Men that are men again: Who goes home? Tocsin and trumpeter! Who goes home? For there's blood on the grass and blood on the foam, And blood on the body, when Man comes home. And a voice valedictory: Who is for victory? Who is for liberty? Who goes home?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Men returning home face the blood of war rather than peace. The cry for victory and liberty is met with silence as the cost of returning is revealed.
- In plain terms
- Warriors return home to blood and death, not peace, despite cries for victory.
- What can you take from it?
- Homecoming after war is often marked by loss rather than triumph.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does a homecoming look like after total war?
- Is victory possible when everyone bleeds?
Another view
Focusing solely on loss may obscure valid reasons for fighting.
More from Gilbert Keith Chesterton
In the city built upon slime and loam, They cry in their Parliament, 'Who goes home?' And there comes no answer in arch or dome, For none in the city of graves…
Permalink to quote #182 I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
Permalink to quote #184 To have seen you and your unforgotten face, Brave as a blast of trumpets for the fray, Pure as white lilies in a watery space, It were something, though you we…
Permalink to quote #181
Related quotes
The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call t…
George WashingtonGeorge Washington quote #11 It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, peace! But there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the…
Patrick HenryPatrick Henry quote #12 Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain with death - the seas bear only commerce - men eve…
Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur quote #13