Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.
John SteinbeckRead
You are not a man anymore. You are a soldier. Your comfort is of no importance and your life isn't of much importance. Most of your orders will be unpleasant, but that's not your business. They should've trained you for this, and not for flower-strewn streets. They should have built your soul with truth, not led along with lies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the transformation from an individual to a soldier, highlighting the sacrifices required for the role.
In this quote, John Steinbeck captures the harsh reality of military life, where personal comfort and individual importance are overshadowed by duty and the expectations of being a soldier. It speaks to the rigorous training that soldiers undergo, suggesting that they must be prepared for the brutal truths of war rather than the romanticized ideals often associated with heroism. The quote critiques the way society prepares individuals for the complexities of life, emphasizing the need for raw honesty in their training and understanding.
Themes
SoldierComfortTruthTrainingWar
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech honoring veterans, one might use this quote to highlight the sacrifices made by soldiers.
More from John Steinbeck
All quotes →At one point, as Samuel urges Adam to raise his boys well regardless of the blood that might be in them, Adam tells him, "You can't make a race horse of a pig." Samuel replies, "No, but you can make a very fast pig.
John SteinbeckRead
And when that crop grew, and was harvested, no man had crumbled a hot clod in his fingers and let the earth sift past his fingertips. No man had touched the seed, or lusted for the growth. Men ate what they had not raised, had no connection with the bread. The land bore under iron, and under iron gradually died; for it was not loved or hated, it had no prayers or curses.
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The comfortable people in tight houses felt pity at first, and then distaste, and finally hatred for the migrant people.
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People do not want advice - they want corroboration.
John SteinbeckRead
It is one of the triumphs of the human that he can know a thing and still not believe it.
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