If your officer's dead and the sergeants look white, Remember it's ruin to run from a fight: So take open order, lie down, and sit tight, And wait for supports like a soldier. Wait, wait, wait like a soldier...
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Kipling instructs soldiers to stay put and wait for support if their leaders fall rather than running.
- In plain terms
- If officers die and you are scared, do not run; wait for help like a soldier.
- What can you take from it?
- Staying in position and waiting for orders is safer than panicking.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you act when leadership fails?
- What defines soldierly duty?
Another view
It assumes order will arrive and may not fit all battlefield realities.
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