Generals aren't in the business of commenting on the correctness or incorrectness of the President's decisions. Anybody who thinks he should be able to do that ought to be fired on the spot.
I'm not proud of killing, of being responsible for the death of a single person. I never will be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses deep remorse and acknowledgment of the heavy burden of taking a life, emphasizing the unwillingness to take pride in such actions.
Norman Schwarzkopf's quote reflects a profound moral standpoint on the act of killing and its consequences. He conveys the emotional weight and sorrow associated with being responsible for someone's death, indicating that regardless of circumstances, taking a life is something that should never be taken lightly or viewed positively. It speaks to the inner conflict many face in situations of war or violence, where the necessity of actions must be reconciled with their moral implications.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial service for veterans, one might use this quote to reflect on the heavy price of war.
More from Norman Schwarzkopf
All quotes βAs far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that, he's a great military man, I want you to know that.
All you have to do is hold your first soldier who is dying in your arms, and have that terribly futile feeling that I can't do anything about it... Then you understand the horror of war.
I am living proof that if you catch prostate cancer early, it can be reduced to a temporary inconvenience, and you can go back to a normal life.
Good generalship is a realization that... you've got to try and figure out how to accomplish your mission with a minimum loss of human life.
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.
Similar quotes
You get your freedom by letting your enemy know that you'll do anything to get it. Then you'll get it. It's the only way you'll get it.
Do you know why this world is as bad as it is?... It is because people think only about their own business, and won't trouble themselves to stand up for the oppressed, nor bring the wrong-doers to light... My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt.
My friends were dropping like flies, and the government wasn't doing anything. You don't watch an entire generation take water hoses and dogs on the front line during the '60s or watch another generation perish from AIDS and then get to drive around in big cars and do nothing.
On the field I'm trying to play for the glory of God but then also I'm trying to give everything I have and win and compete. And so I think more than just winning or losing, I think He cares about where our hearts are when we're playing.
For the men and women of the FBI, bravery is reflected not only in the physical courage often necessary in the job. It can be seen in the courage of conviction, in the courage to act with wisdom in the face of fear, and in the courage it takes to admit mistakes and move forward.
Lay on, McDuff, and be damned he who first cries, 'Hold, enough!