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There is no room for military people, including our veterans, to see themselves as victims, even if so many of our countrymen are prone to relish that role.
Jim Mattis
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of resilience among military personnel, encouraging them to reject a victim mentality.

Jim Mattis highlights the need for military individuals, including veterans, to maintain a strong and empowered identity rather than viewing themselves as victims. This perspective is a call for strength and self-assertion, contrasting with a societal tendency to embrace victimhood, urging veterans to rise above challenges and take pride in their service and experiences.

Themes

MilitaryVeteransStrengthResilienceEmpowermentIdentity

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech to veterans, one can use this quote to inspire pride and strength.

More from Jim Mattis

There is only one 'retirement plan' for terrorists.
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There are hunters, and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience, and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.
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Now from a distance, I look back on what the Corps taught me: to think like men of action, and to act like men of thought!
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I believe that many of my young guys lived because I didn't waste their lives because I didn't have the vision in my mind of how to destroy the enemy at least cost to our guys and to the innocents on the battlefields.
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For whatever trauma came with service in tough circumstances, we should take what we learned - take our post-traumatic growth - and, like past generations coming home, bring our sharpened strengths to bear, bring our attitude of gratitude to bear.
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Policy makers who have never served in the military continue to use the military to lead social change in this country.
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