The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you're not an idiot, but find yourself in the Navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one.
Herman WoukRead
War is a business in which a lot of people watch a few people get killed and are damn glad it wasn't them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques how war is perceived by those not directly involved in it, highlighting the detachment of spectators from the violence and suffering.
Herman Wouk's quote reveals the uncomfortable truth about how people often observe war from a safe distance, grateful for their safety while being oblivious to the brutality faced by combatants. This reflects a broader commentary on human nature and society's tendency to distance itself from the harsh realities of conflict, emphasizing the moral implications of such detachment and the commercialization of war.
Themes
WarBusinessViolenceDetachmentSpectators
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the ethics of war during a debate.
More from Herman Wouk
All quotes βThe Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you are not an idiot, but find yourself in the Navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one. All the shortcuts and economies and common-sense changes that your native intelligence suggests to you are mistakes. Learn to quash them. Constantly ask yourself, "How would I do this if I were a fool?" Throttle down your mind to a crawl. Then you will never go wrong.
Herman WoukRead
I learned about machinery, I learned how men behaved under pressure, and I learned about Americans.
Herman WoukRead
Let us fill a cup and drink to that most noble, ridiculous, laughable, sublime figure in our lives... The Young Man Who Was. Let us drink to his dreams, for they were rainbow-colored; to his appetites, for they were strong; to his blunders, for they were huge; to his pains for they were sharp; to his time for it was brief; and to his end, for it was to become one of us.
Herman WoukRead
The door available to everyone that can lead to happiness & success is the modest door of the public library. I found it to be so in my own life and work.
Herman WoukRead
Every hour spent on the Caine was a great hour in all our lives-if you don't think so now you will later on, more and more.
Herman WoukRead
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