I know in war good people can feel obliged for good reasons to do things they would normally object to and recoil from.
Interpretation
In war, individuals may find themselves forced to take actions they typically oppose, driven by duty and necessity.
John McCain's quote highlights the moral complexities faced by individuals in wartime. It suggests that even good people may find themselves compelled to act against their principles due to the overwhelming demands of their circumstances, indicating that the challenges of war can push individuals to make difficult choices that may conflict with their personal beliefs and values.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the ethical dilemmas faced by soldiers.
Giap was a master of logistics, but his reputation rests on more than that. His victories were achieved by a patient strategy that he and Ho Chi Minh were convinced would succeed - an unwavering resolve to suffer immense casualties and the near total destruction of their country to defeat any adversary, no matter how powerful.
Whenever America sends its citizens into harm's way, it must do so with eyes wide open.
For decades we have been living lives of abundance, with little regard for our natural resources or global health. But we are now facing hard choices in our energy policy. Future generations - my children and grandchildren, along with yours - will have to live with the decisions we make today. And so it is time for us to make some tough and - hopefully - smart choices regarding our energy use and production before it is too late.
We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital.
I appreciate our government's determination to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the Bytyqi brothers, which Serbia's Interior Minister has rightly called 'an exceptionally serious crime,' and hope the Serbian government's pledge of full cooperation... is matched by a final accounting of their murder.
What is most troubling about Mr. Putin's aggression in Crimea is that it reflects a growing disregard for America's credibility in the world. That has emboldened other aggressive actors - from Chinese nationalists to Al Qaeda terrorists and Iranian theocrats.
If there is one thing upon this earth that mankind love and admire better than another, it is a brave man, - it is the man who dares to look the devil in the face and tell him he is a devil.
If you demand that everything that happens be something you are adequately prepared for, I wonder if youβve chosen never to leap in ways that we need you to leap. Once we embrace this chasm, then for the things for which we can never be prepared, we are of course, always prepared.
My father says that fear is good; it's the body's alarm system, it warns us of danger. But sometimes danger can't be avoided, and then you have to forget about being afraid.
What I have taught with my lips I now seal with my blood.
We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You're always helping people.
Only the strong go crazy. The weak just go along.
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