Peace Is Our Profession. Mass murder is just a hobby.
— Gary Henley, punning on the motto of the Strategic Air Command
...superiorly armed, and supremely pissed off.
— Adam Sessler, reviewing Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tony Stark: My old man had a philosophy. "Peace means having a Bigger Stick than the other guy."
Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?
They say that the best weapon is one that you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire once! That's how Dad did it, that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far.
— Tony Stark, Iron Man
Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant. (Where they create desolation, they call it peace.)
— Tacitus
"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero."
—Vaarsuvius, The Order of the Stick
...proper armament is the surest guarantee of peace
"Peace through power!"
—One of the many slogans/chants/battle cries/mantras/etc. used by the Brotherhood of Nodnote
"Welcome to NERV. God's in His heaven because He's scared of our superior firepower."
—Yui Ikari, Nobody Dies
"A wise king never seeks out war. But...he must always be ready for it."
— Odin, Thor
"What did your old man used to say? Ah. That’s right. “Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy.”"
— Erik Killmonger, quoting Tony's late father Howard Stark, What If…? (2021), "What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?"
Nostalgia Critic: Did Superman just say that he's going to rid the world of nuclear weapons by himself, whether the governments are unwilling to or not?
Linkara (nodding): Uh-huh.
Critic: And everyone's okay with this?
Linkara: They are, Critic. Which means it's time to play "International Politics"! Alright, Nostalgia Critic! You're Israel, a country surrounded on all sides by enemies who would happily see you wiped off the map! However, the only thing keeping them at bay is your nuclear arsenal! Now Superman comes in and says he's gonna take that arsenal away! What do you do?
Critic: Um, tell him to hump my ass?
Linkara: Oh, I'm sorry, Critic, the correct answer was "applaud wildly"!
Critic: Dammit!
Linkara: Next question, and this one's for the game! You're the Soviet Union. You're engaged in a Cold War against the United States, and the fear of mutually assured destruction via nuclear weapons is the only thing that keeps you and the US from engaging in combat with conventional weapons! Suddenly, Superman comes along and says he's gonna take away all your nuclear weapons! What do you do?
Critic: Ooh, I know! I know! Applaud wildly!
Linkara: That is correct! You won the grand prize, Critic! You get to continue watching this crap!
Critic: Dammit!
Linkara: Yes folks, in this film, if you believe that the presence of nuclear weapons has actually prevented war, rather than escalated it, this isn't your movie.
— Linkara and The Nostalgia Critic reacting to the United Nations scene in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
MAXIM 69: Sometimes rank is a function of firepower.
Schlock Mercenary; 70 Maxims of Maximally Effective mercenaries
