---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind…"
description: "\"“I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody our scoutmaster told me to get lost, so I did, and it took the Snowdonia mountain rescue servi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg"
---

#  I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody…

![“I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody our scoutmaster told me to get lost, so I did, and it took the Snowdonia mountain rescue service two days to find my shelter. I’d been on the local news and everything. Everyone was angry, but I was only following orders.” quote by David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg)

> ““I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody our scoutmaster told me to get lost, so I did, and it took the Snowdonia mountain rescue service two days to find my shelter. I’d been on the local news and everything. Everyone was angry, but I was only following orders.””

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Highlights blind obedience to authority leading to dangerous consequences and personal responsibility.

**In simple terms:** Blind obedience can cause harm.

Key Takeaway

Question authority before obeying.

Themes

obedience authority responsibility consequences

Mood

critical thought‑provoking

Type

cautionary philosophical

When to use this quote

- military
- workplace
- family decisions
- emergency response

Key Concepts

psychology ethics social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- When should you defy orders?
- What are the risks of following orders without question?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex power dynamics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Following orders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-orders/)

## Related quotes

> [“I told him I had once lost everything I had, too, and that I think that can be God’s way of building walls around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-novosel/i-told-him-i-had-once-lost-everything-i-had-too-and-that-i-think-that/)

[Kimberly Novosel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-novosel/)

> [You're wrong," I told her. "I lost that faith a long time ago." She looked at me as I said this, an expression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-re-wrong-i-told-her-i-lost-that-faith-a-long-time-ago-she-looked/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [That first shrink I saw when I got back to Clayton Falls told me no one is a lost cause, but I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chevy-stevens/that-first-shrink-i-saw-when-i-got-back-to-clayton-falls-told-me-no/)

[Chevy Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chevy-stevens/)

> [We lost because we told ourselves we lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/we-lost-because-we-told-ourselves-we-lost/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“The best thing ever to happen to Steve is when we fired him, told him to get lost,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-best-thing-ever-to-happen-to-steve-is-when-we-fired-him-told-him/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“I thought I told you to get lost.'... 'And I don't ever want to see you again-- got it?' It was not that Ruslan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgi-vladimov/i-thought-i-told-you-to-get-lost-and-i-don-t-ever-want-to-see-you/)

[Georgi Vladimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgi-vladimov/)

> [I told you that you lost me but I was never really found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-told-you-that-you-lost-me-but-i-was-never-really-found/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Later, with time, I learned that although all men are capable of good and evil, the worst among them are those who, when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arturo-p-rez-reverte/later-with-time-i-learned-that-although-all-men-are-capable-of-good/)

[Arturo Pérez-Reverte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arturo-p-rez-reverte/)

> [“So you’re following orders,” I said. “That’s the worst and scariest excuse in the world, really.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/so-you-re-following-orders-i-said-that-s-the-worst-and-scariest/)

wildbow

> [When it was reported to General Washington that the army was frequently indulging in swearing, he immediately sent out the following order: The general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/when-it-was-reported-to-general-washington-that-the-army-was/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“Jessa was the person I went to whenever I’d been bad,” he said, adding wryly, “after my mother was through with me, that is.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/jessa-was-the-person-i-went-to-whenever-i-d-been-bad-he-said-adding/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“Bob Hope: You live here? Richard Carlson: Yes. Bob Hope: Well, maybe you know what a zombie is? Richard Carlson: When a person dies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dickey/bob-hope-you-live-here-richard-carlson-yes-bob-hope-well-maybe-you/)

Paul Dickey

> [“A woman will be inclined to repeat a request that doesn't get a response because she is convinced that her husband would do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/a-woman-will-be-inclined-to-repeat-a-request-that-doesn-t-get-a/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [We’ve always assumed The Aegis is all-knowing highly trained and organized but it’s nothing but a cult, isn’t it ? The weak and uneducated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/we-ve-always-assumed-the-aegis-is-all-knowing-highly-trained-and/)

[Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/)

> [Is there anybody here who thinks that following the orders takes away the blame Is there anybody here who wouldn't mind a murder by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/is-there-anybody-here-who-thinks-that-following-the-orders-takes-away/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

## More by David Mitchell

> [“In the next room a freckly girl Julia's age sat in a wheelchair. One of her legs wasn't there. She'd probably love to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/in-the-next-room-a-freckly-girl-julia-s-age-sat-in-a-wheelchair-one/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“I envied my uncritical, unthinking sisters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-envied-my-uncritical-unthinking-sisters/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“... Ethical cyberexplorers are responsible, yeah? We are friendly ghosts in the machine, not poltergeists or hooligans. We are a growing breed. Over sixty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/ethical-cyberexplorers-are-responsible-yeah-we-are-friendly-ghosts-in/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“I succumbed. Late-fifteenth-century verb, Old French succomber or Latin succumbere, but a basic necessity of the human condition, especially mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-succumbed-late-fifteenth-century-verb-old-french-succomber-or-latin/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [Your environment affects you wherever you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/your-environment-affects-you-wherever-you-are/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“The second tunnel’s a Ministry of Defence tunnel...dug for a nuclear bomb shelter. The entrance is in the garden center at Woolworth’s in Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-second-tunnel-s-a-ministry-of-defence-tunnel-dug-for-a-nuclear/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“Loyalty looks simple... but it ain't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/loyalty-looks-simple-but-it-ain-t/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“Only the trombonist played on. That's trombonists for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/only-the-trombonist-played-on-that-s-trombonists-for-you/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [War's an auction where whoever can pay the most in damage and still be standing wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/war-s-an-auction-where-whoever-can-pay-the-most-in-damage-and-still/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [The human world is made of stories, not people. The people the stories use to tell themselves are not to be blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-human-world-is-made-of-stories-not-people-the-people-the-stories/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [So little is actually worthy of belief or disbelief. Better to strive to coexist than seek to disapprove . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/so-little-is-actually-worthy-of-belief-or-disbelief-better-to-strive/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [I elbowed my way into the grubby café, bought a pie that tasted of shoe polish and a pot of tea with cork crumbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-elbowed-my-way-into-the-grubby-caf-bought-a-pie-that-tasted-of-shoe/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“A classical LP was playing... ... Jealous and sweet, this music was, sobbing and gorgeous, muddy and crystal. But if the right words existed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/a-classical-lp-was-playing-jealous-and-sweet-this-music-was-sobbing/)

[david mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [How lazily "xperts" dismiss what they fail to understand!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/how-lazily-xperts-dismiss-what-they-fail-to-understand/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [“Writing poetry's,' I looked around the solarium, but Madame Crommelynck's got a tractor beam, 'sort of . . . gay.' '"Gay"? A merry activity?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/writing-poetry-s-i-looked-around-the-solarium-but-madame-crommelynck/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

[Explore all 748 David Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

## More Following orders quotes

> [Is there anybody here who thinks that following the orders takes away the blame Is there anybody here who wouldn't mind a murder by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/is-there-anybody-here-who-thinks-that-following-the-orders-takes-away/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

> [We’ve always assumed The Aegis is all-knowing highly trained and organized but it’s nothing but a cult, isn’t it ? The weak and uneducated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/we-ve-always-assumed-the-aegis-is-all-knowing-highly-trained-and/)

[Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/)

> [“A woman will be inclined to repeat a request that doesn't get a response because she is convinced that her husband would do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/a-woman-will-be-inclined-to-repeat-a-request-that-doesn-t-get-a/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [“Bob Hope: You live here? Richard Carlson: Yes. Bob Hope: Well, maybe you know what a zombie is? Richard Carlson: When a person dies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dickey/bob-hope-you-live-here-richard-carlson-yes-bob-hope-well-maybe-you/)

Paul Dickey

> [“Jessa was the person I went to whenever I’d been bad,” he said, adding wryly, “after my mother was through with me, that is.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/jessa-was-the-person-i-went-to-whenever-i-d-been-bad-he-said-adding/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [When it was reported to General Washington that the army was frequently indulging in swearing, he immediately sent out the following order: The general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/when-it-was-reported-to-general-washington-that-the-army-was/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“So you’re following orders,” I said. “That’s the worst and scariest excuse in the world, really.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/so-you-re-following-orders-i-said-that-s-the-worst-and-scariest/)

wildbow

> [Later, with time, I learned that although all men are capable of good and evil, the worst among them are those who, when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arturo-p-rez-reverte/later-with-time-i-learned-that-although-all-men-are-capable-of-good/)

[Arturo Pérez-Reverte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arturo-p-rez-reverte/)

> [“Just following orders' is no excuse unless you're in the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/just-following-orders-is-no-excuse-unless-you-re-in-the-bedroom/)

[Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/)

> [ “Some of his \[Chester Bowles's\] friends thought that his entire political career reflected his background, that he truly believed in the idea of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/some-of-his-chester-bowles-s-friends-thought-that-his-entire/)

[David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/)

> [I learnt what I am not good at: listening, staying focused, turning up on time, following orders... I realised that I was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santan-dave/i-learnt-what-i-am-not-good-at-listening-staying-focused-turning-up/)

[Santan Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santan-dave/)

> [“No, it's human, Curran said. That's the problem. People, especially unhappy people, want a cause. They want something to belong to, to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/no-it-s-human-curran-said-that-s-the-problem-people-especially/)

[ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [I was only following orders," the Mayor mocks. "The refuge of scoundrels since the dawn of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-was-only-following-orders-the-mayor-mocks-the-refuge-of-scoundrels/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

> [“Takamasa Saegusa: 'Seigen, a mere member of the Toudouza, had the effrontery to sully the sacred dueling ground. For that reason, our lord had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takayuki-yamaguchi/takamasa-saegusa-seigen-a-mere-member-of-the-toudouza-had-the/)

[Takayuki Yamaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takayuki-yamaguchi/)

> [War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, 'I was just following orders.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/war-crimes-will-be-prosecuted-war-criminals-will-be-punished-and-it/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

[Browse all 50 Following orders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-orders/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody our scoutmaster told me to get lost, so I did, and it took the Snowdonia mountain rescue service two days to find my shelter. I’d been on the local news and everything. Everyone was angry, but I was only following orders.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Mitchell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-her-mr-moody-our-scoutmaster/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Following orders"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-her-mr-moody-our-scoutmaster/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/david-mitchell-264_following-orders_i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-h_744093.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I’m not in the Scouts anymore,” I remind her. Mr. Moody our scoutmaster told me to get lost, so I did, and…” — David Mitchell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David Mitchell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I’m not in the Scouts anymore,”...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-her-mr-moody-our-scoutmaster/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-m-not-in-the-scouts-anymore-i-remind-her-mr-moody-our-scoutmaster/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
