Alleged Thucydides quotation

[Ole Martin Halck]

Hello,

several places I have seen the quote

"A nation that makes too great a distinction between its
scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by
cowards and its fighting done by fools"

(vel sim.) attributed to Thucydides. I have never seen a
more precise reference, though, and have my doubts about
the authenticity of the attribution -- especially as I've
also seen it attributed to one Sir William Butler in a
slightly different form.

Can anyone confirm or refute any of these attributions?

TIA,

Ole Martin Halck
Norwegian Defence Research Establishment
Ole-Mart...@ffi.no

[sja...@citynet.net]

Ole Martin Halck wrote:
>
> "A nation that makes too great a distinction between its
> scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by
> cowards and its fighting done by fools"
>

> (vel sim.) attributed to Thucydides.....

> also seen it attributed to one Sir William Butler

Butler, says the U.S. Naval Academy http://www.usna.edu/PoliSci/

Thucydides, says the state of North Carolina
http://www.flstw.fsu.edu/quote.html

Unknown, says the Marines
http://www.doctrine.quantico.usmc.mil/1-1/intro.htm

Thucydides, says the U.S. Military Academy
http://www.west-point.org/class/usma1987/confsum.htm