The state of war and peace is the experience that has been inherent in human society since ancient times. Moreover, people have always regarded the war as a whole as a terrible and difficult event, and the world as a long-awaited deliverance from a terrible action. Therefore, statements about the war we can meet in many memorabilia of human culture.
Let's consider this question in more detail.
Military operations in the works of ancient authors
As you know, philosophy first appeared in ancient society. At that time, the sages of antiquity also defined military operations. After all, they often happened between small Greek policies. The war was part of people's lives, which brought, on the one hand, hunger, destruction, death and misfortune, but, on the other hand, could give money, power, fame, slaves and wealth.
However, ancient authors negatively evaluated this condition. In particular, Ovid said that it is better when other nations are at war, Lucan indicated that the laws cease to fulfill his mission during the fighting, and Virgil mentioned that war does not bring real benefits to anyone.
Thus, we see that statements about the war of the sages of antiquity unambiguously interpret this concept in a negative way.
Military actions in the understanding of Russian thinkers
An ardent opponent of the war in our country, who devoted a great deal of work to this problem, was L.N. Tolstoy. He hated the war and considered it the most terrible invention of mankind. Fortunately, the great Russian writer did not live to see the start of World War I in 1914, which struck his contemporaries with the brutality of bloodshed.
Statements about the war of other Russian authors indicate that we should distinguish between the concepts of "war as evil" and "defense of their homeland." Derzhavin, Pushkin, Turgenev, even Tolstoy testify to the need for such protection, but the majority of authors consider the war as a negative social phenomenon.
In particular, M. Gorky calls the war the most terrible atrocity that people are capable of. S. Yesenin, who knew firsthand about the war, writes that the world is beautiful, therefore wars are unacceptable.
Sayings about the war: why do hostilities begin?
Often, thinkers are tormented by the question of why people, knowing about the harmful consequences of the war, still start it.
And they themselves answer this question. So, Peter the Great believes that the essence of war is the need for profit, which is why money is the main artery of war.
Chinese sage Xunzi points out that the cause of war is human imperfection.
Thus, the statements of the greats about the war make it clear that this phenomenon is condemned by people, but wars do not stop because there are people who are ready for the sake of their selfish interests to throw more and more victims into the furnace of war.