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.
Valor is the soldier's adornment.
Fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power... the battle, sir, is not to the strong alone it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
True courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of virtue and reason.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
There is a great stir about colored men getting their rights, but not a word about the colored women; and if colored men get their rights, and not colored women theirs, you see, the colored men will be masters over the women, and it will be just as bad as it was before.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.