Shadwell, The Life of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde. Vol. I, 108.
“

War is detestable and not to be desired by a nation’, adding, 'It falls not so heavily upon soldiers – it is our calling; but its horrors alight upon the poor, upon the miserable, upon the unhappy, upon those who feel the expense and the suffering, but have not the glory.

— Charles James Napier

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "War is detestable and not to be desired by a nation’, adding, 'It falls not so heavily upon soldiers – it is our calling; but its horrors alight upon the poor, upon the miserable, upon the unhappy, upon those who feel the expense and the suffering, but have not the glory." in the context of "Shadwell, The Life of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde. Vol. I, 108." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Charles James Napier" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Charles James Napier

About Charles James Napier

Sir Charles James Napier (10 August 1782 – 29 August 1853) was a British general and Commander-in-Chief in India. The city of Napier, New Zealand, is named after him. He is famous for conquering the Sindh province of British India, now in present-day Pakistan.