History of the Peloponnesian War

‘I have not lived so long, Lacedaemonians, without having had the experience of many wars, and I see those among you of the same age as myself, who will not fall into the common misfortune of longing for war from inexperience or from a belief in its advantage and its safety.

This, the war on which you are now debating, would be one of the greatest magnitude, on a sober consideration of the matter.