Don Quixote's Discourse

“Putting this, however, aside, for it is a puzzling question for

 which it is difficult to find a solution, let us return to the 

superiority of arms over letters, a matter still undecided, so 

many are the arguments put forward on each side; for 

besides those I have mentioned, letters say that without them 

arms cannot maintain themselves, for war, too, has its laws 

and is governed by them, and laws belong to the domain of 

letters and men of letters. To this arms make answer that 

without them laws cannot be maintained, for by arms states 

are defended, kingdoms preserved, cities protected, roads 

made safe, seas cleared of pirates; and, in short, if it were not 

for them, states, kingdoms, monarchies, cities, ways by sea 

and land would be exposed to the violence and confusion 

which war brings with it, so long as it lasts and is free to make 

use of its privileges and powers. And then it is plain that 

whatever costs most is valued and deserves to be valued 

most. To attain to eminence in letters costs a man time, 

watching, hunger, nakedness, headaches, indigestions, and 

other things of the sort, some of which I have already 

referred to. But for a man to come in the ordinary course of 

things to be a good soldier costs him all the student suffers, 

and in an incomparably higher degree, for at every step he 

runs the risk of losing his life.”

"Don Quixote’s discourse on arms and letters"

The History of Don Quixote de la Mancha by 

Miguel de Cervantes — trans. John Ormsby — 

Part 1 Chp. 38