--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's your job, Marine, to stay alive. If…" description: "\"“It's your job, Marine, to stay alive. If that means getting comfortable with your inner darkness, then that's what you do.”\" — Barbara Nickless" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/barbara-nickless-21577_alive_it-s-your-job-marine-to-stay-alive-if-th_2063219.jpg" --- # It's your job, Marine, to stay alive. If that means… ![“It's your job, Marine, to stay alive. If that means getting comfortable with your inner darkness, then that's what you do.” quote by Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/barbara-nickless-21577_alive_it-s-your-job-marine-to-stay-alive-if-th_2063219.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/barbara-nickless-21577_alive_it-s-your-job-marine-to-stay-alive-if-th_2063219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bf/barbara-nickless-21577_alive_it-s-your-job-marine-to-stay-alive-if-th_2063219.jpg) > ““It's your job, Marine, to stay alive. If that means getting comfortable with your inner darkness, then that's what you do.”” [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A Marine must accept inner darkness as a survival tool, making it part of his duty to stay alive. **In simple terms:** Accept inner darkness to survive. Key Takeaway Embrace inner challenges. Themes military psychology survival morality duty Mood gritty intense Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - combat training - mental health support - leadership counseling Key Concepts Combat stress ethical dilemmas self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance inner darkness with compassion? - When is confronting darkness necessary? A Different Perspective Darkness can erode humanity; risk of desensitization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Getting Comfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-comfortable/) [Inner darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-darkness/) [Job Marine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-marine-2840130/) [Marine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine/) [Marine Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine-stay-3946143/) [Stay Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-alive/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) ## Related quotes > [I studied natural resources planning and thought I could get a job at some marine park. 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But the world only notices when we try to hurt it back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/we-ve-all-been-at-least-a-little-broken-by-the-world-but-the-world/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“Those who are the least guilty are the ones who feel most at fault.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/those-who-are-the-least-guilty-are-the-ones-who-feel-most-at-fault/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“Ask most people in America what “normal” is, and they’ll tell you it’s a roof and three squares a day. It’s a decent job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/ask-most-people-in-america-what-normal-is-and-they-ll-tell-you-it-s-a/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“You could throw everything you had at a problem—firepower, manpower, logistical support. 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Because if they really think about it, if they really look at us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/we-are-part-of-what-society-can-t-bear-to-remember-because-if-they/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“But don’t be afraid. It’s just God rearranging the clouds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/but-don-t-be-afraid-it-s-just-god-rearranging-the-clouds/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“She told him that life is not good if it's a lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/she-told-him-that-life-is-not-good-if-it-s-a-lie/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“Scientists say that when we recall something from our past, it isn’t as simple as taking out a photograph from an album. 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We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. 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