military-could-power-automatically-medals-chest-anything-right-moment-respect

In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It's also a psychological trap that can stop one's growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior.

Karl Marlantes
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Karl Marlantes's Popular Quotes

Vietnam was the first time that Americans of different races had to depend on each other. In the Second World War, they were segregated; it was in Vi…

- Karl Marlantes

The time for debilitating fear is before and after the mission.

- Karl Marlantes

The Marine Corps taught me how to kill, but it didn't teach me how to deal with killing.

- Karl Marlantes

It won't hurt you. It's just to kill plants. It's called Agent Orange...and it won't bother humans.

- Karl Marlantes

Matterhorn is my metaphor of the Vietnam War - we built it, we abandoned it, we assaulted it, we lost, and then we abandoned it again.

- Karl Marlantes

Victory in combat is like sex with a prostitute. For a moment you forget everything in the sudden physical rush, but then you have to pay your money …

- Karl Marlantes

Quitting is unthinkable and pain is just weakness leaving the body

- Karl Marlantes

It was all absurd, without reason or meaning. People who didn't know each other were going to kill each other over a hill none of them cared about

- Karl Marlantes

I don't want any romantics to go into the military. I'm not a pacifist. I think we need a military, and the better one we have, the better off we are…

- Karl Marlantes
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