Meaning
What does War. War Never Changes mean?
War. War never changes. refers to a popular quote, originating from the Fallout video game series, where it is usually said in the intro.
Online, it is frequently referenced as the title of parody videos or as the captions of image macro memes.
Another meme, originating from the Fallout franchise, related to the notion of killing is We Can’t Expect God to Do All the Work.
Origin
What's the origin of War. War Never Changes?
“War. War never changes.” was originally used in the first game in the Fallout series, which was released in the United States on October 10th, 1997.
Ever since that time, the line has been consistently used in the introduction sequences of the main Fallout titles, including Fallout 2 in 1998 and Fallout 3 in 2008.
Spread & Usage
How did War. War Never Changes spread?
Thanks to the widespread success of the Fallout series under Bethesda Softworks, the quote became a widely recognized phenomenon, with references sprawling up all across the web in the 2010’s.
“War. War never changes.” became a popular title for YouTube videos, where animals with blank stares are paired with war footage, making them look like veterans with PTSD.
It was featured in numerous gaming blog articles, as well as webcomics.
On November 10th, 2015, the fourth title of the Fallout series was released, featuring the line in the intro.
Around the same time, various discussions arose online, debating whether U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant ever said the line.
While no sources provide proof he did, the line War Never Changes was first printed in 1914, in the book The World’s Work Second War Manual: The Conduct of War.

External resources
- Edgestudio.com – Fallout 4 intro – War Never Changes
- Fandom – Nukapedia Fallout Wiki
- Destructoid.com – War never changes: Absurdity in the world of Fallout