In just one year in Bosnia, thirty of my colleagues died. There is a little Somme waiting for all innocent journalists.
There is nothing so satisfying as to be shot at without effect.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the irony of facing danger without any real consequence, suggesting that true satisfaction comes from being resilient in the face of adversity.
Robert Fisk's quote reflects the paradox of experiencing threats that do not lead to harm, indicating a unique kind of satisfaction derived from having survived a potentially dangerous situation. It suggests that there is a profound appreciation in overcoming challenges without being affected negatively, as it allows individuals to confront fears while feeling a sense of achievement and security.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about resilience, one might refer to this quote to illustrate how challenges can lead to personal growth.
More from Robert Fisk
All quotes βThe [Israelis] believed - they were possessed of an absolute certainty and conviction - that 'terrorists' were in Chatila. How could I explain to them that the terrorists had left, that the terrorists had worn Israeli uniforms, that the terrorists had been sent into Chatila by Israeli officers, that the victims of the terrorists were not Israelis but Palestinians and Lebanese?
War is primarily not about victory or defeat but about death and the infliction of death. It represents the total failure of the human spirit.
U.S. journalists I don't think are very courageous. They tend to go along with the government's policy domestically and internationally. To question is seen as being unpatriotic, or potentially subversive.
The biggest problem I have in journalism is being quoted or misquoted and then being asked to defend something I haven't said.
After the allied victory of 1918, at the end of my father's war, the victors divided up the lands of their former enemies. In the space of just seventeen months, they created the borders of Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia and most of the Middle East. And I have spent my entire career β in Belfast and Sarajevo, in Beirut and Baghdad β watching the people within those borders burn.
Similar quotes
Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars.
As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft.
Guard against the prestige of great names; see that your judgments are your own; and do not shrink from disagreement; no trusting without testing
If you have religious faith, very good, you can add on secular ethics, then religious belief, add on it, very good. But even those people who have no interest about religion, okay, it's not religion, but you can train through education.
Whosoever wisely examines the works of God will speedily discover what is next to be done.
My confidence is that there will for a long time be virtue and good sense enough in our countrymen to correct abuses.