I have never advocated war except as a means of peace.

Taken at face value, the line frames war not as an end in itself but as an instrument used reluctantly to secure a stable peace. Attributed to Grant—whose public reputation combined hard-won military victory with a postwar desire for national reconciliation—the sentiment casts military force as morally defensible only when it prevents greater violence or restores lawful order. The aphorism also functions rhetorically: it answers critics who might portray a successful general as inherently bellicose, insisting instead that the ultimate aim is the cessation of conflict. Without a verified primary source, however, its significance should be treated as a later summary of “Grant-like” attitudes rather than a securely documented statement.