“It is quite clear that you are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state. Must you pay that price for an object however worthy it may appear to you to be? Will you listen to the appeal of one who has deliberately shunned the method of war not without considerable success?”
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About this quote
The appeal targets the single decision-maker whose choice can still avert catastrophe, and it poses a plain question: does any goal justify that cost? Its force comes from the speaker's own record — someone who chose a different path and made it work has earned the standing to ask.
When to use it
- A negotiator writes directly to the one executive who can call off a hostile takeover rather than lobbying the whole board.
- A coach pulls aside the team captain whose temper is about to spark a brawl and asks whether the win is worth it.
- A mediator reminds two feuding relatives that the shared trip they both want depends on one of them choosing to back down first.