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Nobody was going to wait for you strike. Because here's the thing - we don't give a shit about fairness here. We're soldiers. Soldiers do not give the other guy a sporting chance. Soldiers shoot in the back, lay traps and ambushes, lie to the enemy and outnumber the other bastard every chance they get. Your kind of murder only works among civilians. And you were too cocky, too stupid, too insane to realize that.

Orson Scott Card#278

WarEthicsStrategyJusticeMilitaryTactics

About this quote

What does it mean?
In war, fairness doesn't matter; soldiers use any tactic to win, unlike civilian conflict.
In plain terms
War ignores fairness; soldiers use any means, unlike civilian disputes.
What can you take from it?
Understand that combat ethics differ from civilian life.

Where it applies

  • military training
  • conflict resolution
  • strategy games

Putting it to work

  • study rules of engagement
  • differentiate contexts

Questions to consider

  • When do I apply civilian ethics in conflict?
  • How do I reconcile wartime actions with personal morals?

Another view

Even in war, there are legal and moral constraints (e.g., Geneva Conventions).

More from Orson Scott Card

  1. As if the universe were created to serve him, with all the people in it tuned to resonate his desires

    Permalink to quote #277
  2. You ready to command a fleet? I don't know. It depends on whether they want to win. Here's the thing, Bean. Soldiers don't like to lose And that is why losing …

    Permalink to quote #279
  3. Damn, but they've got us brainwashed, haven't they!

    Permalink to quote #276

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