aviator, Inventor, Conservationist
The printing press is the greatest weapon in the armoury of the modern commander.
—T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935) British Soldier, Scholar, Writer
Weapons are like money; no one knows the meaning of enough.
—Martin Amis (b.1949) British Novelist, Journalist
With the monstrous weapons man already has, humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world by its moral adolescents
—Omar Bradley (1893–1981) American Military Leader
May their weapons fall from their (hands), may they be unable to lay the arrow on (the bow)! And then (our) arrows shall smite them, badly frightened, in their vital members
—The Vedas Sacred Books of Hinduism
Books won’t stay banned. They won’t burn. Ideas won’t go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.
—Alfred Whitney Griswold (1906–63) American Historian, Educator
Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
A world without nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us
—Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) British Head of State
An atom-blaster is a good weapon, but it can point both ways.
—Isaac Asimov (1920–92) Russian-born American Writer, Scientist
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
—Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) South African Political leader
The atom bomb was no “great decision.” It was merely another powerful weapon in the arsenal of righteousness.
—Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) American Head of State
I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.
—Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) Soviet Leader
The knife is the most permanent, the most immortal, the most ingenious of man’s creations. The knife was a guillotine; the knife is a universal means of resolving all knots…
—Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884–1937) Russian Novelist, Journalist
Often times I have hated in self-defense; if I were stronger I would not have used such a weapon.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
All nuclear weapon states should now recognize that this is so, and declare – in Treaty form – that they will never be the first to use nuclear weapons. This would open the way to the gradual, mutual reduction of nuclear arsenals, down to zero.
—Joseph Rotblat (1908–2005) British Physicist, Activist
Silence is the ultimate weapon of power.
—Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) French General, Statesman
The terror created by weaponry has never stopped men from employing them.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
Courage and conviction are powerful weapons against an enemy who depends only on fists or guns. Animals know when you are afraid; a coward knows when you are not.
—David Seabury (1885–1960) American Psychologist
Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way.
—Jean Anouilh (1910–87) French Dramatist
Women’s weapon, water-drops
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Since I couldn’t actuate the things that I wanted to do, the only weapon I had was to say no
—Sidney Poitier (1927–2022) Bahamanian-American Actor
We have ancient habits to deal with, vast structures of power, indescribably complicated problems to solve. But unless we abdicate our humanity altogether and succumb to fear and impotence in the presence of the weapons we have ourselves created, it is as possible and as urgent to put an end to war and violence between nations as it is to put an end to poverty and racial injustice.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68) American Civil Rights Leader, Clergyman