No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace or insure it victory in time of war.

—Calvin Coolidge

We should do all in our power to hasten the day when there shall be peace among the nations – a peace based upon justice and not upon cowardly submission to wrong.   —Theodore Roosevelt

I have seen gross intolerance shown in supoport of tolerance.

—Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Almost the biggest obligation we have today is to prove that in a time of stress we can still live up to our beliefs.

 –Eleanor Roosevelt, December 1941

In many ways, the challenge facing George W. Bush is greater than Roosevelt’s. [Roosevelt] had the luxury of immediate, concrete action that galvanized Americans in the days and weeks after the attack. There were weapons to be built, resources to be conserved, and a military force to assemble. This week, outside Washington and New York City, there was little more for most Americans to do than give blood.     —Doris Kearns Goodwin

In the age of television, Americans were treated to graphic scenes of soldiers dying. In the age of mobile phones, we can now say goodbye to the casualties before they die. It is a haunting privilege, a glimpse into the mind-set of the doomed.

—Amanda Ripley, “The Last Phone Call,” Time magazine

Do we fear our enemies more than we love our children?

—bumper sticker from the Gulf War

It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.    —John F. Kennedy

They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.

—Gen Creighton W. Abrams, Jr on the Battle of the Bulge

We don’t thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient.  —Golda Meir

That was why We laid it down for the Israelites that whoever killed a human being, except as a punishment for murder or other wicked crimes, should be looked upon as though he had killed all mankind; and that whoever saved a human life should be regarded as though he had saved all mankind.     —The Koran

The more deeply sorrow has carved its chasm in your heart, the deeper is your capacity for compassion.    —Regina Sobieski

The temptation to moralize is strong; it is emotionally satisfying to have enemies rather than problems, to seek out culprits rather than flaws in the system. God knows it is emotionally satisfying to be righteous with that righteousness that nourishes itself on the blood of sinners. God also knows that what is emotionally satisfying can be spiritually devastating.    —William Sloane Coffin

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.     —Helen Keller

(Each week this column features quotations gleaned from the readings and experiences of our editors, reporters, readers, and friends. All are invited to submit quotations for inclusion here. They may be sent to Gleanings, c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470 or emailed to editor@thebee.com.)