--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, I thought, climbing slowly out of…" description: "\"Well, I thought, climbing slowly out of the slit trench, the shells will catch us above ground now. But if you have to go, you have to go. F Company’s ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/david-kenyon-webster-56900_climbing_well-i-thought-climbing-slowly-out-of-th_257225.jpg" --- # Well, I thought, climbing slowly out of the slit trench… ![“Well, I thought, climbing slowly out of the slit trench, the shells will catch us above ground now. But if you have to go, you have to go. F Company’s in trouble, and we have to help them. We’re in reserve, so we have to go. And if we’re shelled, we’re shelled. There is absolutely nothing we can…” quote by David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/david-kenyon-webster-56900_climbing_well-i-thought-climbing-slowly-out-of-th_257225.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/david-kenyon-webster-56900_climbing_well-i-thought-climbing-slowly-out-of-th_257225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d5/david-kenyon-webster-56900_climbing_well-i-thought-climbing-slowly-out-of-th_257225.jpg) > “Well, I thought, climbing slowly out of the slit trench, the shells will catch us above ground now. But if you have to go, you have to go. F Company’s in trouble, and we have to help them. We’re in reserve, so we have to go. And if we’re shelled, we’re shelled. There is absolutely nothing we can do about it.” [David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Soldiers confront inevitable danger and duty, recognizing the futility of resistance while committing to help comrades. **In simple terms:** War forces acceptance of harsh reality and responsibility. Key Takeaway Embrace duty despite inevitable risk. Themes war duty inevitability comradeship Mood tense determined somber Type historical military reflective When to use this quote - battlefield decisions - supporting allied units - morale under fire Key Concepts military ethics psychology of combat fatalism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal safety with obligation? - When is it justified to accept inevitable loss? A Different Perspective Acknowledges lack of control but may underplay strategic alternatives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Trench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trench/) [Trenches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trenches/) ## Related quotes > [Being shelled is the main work of an infantry soldier, which no one talks about. Everyone has his own way of going about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-simpson/being-shelled-is-the-main-work-of-an-infantry-soldier-which-no-one/) [Louis Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-simpson/) > [I had two family members involved in World War I: two great-uncles. One of them is on a memorial in France. And the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-had-two-family-members-involved-in-world-war-i-two-great-uncles-one/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [There's a trench coat and a tragedy in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/there-s-a-trench-coat-and-a-tragedy-in-your-future/) [Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/) > [Why does soldiers leave the protection of his trench hole in the ground and go forward in the face of shot and shell? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/why-does-soldiers-leave-the-protection-of-his-trench-hole-in-the/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [Sometimes, in the trenches, you get the sense of something, ancient. One trench we held, it had skulls in the side, embedded, like mushrooms.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-barker/sometimes-in-the-trenches-you-get-the-sense-of-something-ancient-one/) [Pat Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-barker/) > [The clothes that fire up my emotions are colorful and 'different' pieces. My eye still picks out gilded-cloque glamour from among Burberry's streamlined trench…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/the-clothes-that-fire-up-my-emotions-are-colorful-and-different/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) > [I was the funny-looking one who wore a trench coat and played hacky sack with the other greasy kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-was-the-funny-looking-one-who-wore-a-trench-coat-and-played-hacky/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [The first-ever job I had was in a play, 'Trench Kiss,' with Caroline Quentin and Arthur Smith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-miller/the-first-ever-job-i-had-was-in-a-play-trench-kiss-with-caroline/) [Ben Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-miller/) > [“The war spirit's getting into me again. I have a hundred years of Ohio love behind me and I'm going to bomb out this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-war-spirit-s-getting-into-me-again-i-have-a-hundred-years-of-ohio/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“By the end of the war, the Civil War had become a forerunner to the trench warfare of World War I, and if an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/by-the-end-of-the-war-the-civil-war-had-become-a-forerunner-to-the/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“Trench dirt didn't always wash out, I am sure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/trench-dirt-didn-t-always-wash-out-i-am-sure/) [Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/) > [I should be European, man. I'm long and lean. I'd look good in a trench coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/i-should-be-european-man-i-m-long-and-lean-i-d-look-good-in-a-trench/) [J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/) > [My all-time favorite fail-proof look is anything with a trench. Can't go wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/my-all-time-favorite-fail-proof-look-is-anything-with-a-trench-can-t/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [After World War I, while France and other Allies were building military defenses modeled on trench warfare, German commanders were shaping a nimble fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/after-world-war-i-while-france-and-other-allies-were-building/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [I saved everything, all my gear over the years: my trench coats and stuff that I have saved. It is all packed away nicely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edge/i-saved-everything-all-my-gear-over-the-years-my-trench-coats-and/) [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edge/) ## More by David Kenyon Webster > [“Twelve years ago, when I was 10, I played at being a soldier. I walked up the brook behind our house in Bronxville to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kenyon-webster/twelve-years-ago-when-i-was-10-i-played-at-being-a-soldier-i-walked/) [David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) > [Was there any meaning to life or to war, that two men should sit together and jump within seconds of each other and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kenyon-webster/was-there-any-meaning-to-life-or-to-war-that-two-men-should-sit/) [David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) > [Those things which are precious are saved only by sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kenyon-webster/those-things-which-are-precious-are-saved-only-by-sacrifice/) [David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) > [“The shells had landed on the cobblestone road. "Sonsofbitches," Wiseman muttered. We looked up and grinned at each other. "Here they come again!" Sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kenyon-webster/the-shells-had-landed-on-the-cobblestone-road-sonsofbitches-wiseman/) [David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) > [Those things that are precious are saved only by sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kenyon-webster/those-things-that-are-precious-are-saved-only-by-sacrifice/) [David Kenyon Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) [Explore all 6 David Kenyon Webster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kenyon-webster/) ## More Climbing quotes > [I'm always climbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-caldwell/i-m-always-climbing/) [Tommy Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-caldwell/) > [There is nothing to do, just be. Do nothing. Be. No climbing mountains and sitting in caves. 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I'm much more inclined to look at what people do, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/climbing-has-worked-for-me-in-a-number-of-ways-on-capitol-hill-i-m/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [I love finding something. For me it's not just about the athletic challenge, it's about finding new things. When I'm not doing that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sharma/i-love-finding-something-for-me-it-s-not-just-about-the-athletic/) [Chris Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sharma/) > [I'm a man's man. 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After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-hill/for-me-the-most-relevant-factor-in-my-ability-to-perform-well-on-the/) [Lynn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-hill/) [Browse all 1,082 Climbing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, I thought, climbing slowly out of the slit trench, the shells will catch us above ground now. But if you have to go, you have to go. F Company’s in trouble, and we have to help them. We’re in reserve, so we have to go. And if we’re shelled, we’re shelled. 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