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.
Audie MurphyRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the numbness and emotional fatigue that follows experiencing violence for the first time in war.
Audie Murphy's quote reflects the emotional turmoil and desensitization that soldiers often experience after engaging in combat. The phrase depicts a state of weary indifference that replaces the anticipated feelings of pride or remorse, emphasizing how the brutality of war can alter one's psyche and diminish emotional responses to violence.
Themes
WarIndifferenceEmotionCourageTrauma
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a veterans' event might use this quote to discuss the psychological impact of combat.
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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.
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No soldier ever really survives a war.
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