No sir anybody who went out and got into the front line trenches to fight for liberty was a goddamn fool and the guy who got him there was a liar. Next time anybody came gabbling to him about liberty- what did he mean next time? There wasn't going to be any next time for him. But the hell with that. If there could be a next time and somebody said let's fight for liberty he would say mister my life is important. I'm not a fool and when I swap my life for liberty I've got to know in advance what liberty is and whose idea of liberty we're talking about and just how much of that liberty we're going to have. And what's more mister are you as much interested in liberty as you want me to be? And maybe too much liberty will be as bad as too little liberty and I think you're a goddamn fourflusher talking through your hat and I've already decided that I like the liberty I've got right here the liberty to walk and see and hear and talk and eat and sleep with my girt I think I like that liberty better than fighting for a lot of things we won't get and ending up without any liberty at all. Ending up dead and rotting before my life is even begun good or ending up like a side of beef. Thank you mister. You fight for liberty. Me I don't care for some.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A soldier rejects abstract liberty, demanding to know the cost and meaning before sacrificing life.
- In plain terms
- He refuses to die for liberty without knowing what it truly means.
- What can you take from it?
- Never sacrifice life for vague ideals without understanding the cost.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is sacrifice justified?
- Who defines liberty?
Another view
It assumes all liberty movements are equally deceptive.
More from Dalton Trumbo
Never again to wiggle your toes. What a hell of a thing, what a wonderful, beautiful thing, to wiggle your toes.
Permalink to quote #1 There's nothing noble about dying. Not even if you die for honor. Not even if you die the greatest hero the world ever saw. Not even if you're so great your na…
Permalink to quote #3 Just say 'mister I'm sorry, I got no time to die, I'm too busy' and then turn and run like hell. If they say coward why don't pay any attention because it's yo…
Permalink to quote #4
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