Men do not fight for flag or country, for the Marine Corps or glory or any other abstraction. They fight for one another. And if you came through this ordeal, you would age with dignity.
But there are no loners. No man lives in a void. His every act is conditioned by his time and his society.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals with their society and times.
William Manchester's quote illustrates the concept that no person exists in isolation; our actions, thoughts, and beliefs are significantly influenced by the societal and historical context in which we find ourselves. It reminds us that we are inherently social beings shaped by the interactions with those around us and the times we live in, suggesting that understanding this connection is crucial to understanding human behavior and community.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about societal influence on behavior, you could use this quote to highlight how a person's actions are shaped by their surroundings.
More from William Manchester
All quotes βHe was a great thundering paradox of a man.
He [Gen. Douglas MacArthur] was a great thundering paradox of a man, noble and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of men and the worst of men, the most protean, most ridiculous, and most sublime.
The sum of a million facts is not the truth.
Similar quotes
Devils are depicted with bats' wings and good angels with birds' wings, not because anyone holds that moral deterioration would be likely to turn feathers into membrane, but because most men like birds better than bats.
I shall not want Honor in Heaven For I shall meet Sir Philip Sidney And have talk with Coriolanus And other heroes of that kidney.
The historical mission of our times is to re-invent the humanβat the species level, with critical reflection, within the community of life-systems, in a time-developmental context, by means of story and shared dream experience.
I don't want to prove anything; I merely want to live, to do no one harm but myself. I have the right to do that, haven't I?
"Do you know," Ivan Bunin recalls Anton Chekhov saying to him in 1899, near the end of his too-short life, "for how many years I shall be read? Seven." "Why seven?" Bunin asked. "Well," Chekhov answered, "seven and a half then."
To be Christian is to be one of those whom God has chosen. God has chosen black people!