Men like Einstein proclaim obvious truths about war but are not listened to. So long as Einstein is unintelligible, he is thought wise, but as soon as he says anything that people can understand, it is thought that his wisdom has departed from him. In this folly, governments take a leading part. It seems that politicians would rather lead their countries to destruction than not be in the government. A greater depth of wickedness than this it is not easy to imagine.
Source: "Do Governments Desire War?" [From: Mortals and Others: Bertrand Russell's American Essays, 1931-1935, v.1 (1975)]
More info.: https://russell-j.com/DESIRE-W.HTM"