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Karl Marlantes Quotes

When I first got back from the war, I said, ‘I’m gonna write the Great American Novel about the Vietnam War.’ So I sat down and wrote 1,700 pages of sheer psychotherapy drivel. It was first person, and there would be pages about wet socks and cold feet Picture Quote #1

Once we recognize our shadow’s existence we must resist the enticing step of going with its flow Picture Quote #1

When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn’t over for the veterans, or the family. It’s just starting Picture Quote #1

I grew up in Oregon, where as a teenager I worked with my grandfather Axel on his I shing boat at the mouth of the Columbia River Picture Quote #1

War is society’s dirty work, usually done by kids cleaning up some failure on the part of the adults Picture Quote #1

We all want to be special, to stand out; there’s nothing wrong with this. The irony is that every human being is special to start with, because we’re unique to start with. But we then go through some sort of boot camp from the age of zero to about 18 where we learn everything we can about how not to be unique Picture Quote #1

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Vietnam was the first time that Americans of different races had to depend on each other. In the Second World War, they were segregated; it was in Vietnam that American integration happened in the military - and it wasn’t easy Picture Quote #1

How could you get mad at someone who neither needed to attack nor was at all worried about being able to defend? It was like getting mad at Switzerland Picture Quote #1

And I think that it’s - the military has actually made improvements, so people are considering post-traumatic stress disorder as, at the least, a possible psychological problem. You know, when I was in Vietnam, it was just considered malingering. And we’re making progress Picture Quote #1

I don’t want any romantics to go into the military. I’m not a pacifist. I think we need a military, and the better one we have, the better off we are. I don’t want kids going in there thinking that it’s John Wayne on Iwo Jima. That’s not healthy Picture Quote #1

I mean... if you’re raised as a decent human being, killing somebody is against every moral thing you’ve ever been taught. And so, generally, in combat it’s ‘krauts,’ the ‘gooks,’ the ‘yanks’ - whatever you want to do to try and make it so that it’s not a human being Picture Quote #1

I was given the ability to create stories and characters. That’s my part of the long chain of writers, publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, and a host of others who eventually deliver literature to the world. I want to do for others what Eudora Welty did for me Picture Quote #1

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The time for debilitating fear is before and after the mission Picture Quote #1

Everything is touched by the holy when it is in the presence of death Picture Quote #1

Quitting is unthinkable and pain is just weakness leaving the body Picture Quote #1

When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn’t over for the veterans, or the family. It’s just starting Picture Quote #1

For every veteran who goes through a divorce, a wife goes through one, too. For every veteran alone in the basement, there is a wife upstairs, bewildered, isolated and in despair from the dark clouds of war that hangs over family life Picture Quote #1

I mean, if you’re proud of what you’ve done when you’ve served in the military, well then we call that bragging. And if you are unhappy about what happened, we call that complaining. And so what are you going to do? Picture Quote #1

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In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It’s also a psychological trap that can stop one’s growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior Picture Quote #1

We all want to be special, to stand out; there’s nothing wrong with this. The irony is that every human being is special to start with, because we’re unique to start with. But we then go through some sort of boot camp from the age of zero to about 18 where we learn everything we can about how not to be unique Picture Quote #1

Once we recognize our shadow’s existence we must resist the enticing step of going with its flow Picture Quote #1

War is society’s dirty work, usually done by kids cleaning up failures perpetrated by adults Picture Quote #1

Cynicism is no more mature than naïveté. You’re no more mature, just more burned Picture Quote #1

Victory in combat is like sex with a prostitute. For a moment you forget everything in the sudden physical rush, but then you have to pay your money to the woman showing you the door. You see the dirt on the walls and your sorry image in the mirror Picture Quote #1

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When I first got back from the war, I said, ‘I’m gonna write the Great American Novel about the Vietnam War.’ So I sat down and wrote 1,700 pages of sheer psychotherapy drivel. It was first person, and there would be pages about wet socks and cold feet (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Once we recognize our shadow’s existence we must resist the enticing step of going with its flow. (Karl Marlantes Quotes) When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn’t over for the veterans, or the family. It’s just starting. (Karl Marlantes Quotes) I grew up in Oregon, where as a teenager I worked with my grandfather Axel on his I shing boat at the mouth of the Columbia River. (Karl Marlantes Quotes) War is society’s dirty work, usually done by kids cleaning up some failure on the part of the adults. (Karl Marlantes Quotes) We all want to be special, to stand out; there’s nothing wrong with this. The irony is that every human being is special to start with, because we’re unique to start with. But we then go through some sort of boot camp from the age of zero to about 18 where we learn everything we can about how not to be unique. (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Vietnam was the first time that Americans of different races had to depend on each other. In the Second World War, they were segregated; it was in Vietnam that American integration happened in the military - and it wasn’t easy (Karl Marlantes Quotes) How could you get mad at someone who neither needed to attack nor was at all worried about being able to defend? It was like getting mad at Switzerland (Karl Marlantes Quotes) And I think that it’s - the military has actually made improvements, so people are considering post-traumatic stress disorder as, at the least, a possible psychological problem. You know, when I was in Vietnam, it was just considered malingering. And we’re making progress (Karl Marlantes Quotes) I don’t want any romantics to go into the military. I’m not a pacifist. I think we need a military, and the better one we have, the better off we are. I don’t want kids going in there thinking that it’s John Wayne on Iwo Jima. That’s not healthy (Karl Marlantes Quotes) I mean... if you’re raised as a decent human being, killing somebody is against every moral thing you’ve ever been taught. And so, generally, in combat it’s ‘krauts,’ the ‘gooks,’ the ‘yanks’ - whatever you want to do to try and make it so that it’s not a human being (Karl Marlantes Quotes) I was given the ability to create stories and characters. That’s my part of the long chain of writers, publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians, and a host of others who eventually deliver literature to the world. I want to do for others what Eudora Welty did for me (Karl Marlantes Quotes) The time for debilitating fear is before and after the mission (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Everything is touched by the holy when it is in the presence of death (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Quitting is unthinkable and pain is just weakness leaving the body (Karl Marlantes Quotes) When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn’t over for the veterans, or the family. It’s just starting (Karl Marlantes Quotes) For every veteran who goes through a divorce, a wife goes through one, too. For every veteran alone in the basement, there is a wife upstairs, bewildered, isolated and in despair from the dark clouds of war that hangs over family life (Karl Marlantes Quotes) I mean, if you’re proud of what you’ve done when you’ve served in the military, well then we call that bragging. And if you are unhappy about what happened, we call that complaining. And so what are you going to do? (Karl Marlantes Quotes) In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It’s also a psychological trap that can stop one’s growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior (Karl Marlantes Quotes) We all want to be special, to stand out; there’s nothing wrong with this. The irony is that every human being is special to start with, because we’re unique to start with. But we then go through some sort of boot camp from the age of zero to about 18 where we learn everything we can about how not to be unique (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Once we recognize our shadow’s existence we must resist the enticing step of going with its flow (Karl Marlantes Quotes) War is society’s dirty work, usually done by kids cleaning up failures perpetrated by adults (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Cynicism is no more mature than naïveté. You’re no more mature, just more burned (Karl Marlantes Quotes) Victory in combat is like sex with a prostitute. For a moment you forget everything in the sudden physical rush, but then you have to pay your money to the woman showing you the door. You see the dirt on the walls and your sorry image in the mirror (Karl Marlantes Quotes)