"A thing that stands demonstrable is that nationhood is not achieved
otherwise than in arms. We must
accustom ourselves to the thought of arms, to the use of arms. We may
make mistakes in the beginning and shoot the wrong people, but bloodshed
is a cleansing and a sanctifying thing, and a nation which regards it
as the final horror has lost its manhood. There are many things more
horrible than bloodshed; and slavery is one of them." (Patrick Pearse)
