Soldiers, when committed to a task, can't compromise. It's unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, not letting the task go until it's been done.
John KeeganRead
Men killing other men really is an extraordinary phenomenon. Why does it happen? And how long has it gone on? And have the motives changed?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the complex nature of human conflict and the motivations behind it throughout history.
John Keegan's quote highlights the peculiar and troubling aspect of humanity's propensity for violence against one another. It invites contemplation on the reasons for such actions, the historical context of these conflicts, and whether the motivations for killing have evolved or remained constant over time. This insight prompts deeper inquiries into the nature of humanity, war, and the psychological and sociological factors that drive people to commit acts of violence.
Themes
ViolenceWarHuman BehaviorConflictMotives
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of war during a philosophy class.
More from John Keegan
All quotes →Of whatever class or nation, however, all successful participants in the repetitive and unrelenting stress of aerial fighting came eventually to display its characteristic physiognomy: skeletal hands, sharpened noses, tight-drawn cheek bones, the bared teeth of a rictus smile and the fixed, narrowed gaze of men in a state of controlled fear.
John KeeganRead
The Second World War is the largest single event in human history, fought across six of the world's seven continents and all it oceans. It killed 50 million human beings, left hundreds of millions of others wounded in mind or body and materially devastated much of the heartland of civilization.
John KeeganRead
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