--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He wanted to know if the master sergeant…" description: "\"“He wanted to know if the master sergeant had read Auden, the twentieth century's most influential Christian poet, \"English majors in the army, not man..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/bob-shacochis-25211_english-major_he-wanted-to-know-if-the-master-sergeant_2713390.jpg" --- # He wanted to know if the master sergeant had read Auden… ![“He wanted to know if the master sergeant had read Auden, the twentieth century's most influential Christian poet, "English majors in the army, not many of them, not many of us, am I right, Top." Burnette, nonplussed, wondered if he should mention Eliot or the eccentric religious impulses of JD…” quote by Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/bob-shacochis-25211_english-major_he-wanted-to-know-if-the-master-sergeant_2713390.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/bob-shacochis-25211_english-major_he-wanted-to-know-if-the-master-sergeant_2713390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cf/bob-shacochis-25211_english-major_he-wanted-to-know-if-the-master-sergeant_2713390.jpg) > ““He wanted to know if the master sergeant had read Auden, the twentieth century's most influential Christian poet, "English majors in the army, not many of them, not many of us, am I right, Top." Burnette, nonplussed, wondered if he should mention Eliot or the eccentric religious impulses of JD Salinger, but instead mumbled the only line he could recall from Auden's work, "We must love one another or die." Bingo, said the colonel. Son of a bitch had the wrong conjunction.”” [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A soldier’s casual reference to poetry reveals deeper humanity, but misquoting leads to comic misunderstanding. **In simple terms:** Poetry shows humanity; misquoting causes humor. Key Takeaway Appreciate literature, but quote accurately. Themes literature humanity miscommunication military humor Mood ironic lighthearted Type narrative humorous When to use this quote - military life - education - casual conversation - media - social media Key Concepts poetry cultural literacy social interaction Questions to Reflect On - What does the misquote reveal? - How can we respect literary references? A Different Perspective Misquoting can damage credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-major/) [Jd Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jd-salinger-227250/) [Love one another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-one-another/) [Read Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-auden-2826488/) [Said Colonel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-colonel-775519/) [Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salinger/) [Salinger Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salinger-instead-2826487/) [Sergeant Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sergeant-read-2826489/) ## Related quotes > [(Rush are) like the JD Salinger of Canadian Prog Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/rush-are-like-the-jd-salinger-of-canadian-prog-rock/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Blessings be said over your Colonel. 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It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/can-t-wear-it-to-the-opera-said-the-colonel-almost-smiling-can-t-wear/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I don't suppose I can wear the flamingo tie," he said as he pulled on black socks. "It's a bit festive, given the occasion,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-don-t-suppose-i-can-wear-the-flamingo-tie-he-said-as-he-pulled-on/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think too much is known about me already. I think biographical information can get in the way of the reading experience. The interchange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-think-too-much-is-known-about-me-already-i-think-biographical/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I would really hate it if I could call up Kafka or Hemingway or Salinger and any question I could throw at them they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-would-really-hate-it-if-i-could-call-up-kafka-or-hemingway-or/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [Not a lot of contemporary fiction is written about brothers and sisters. Salinger's Franny and Zooey was an inspiration for me. In Franny and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-soehnlein/not-a-lot-of-contemporary-fiction-is-written-about-brothers-and/) [K. M. Soehnlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-soehnlein/) > [With his ABC News experience, perhaps Pierre Salinger's next job could be cohosting-with Oliver Stone-a 24-hour Conspiracy Network.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-alter/with-his-abc-news-experience-perhaps-pierre-salinger-s-next-job-could/) [Jonathan Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-alter/) > [“I am more than a little jealous that the wonder I am party to has been sprinkled over Salinger's gray head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella-2/i-am-more-than-a-little-jealous-that-the-wonder-i-am-party-to-has/) [W.P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella-2/) > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More by Bob Shacochis > [“It almost felt like too much, just by the sad weight of its being so little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/it-almost-felt-like-too-much-just-by-the-sad-weight-of-its-being-so/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [With iron and blood, it seems, and from the rich depths of the earth, John Griswold has fashioned a classic American novel, its dignified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/with-iron-and-blood-it-seems-and-from-the-rich-depths-of-the-earth/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [The illusion of control has to be there, but mostly I'm following characters and the consequences of their own decisions, because a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/the-illusion-of-control-has-to-be-there-but-mostly-i-m-following/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [You decide which characters you want and then do the best you can to bring their humanity to the forefront in the context that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/you-decide-which-characters-you-want-and-then-do-the-best-you-can-to/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [The biggest challenge in the research process is to let go, to stop, to say enough, and then to reduce all of that beloved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/the-biggest-challenge-in-the-research-process-is-to-let-go-to-stop-to/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [When you meet powerful men or just read about them in the newspapers, you see that they don't have a sense of boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/when-you-meet-powerful-men-or-just-read-about-them-in-the-newspapers/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [I'm asked all the time, 'Doesn't it feel great to finish the novel?' And the answer to that is, 'No.' It's sort of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/i-m-asked-all-the-time-doesn-t-it-feel-great-to-finish-the-novel-and/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [The stories are there first, and they come from my experiences wandering around in the world. They will resonate into bigger things, forces sweeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/the-stories-are-there-first-and-they-come-from-my-experiences/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [“I want you so much, he said with such heart-tugging sincerity that to be fair, a translation from Turkish to English would have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/i-want-you-so-much-he-said-with-such-heart-tugging-sincerity-that-to/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [Trying to get the sentences right and the structure of the narration right is about as big a job as I can handle. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/trying-to-get-the-sentences-right-and-the-structure-of-the-narration/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [For any artistic person who creates imaginary people, the art is like inhabiting the life and mind of a seven-year-old child with imaginary friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/for-any-artistic-person-who-creates-imaginary-people-the-art-is-like/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [“It is no secret that souls sometimes die in a person and are replaced by others. —Fernando Pessoa”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/it-is-no-secret-that-souls-sometimes-die-in-a-person-and-are-replaced/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [“I should like to elbow aside the established pieties and raise my martini glass in salute to the mortal arts of pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/i-should-like-to-elbow-aside-the-established-pieties-and-raise-my/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [“And how could she ever open her mouth to tell him, in the guise of reminiscing, I haven't been on a ferry in twelve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/and-how-could-she-ever-open-her-mouth-to-tell-him-in-the-guise-of/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) > [“--perhaps a soul is what you have spent your life making, not a piece of metaphysical equipment shipped ready-made from the factory, another myth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-shacochis/perhaps-a-soul-is-what-you-have-spent-your-life-making-not-a-piece-of/) [Bob Shacochis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) [Explore all 23 Bob Shacochis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-shacochis/) ## More English major quotes > [I ended up doing four or five plays in college and being an English major with my thesis in language acquisition, which I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-ended-up-doing-four-or-five-plays-in-college-and-being-an-english/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [“It's my job as best friend to make sure he's not a serial killer. Or an English major, not sure which one's worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/it-s-my-job-as-best-friend-to-make-sure-he-s-not-a-serial-killer-or/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [“I suppose I could have been nicer when I was at Columbia. I could have been polite, respectful, turned in my papers on time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-rall/i-suppose-i-could-have-been-nicer-when-i-was-at-columbia-i-could-have/) [Ted Rall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-rall/) > [“The English major reads because, as rich as the one life he has may be, one life is not enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-edmundson/the-english-major-reads-because-as-rich-as-the-one-life-he-has-may-be/) [Mark Edmundson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-edmundson/) > [The feeling persists that no one can simultaneously be a respectable writer and understand how a refrigerator works, just as no gentleman wears a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-feeling-persists-that-no-one-can-simultaneously-be-a-respectable/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I swear on Peter Stuyvesant’s peg leg that the country that became the U.S. bears a closer family resemblance to the devil-may-care merchants of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-swear-on-peter-stuyvesant-s-peg-leg-that-the-country-that-became/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [The number one secret of being a successful writer is this: marry an English major.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-number-one-secret-of-being-a-successful-writer-is-this-marry-an/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [During his weekly address to the nation, President Obama discussed higher education and said, 'The most important skill you can sell is your knowledge.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/during-his-weekly-address-to-the-nation-president-obama-discussed/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [More than anything, being an English major made me more appreciative of authors and what an incredible feat it is to just finish a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/more-than-anything-being-an-english-major-made-me-more-appreciative/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [“Sylvia Plath" A miniature mad talent? 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And before she can think of a proper answer, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-anderson-jr/you-going-back-he-asks-where-college-he-says-you-plan-on-going-back/) [Patrick Anderson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-anderson-jr/) [Browse all 81 English major quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-major/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He wanted to know if the master sergeant had read Auden, the twentieth century's most influential Christian poet, \"English majors in the army, not many of them, not many of us, am I right, Top.\" Burnette, nonplussed, wondered if he should mention Eliot or the eccentric religious impulses of JD Salinger, but instead mumbled the only line he could recall from Auden's work, \"We must love one another or die.\" Bingo, said the colonel. 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