I don't believe in democracy by bayonet.
You can build a throne with bayonets, but you can't sit on it for long.
Peace comes through dealing with people. Peace doesn't come at the end of a bayonet or the end of a gun.
When I went through Marine boot camp in Paris Island, South Carolina, we actually did have bayonets that we trained with.
But it is neither cannon nor bayonet that will do the worst damage to this city. No, this place will remember the war against our government just as long as there are inhabitants here.
Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.
A Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets has no charm for me. If the Union is dissolved and government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people, and save in defense will draw my sword on none.
Most bayonets throughout history have probably not been used because soldiers just can't do it, something holds them back... the same goes for shooting the enemy. We've got this fascinating evidence from the Second World War, and also from other wars, that most soldiers couldn't do it.
The glory of the old Irish nation, which in our hour will grow young and strong again. Should we fail, the country will not be worth more than it is now. The sword of famine is less sparing than the bayonet of the soldier.
The power which money gives is that of brute force; it is the power of the bludgeon and the bayonet.
