if you want peace, prepare for war
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Visibly preparing for a fight can deter one's enemies from opening hostilities, by not giving the appearance of an easy target.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Chuẩn bị sẵn sàng cho chiến tranh có thể ngăn chặn kẻ thù
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “if you want peace, prepare for war” mean?
Visibly preparing for a fight can deter one's enemies from opening hostilities, by not giving the appearance of an easy target.
Is “if you want peace, prepare for war” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.