I don’t know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war.

Meaning of the quote

This quote suggests that it's hard to tell whether war or peace is the normal, everyday state of the world. The speaker is saying they're not sure if war is just a brief break from peace, or if peace is just a brief break from war. They're pointing out how constant conflict and instability can feel, making it unclear which is the norm and which is the exception.

About Georges Clemenceau

Georges Clemenceau was a influential French statesman who served as Prime Minister during and after World War I. He played a key role in the politics of the Third Republic and was a driving force behind the harsh Treaty of Versailles, earning him the nicknames ‘Father Victory’ and ‘The Tiger’.

More about the author

More quotes from Georges Clemenceau

I don’t know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

A man who waits to believe in action before acting is anything you like, but he’s not a man of action. You must act as you breathe.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

A collective tyrant, spread over the length and breadth of the land, is no more acceptable than a single tyrant ensconced on his throne.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

All that I know I learned after I was thirty.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

My home policy: I wage war; my foreign policy: I wage war. All the time I wage war.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

In order to act, you must be somewhat insane. A reasonably sensible man is satisfied with thinking.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

Begin to free yourself at once by doing all that is possible with the means you have, and as you proceed in this spirit the way will open for you to do more.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

It is far easier to make war than peace.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

Everything I know I learned after I was thirty.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

America is the only nation in history which miraculously has gone directly from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilization.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed – I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920

War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men.

Georges Clemenceau

Prime Minister of France, 1906-1909 and 1917-1920