By jove, no wonder women don't love war nor understand it, nor

In the annals of human history, where the clash of armies and the tragedy of war have left their indelible marks on the world, the words of Janet Flanner echo with a profound, though controversial, understanding of the differences between men and women in relation to war. She says, "By Jove, no wonder women don't love war nor understand it, nor can operate in it as a rule; it takes a man to suffer what other men have invented." These words, though deeply rooted in a time when gender roles were more rigidly defined, carry within them the insight that war—in its most visceral form—has often been the domain of men, both as its instigators and as its victims. But in those words, there is more than a simple assertion about gender. There lies a deeper reflection on the nature of war itself and the suffering that it entails.

The notion that women do not "understand" or "love" war is tied to the ancient and often gendered perception of warfare as a masculine endeavor. In the most ancient of cultures, from the Greeks to the Romans, war was a domain in which men proved their courage, their valor, and their ability to endure the brutal realities of battle. The Iliad—the great work of Homer—is full of tales of heroes who are men, fighting for honor, land, and glory. But this honor often came at a great cost, with men enduring pain, sacrifice, and death in ways that were thought to be beyond the reach of women, who were, in many ancient societies, seen as the preservers of life rather than its destroyers.

Yet, as we turn to the modern era, we must question the assumption embedded in Flanner’s quote. Though women may not have traditionally been seen as soldiers or commanders on the battlefield, history has shown that they have often borne the greatest burdens of war. The mothers, wives, and daughters of those who march off to fight are the ones who endure the aftermath of war—the endless waiting, the news of loss, and the life lived in the shadow of fear. In the American Civil War, for example, women played vital roles, not just as caretakers of the home, but as nurses, spies, and even soldiers disguised as men. Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross, worked tirelessly on the battlefields, tending to the wounded and offering comfort to soldiers in their most vulnerable moments. These women, though not soldiers in the traditional sense, understood the horrors of war in a way that transcended the masculine experience.

Flanner’s statement also touches upon the idea that war is a man-made tragedy—a creation of human pride, fear, and greed. Men, through the ages, have invented war, and it is they who are most often forced to suffer its consequences. In World War I, soldiers endured unimaginable atrocities in the trenches—poison gas, shrapnel, and the constant specter of death. The suffering was so profound that it became a psychological trauma for an entire generation, one that would haunt not just the soldiers who fought but the societies they returned to. In this sense, war is a creation of men, and it is men who are often most vulnerable to its scars—physical, emotional, and societal.

But to stop there would be to overlook the greater truth that war, in all its forms, affects everyone. The psychological scars of war do not discriminate by gender. The mothers of fallen soldiers, like the ancient Greek mothers who mourned the loss of their sons after the Trojan War, carry a grief that knows no boundaries. In World War II, the women of Europe and Asia endured the devastation of bombings, occupations, and the loss of loved ones. Even as they did not wield weapons, their endurance of suffering, their ability to rebuild homes and societies, proves that they too, in their own way, understood war—not from the battlefield, but from the depths of grief and sacrifice.

The lesson of Flanner’s words, when viewed through the lens of history, is not so much about the limitations of gender in understanding war, but about the universal nature of suffering that war brings. Men may have created war, but it is not only men who suffer from its effects. It is the entire human race that bears the weight of conflict, and it is the strength of both women and men—in their capacity to endure, to heal, and to rebuild—that defines the true victory in the face of war.

As we move forward in our own time, let us remember that war is not just a battlefield affair. It is a human experience that affects all people, regardless of gender. The true lesson lies in our ability to come together, to learn from the past, and to work toward a future where war is no longer the answer to our struggles. In our daily lives, we must strive for understanding, for empathy, and for the wisdom to seek peace in all things. May we honor the sacrifices of those who have suffered, and may we strive to build a world where no one is forced to understand war through the lens of loss and grief.