Pax Hominibus Bonae Voluntatis by Aleister Crowley in International, Dec 1917.

“Now one cannot help saying that the Germans have shown their good faith in this matter very clearly. They are always proposing ‘peace conferences,’ thereby indicating that we are not, as some of their publicists maintain, ‘a gang of enraged millionaires bent upon destroying German liberties as American liberties have already been destroyed,’ but a set of sensible people who want to settle down and live happily ever after.” [via]

Consider also:

  1. "In other words, let us quit fighting for a few weeks or months, and have a conference. If nothing happens, we can go on fighting again with renewed zest. Speaking as an Irishman, I might go further and suggest talking and fighting at the same time — an ideal state of affairs!"
  2. “The mildest of animals, if it feels itself cornered, will resort to every means of defense. Queensberry rules were not invented for men who are scrapping in a life and death combat.”
  3. “We hope that no reader of this paper is so foolish as to try to think for himself. What are papers for, but to save all this trouble? The only problem that can possibly present itself to us is this, ‘Which is the largest crowd?'”
  4. “Whether we want to fight Germany or to come to an amicable understanding with her does not matter. In either case, we are handicapping ourselves by hating her. We are failing to see her point of view.”
  5. “The idea of moral character is outworn and ridiculous.”