Now I have shed my first blood. I feel no qualms, no pride, no remorse. There is only a weary indifference that will follow me throughout the war.
Audie MurphyRead
I was scared before every battle. That old instinct of self-preservation is a pretty basic thing, but while the action was going on some part of my mind shut off and my training and discipline took over. I did what I had to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Courage involves feeling fear but still taking action despite it. Self-discipline and training can help overcome fear in critical moments.
In this quote, Audie Murphy reflects on the natural fear he experienced before entering battle, highlighting that fear is a normal and instinctive response to danger. However, he emphasizes that during combat, his training and discipline allowed him to push through his fear and act according to what was necessary, demonstrating the importance of preparation and mental resilience in overcoming challenges.
Themes
CourageFearTrainingDisciplineBattle
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about facing fears in professional life.
More from Audie Murphy
All quotes →They were singing in French, but the melody was freedom and any American could understand that.
Audie MurphyRead
After the war, they took Army dogs and rehabilitated them for civilian life. But they turned soldiers into civilians immediately, and let em sink or swim.
Audie MurphyRead
Sometimes it takes more courage to get up and run than to stay. You either just do it or you don't. I got so scared the first day in combat I just decided to go along with it.
Audie MurphyRead
No soldier ever really survives a war.
Audie MurphyRead
Similar quotes
Battles are won in the hearts of men.
Vince LombardiRead
I am convinced that the world-wide protests during the Rivonia trial saved Mandela and his fellow-accused from a death sentence. But in South Africa, a life sentence means imprisonment until death - or until the defeat of the government which holds these men prisoner.
Oliver TamboRead
I am certainly not a martyr kind of a person. I love my life. But if one has to, then there is nothing more nobler a cause that I can think of.
Asma JahangirRead
So I didn't pass. It was the army's decision that they didn't want me to go into the service. They're the boss. I don't want to say no whole lot about it.
Muhammad AliRead
Toeing the starting line of a marathon, regardless of the language you speak, the God you worship or the color of your skin, we all stand as equal. Perhaps the world would be a better place if more people ran.
Dean KarnazesRead
In the face of this approaching disaster, it behooves men and women not yet overcome by war madness to raise their voice of protest, to call the attention of the people to the crime and outrage which are about to be perpetrated on them.
Emma GoldmanRead