Quotation by

James Madison

War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to support its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits.
War

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

James Madison is saying that the decision to go to war should be made by the people who will bear the costs and sacrifices, not just by the government officials who may benefit from it. He emphasizes that those who fight and pay for war should have the power to approve it, rather than leaving that choice solely to leaders who gain from its outcomes.

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Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.
We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hill…