--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what are a hundred million deaths?…" description: "\"But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served in a war, one hardly knows what a dead man is, after a while. And since a dead man has no su..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/albert-camus-47_corpses_but-what-are-a-hundred-million-deaths-wh_1916926.jpg" --- # But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served… ![“But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served in a war, one hardly knows what a dead man is, after a while. And since a dead man has no substance unless one has actually seen him dead, a hundred million corpses broadcast through history are no more than a puff of smoke in the…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/albert-camus-47_corpses_but-what-are-a-hundred-million-deaths-wh_1916926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/albert-camus-47_corpses_but-what-are-a-hundred-million-deaths-wh_1916926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69b/albert-camus-47_corpses_but-what-are-a-hundred-million-deaths-wh_1916926.jpg) > “But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served in a war, one hardly knows what a dead man is, after a while. And since a dead man has no substance unless one has actually seen him dead, a hundred million corpses broadcast through history are no more than a puff of smoke in the imagination.” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War desensitizes people to death, making massive loss feel intangible and unreal. **In simple terms:** War numbs perception of death. Key Takeaway Recognize the human cost behind statistics. Themes war death humanity psychology Mood somber reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - military service - historical analysis - media coverage - education on war trauma Key Concepts existentialism nihilism psychological distance Questions to Reflect On - How does repeated exposure to death affect moral responsibility? - Can we ever truly comprehend large-scale loss? A Different Perspective Even with many deaths, individuals may remain detached, reducing empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corpses/) [Dead man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-man/) [Dead Million](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-million-2249779/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Deaths Served](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaths-served-2920801/) [Existentialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existentialism/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Million Corpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-corpses-2920800/) [Million Deaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-deaths-1088978/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Puff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puff/) [Smoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoke/) [Substance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substance/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [A person whose job is deep thinking about atomic war would no more call a 'megadeath' a 'million corpses' than an embalmer would refer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/a-person-whose-job-is-deep-thinking-about-atomic-war-would-no-more/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [ \[Mujib Rahman\] is mad, mad! And they're all mad, the press included, who repeat after him, "Three million dead, three million dead!" The Indians… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/mujib-rahman-is-mad-mad-and-they-re-all-mad-the-press-included-who/) [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/) > [A movie like House of the Dead with around $7 million budget or Alone in the Dark with around $16 million budget are much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uwe-boll/a-movie-like-house-of-the-dead-with-around-7-million-budget-or-alone/) [Uwe Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uwe-boll/) > [“The world was made for the dead. Think of all the dead there are...There's a million times more dead than living and the dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-world-was-made-for-the-dead-think-of-all-the-dead-there-are-there/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/a-single-death-is-a-tragedy-a-million-deaths-is-a-statistic/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [A single death is a tragedy, are million deaths is a statistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/a-single-death-is-a-tragedy-are-million-deaths-is-a-statistic/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [One death is a tragedy, and a million deaths are a statistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-kristof/one-death-is-a-tragedy-and-a-million-deaths-are-a-statistic/) [Nicholas Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-kristof/) > [Up to 2.5 billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and, as a result, proper sanitation. This fact leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-r-wheeler/up-to-2-5-billion-people-around-the-world-lack-access-to-safe/) [Andrew R. Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-r-wheeler/) > [Even as the words came out of my mouth, my heart was dying a million deaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kiedis/even-as-the-words-came-out-of-my-mouth-my-heart-was-dying-a-million/) [Anthony Kiedis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kiedis/) > [“Communist governments account for 110 million of these deaths. Source: Rummel 1994.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/communist-governments-account-for-110-million-of-these-deaths-source/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Matthew White, a self-described atrocitologist who keeps a database with the estimated death tolls of history’s major wars, massacres, and genocides, counts about 1.2…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/matthew-white-a-self-described-atrocitologist-who-keeps-a-database/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“The quotation falsely attributed to Stalin, 'One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic,' gets the numbers wrong but captures a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-quotation-falsely-attributed-to-stalin-one-death-is-a-tragedy-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“MAO TSE-TUNG, who for decades held absolute power over the lives of one-quarter of the world’s population, was responsible for well over 70 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/mao-tse-tung-who-for-decades-held-absolute-power-over-the-lives-of/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [I am just coming out of five years of night, and this orgy of violent lights gives me for the first time the impression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-am-just-coming-out-of-five-years-of-night-and-this-orgy-of-violent/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [We didn't see what happen when Marines fired M-16s... We didn't see what happened after mortars landed, only the puff of smoke. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-banfield/we-didn-t-see-what-happen-when-marines-fired-m-16s-we-didn-t-see-what/) [Ashleigh Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-banfield/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Corpses quotes > [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/) [Gig Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gig-young/) > [The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-enemy-his-sense-of-duty-was-no-less-than-yours-i-deem-you-wonder/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [ Of course I think it's a movie for everybody \[Insane Farting Corpse\], but that's probably just because it's a movie for me. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/of-course-i-think-it-s-a-movie-for-everybody-insane-farting-corpse/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [If you look at the history of technology gadget makers, hardware makers, it's littered with the corpses of Palm and RIM and companies like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-technology-gadget-makers-hardware/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“The Path Of Least Resistance Is Littered With The Corpses Of The Bored To Death”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-path-of-least-resistance-is-littered-with-the-corpses-of-the/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [ René of Anjou \[(1409-80)\] painted a picture of his mistress's corpse as he found it eaten by worms on having it \[her tomb\] openedon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-walpole/ren-of-anjou-1409-80-painted-a-picture-of-his-mistress-s-corpse-as-he/) [Horace Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-walpole/) > [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/) [Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? 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How surprised he would be to see how his counterpart of today is whisked off to a funeral parlor and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mitford/alas-poor-yorick-how-surprised-he-would-be-to-see-how-his-counterpart/) [Jessica Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mitford/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn't work, throw it away. It's a nice feeling, and you don't want to be cluttered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/reread-rewrite-reread-rewrite-if-it-still-doesn-t-work-throw-it-away/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [ Reading the script \[Insane Farting Corpse\], by page two or three, I felt that way. I thought, I'm in. It was so beautiful and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/reading-the-script-insane-farting-corpse-by-page-two-or-three-i-felt/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Photos are profound because they have such short lives. They are more like fingerprints, dead leaves, rain puddles, or the corpses of flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/photos-are-profound-because-they-have-such-short-lives-they-are-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Browse all 363 Corpses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corpses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But what are a hundred million deaths? When one has served in a war, one hardly knows what a dead man is, after a while. 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