She didn't feel anything, no grief or remorse, though her heart was racing and her breath came in gasps. A shocky combat-high, that immortal rush that made men charge machine guns. So this was what the war-addicts came for.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- War creates a numb high that addicts chase even when it brings fear and violence.
- In plain terms
- Combat feels like a rush that some people become addicted to.
- What can you take from it?
- Combat can become addictive.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What drives people to high risk?
- How does extreme stress affect the mind?
Another view
It generalizes all soldiers as addicts which is unfair.
More from Lois McMaster Bujold
Suicidal glory is the luxury of the irresponsible. We're not giving up. We're waiting for a better opportunity to win.
Permalink to quote #20 One step at a time, I can walk around the world. Watch me.
Permalink to quote #22 Our children change us:whether they live or not.
Permalink to quote #19
Related quotes
I was sent to Treblinka, Minsk, Lemberg and Auschwitz. When I see the images before my eyes, it all comes back to me ... Corpses, corpses, corpses. Shot, gasse…
Adolf EichmannAdolf Eichmann quote #12 Once the experience of war makes visible the possibility of death that lies locked up in each moment, our thoughts cannot travel from one day to the next witho…
Simone WeilSimone Weil quote #31 Finally, she broke her silence and spelled it out to Dr. Burkley. Kneeling, John Kennedy's personal physician indicated her ghastly skirt with a trembling hand…
William ManchesterWilliam Manchester quote #1