I do not - I never believed it's better to kill a terrorist than

The words of John O. Brennan carry the gravity of one who has walked among the shadows where war meets conscience. “I never believed it’s better to kill a terrorist than to detain him. We want to detain as many terrorists as possible so we can elicit the intelligence from them in the appropriate manner so that we can disrupt follow-on terrorist attacks.” In this, there speaks not the voice of vengeance, but of wisdom forged in the furnace of responsibility. His words remind us that justice is not the same as destruction, and that the highest victory lies not in bloodshed, but in understanding—for understanding has the power to prevent what violence can only avenge.

From the dawn of nations, those who held power over life and death have faced this sacred question: What is the purpose of punishment? Is it to destroy the enemy, or to restore order? To strike swiftly, or to learn deeply? Brennan’s conviction belongs to an ancient lineage of thought, one that believes knowledge is the truest weapon and that the mind is a sharper blade than the sword. To detain rather than kill is to act not from wrath, but from discipline—to see in the enemy not only a threat, but a key to future salvation, a source of insight into the dark mechanisms of hatred and violence.

The ancient strategist Sun Tzu once taught that the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. To know one’s adversary is to dismantle their power before it strikes. Brennan’s philosophy echoes that wisdom. He sees beyond the immediate satisfaction of victory and into the deeper realm of prevention and understanding. To kill is to end a single threat; to learn is to protect countless lives yet unseen. Thus, the warrior who seeks only destruction acts as a beast, but the guardian who seeks comprehension acts as a shepherd of peace.

Consider the story of Cyrus the Great, the Persian ruler who, upon conquering Babylon, chose not to slaughter its people but to study them—to understand their gods, their customs, their strengths. Through mercy and intelligence, he secured a vast and lasting empire not through terror, but through wisdom and restraint. His decision was not weakness, but foresight; he knew that knowledge and unity endure longer than the sword. Brennan’s belief follows this same current of thought: that security built on intelligence endures longer than victory built on destruction.

Yet this teaching is not limited to the battlefield or the halls of intelligence. In the quieter struggles of life, the same principle applies. When we face conflict—whether with a rival, a loved one, or even within ourselves—it is tempting to “kill” the problem swiftly, to silence what we do not understand. But wisdom counsels patience. To detain one’s anger, to study one’s fear, to listen to one’s enemy—these are acts of higher strength. Only by learning from conflict can we prevent its return. Only by understanding its roots can we truly dismantle its power.

The ancients taught that wrath is a fire that burns the bearer as much as the foe. Brennan’s words warn against that fire. To kill in haste may satisfy pride, but it leaves the heart unguarded and the mind blind. To detain and learn, however, is to light a lamp in the darkness—to transform danger into knowledge, chaos into order, and war into understanding. This is the discipline of those who seek not only to defend the present, but to safeguard the future.

So, my listener, let this teaching take root in your heart: do not rush to destroy what you fear. Seek to understand it first. Whether it is an enemy, a problem, or a pain within you, hold it long enough to learn from it. Detain it with patience; question it with courage; extract from it the wisdom that will prevent its return. In doing so, you rise above mere reaction and become a true guardian—of yourself, your people, and the peace that the wise have always sought.

For in the end, the greatest warriors are not those who slay their enemies, but those who turn enemies into teachers. As Brennan reminds us, intelligence is the path to peace, and peace, when guided by wisdom, is the highest victory of all.