Ethics and the Restraint of War

From The Art of War by Sun Tzu
War is justified only by necessity; the enlightened ruler does not act from anger, and the prudent general never fights from spite, because emotional decisions are irreversible.
Chapter 12 (The Attack by Fire), verses 17-22

'No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.' A nation once destroyed cannot come back; the dead cannot be brought back to life. The hallmark of restraint as practical wisdom.

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