--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being part of an attack was a strange…" description: "\"“Being part of an attack was a strange thing, Marcus had always thought. It was like being a component in a larger organism, something that could live ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg" --- # Being part of an attack was a strange thing, Marcus had… ![“Being part of an attack was a strange thing, Marcus had always thought. It was like being a component in a larger organism, something that could live or die, stand or flee, all on its own and independent of the will of the men who made it up. Sometimes it drove you onward, into the face of what…” quote by Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg) > ““Being part of an attack was a strange thing, Marcus had always thought. It was like being a component in a larger organism, something that could live or die, stand or flee, all on its own and independent of the will of the men who made it up. Sometimes it drove you onward, into the face of what seemed like certain death, in spite of every instinct screaming for flight. Other times, you could feel it falling apart, turning at bay like a whipped dog, hunkering down or turning tail to run.”” [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote likens a soldier’s experience to a living component of a larger organism, driven by instinct and duty despite fear of death. **In simple terms:** A fighter feels both unity and fear within battle. Key Takeaway Embrace purpose while acknowledging fear. Themes war instinct unity fear Mood intense reflective Type narrative philosophical When to use this quote - combat - leadership training - stress management Key Concepts military psychology collective identity Questions to Reflect On - How does feeling part of a larger whole affect personal responsibility? - When does duty override self‑preservation? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex moral choices in war. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) [Falling apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-apart/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Larger Organism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/larger-organism-4348739/) [Live or die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-or-die/) [Marcus Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marcus-thought-2122481/) [Thing Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-marcus-2161320/) ## Related quotes > [Okay. If you want to do this thing with Marcus then fine. I’ll take it and deal with it. But when he hurts you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/okay-if-you-want-to-do-this-thing-with-marcus-then-fine-i-ll-take-it/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [“In a way, she’s saved you. I’ve always said people walk into our lives for a reason. She walked into yours to help you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-way-she-s-saved-you-i-ve-always-said-people-walk-into-our-lives/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Let it be said, Marcus thought dryly,that nothing cooled a man's ardor like the Crusades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/let-it-be-said-marcus-thought-dryly-that-nothing-cooled-a-man-s-ardor/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [“No, I won't let you go, Marcus thought fiercely. He was conscious of a savage urge to carry Arabella far away from here, captive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-jordan/no-i-won-t-let-you-go-marcus-thought-fiercely-he-was-conscious-of-a/) [Nicole Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-jordan/) > [“I could kill you with my hands, Marcus thought, and it was enough to evoke the smile that etiquette called for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/i-could-kill-you-with-my-hands-marcus-thought-and-it-was-enough-to/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [“I'll spare you the rest of our conversations. I'm very calm and take no notice of all the fuss. I've reached the point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/i-ll-spare-you-the-rest-of-our-conversations-i-m-very-calm-and-take/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [“I will not have you hazard your life, Felicia. It is too precious to me." "And is yours less so to me? Domenico, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-denys/i-will-not-have-you-hazard-your-life-felicia-it-is-too-precious-to-me/) [Teresa Denys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-denys/) > [I think the reason the Golden Age of television is so golden is because a lot of folks are willing to let creators do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-azaria/i-think-the-reason-the-golden-age-of-television-is-so-golden-is/) [Hank Azaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-azaria/) > [No, it was honest," said Harry. "One of the only honest things you've said to me. You don't care whether I live or die,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-it-was-honest-said-harry-one-of-the-only-honest-things-you-ve-said/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What is it about nature that is so terrifying to the modern mind? Why is it so intolerable? Because nature is fundamentally indifferent. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/what-is-it-about-nature-that-is-so-terrifying-to-the-modern-mind-why/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“It makes absolutely no difference in the scheme of things whether all but a handful of people live or die. No more than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-l-chalker/it-makes-absolutely-no-difference-in-the-scheme-of-things-whether-all/) [Jack L. Chalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-l-chalker/) > [Part of us is always the observer, and no matter what, it observes. It watches us. It does not care if we are happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/part-of-us-is-always-the-observer-and-no-matter-what-it-observes-it/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [ Here's the thing: Authors live or die by recommendations. \[That's one of the reason I review so many books on Goodreads.\] Giving books you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/here-s-the-thing-authors-live-or-die-by-recommendations-that-s-one-of/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Live or die: mere consequences of what you have built. What matters is building well. So here we are I've assigned myself a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/live-or-die-mere-consequences-of-what-you-have-built-what-matters-is/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Al-Lah alone decides whether we live or die. The rest is vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-jones/al-lah-alone-decides-whether-we-live-or-die-the-rest-is-vanity/) [Sherry Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-jones/) ## More by Django Wexler > [“From above, they would have looked like a chain of four diamonds strung out along the road, points aligned with one another so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/from-above-they-would-have-looked-like-a-chain-of-four-diamonds/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“It’s Christabel,” Chris said finally. “After my mother.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/it-s-christabel-chris-said-finally-after-my-mother/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“It was always good to know that things in the field really were the way the officers had said they’d be, if only because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/it-was-always-good-to-know-that-things-in-the-field-really-were-the/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“Have you never picked up a book you've read before, and found it speaks to you in a new way?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/have-you-never-picked-up-a-book-you-ve-read-before-and-found-it/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“I think the general’s job is harder than the painter’s; canvas doesn’t fight back, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/i-think-the-general-s-job-is-harder-than-the-painter-s-canvas-doesn-t/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“You?” Jane fixed her with a furious glare. “You came here to apologise? For what?” Winter shifted uncomfortably. “For feeling the way I did……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/you-jane-fixed-her-with-a-furious-glare-you-came-here-to-apologise/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“The name meant "Angel of Victory," which Jaffa supposed was appropriate enough. The Divine Hand himself had started the fashion for taking the names…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/the-name-meant-angel-of-victory-which-jaffa-supposed-was-appropriate/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“You got rid of him?” “For the moment,” Winter said. “Nothing confuses an officer like violently agreeing with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/you-got-rid-of-him-for-the-moment-winter-said-nothing-confuses-an/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“But since the Obsidian Order—perennial of cheap dramas and bogeymen of children’s stories—had”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/but-since-the-obsidian-order-perennial-of-cheap-dramas-and-bogeymen/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“The Church of the time called it ‘Infernivore,’ because to them it was a demon that fed on other demons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/the-church-of-the-time-called-it-infernivore-because-to-them-it-was-a/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“You can’t eat goat,” Buck said. “It ain’t natural. If God had wanted us to eat goat, he wouldn’t’ve made it taste like shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/you-can-t-eat-goat-buck-said-it-ain-t-natural-if-god-had-wanted-us-to/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“To follow the analogy, as a Reader, you're not part of the story, you just insert yourself into it for a while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/to-follow-the-analogy-as-a-reader-you-re-not-part-of-the-story-you/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“When we weigh up the balance sheet of our lives, it's always easy to see the costs. People we've hurt, mistakes we've made. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/when-we-weigh-up-the-balance-sheet-of-our-lives-it-s-always-easy-to/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [“For one thousand, two hundred, and nine years, the Priests of the Black had performed their sacred duty and the ignorant world had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/for-one-thousand-two-hundred-and-nine-years-the-priests-of-the-black/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) [Explore all 15 Django Wexler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) ## More Attack quotes > [British Forces should be in a position to give back in a ten fold measure any attack that the Germans may attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/british-forces-should-be-in-a-position-to-give-back-in-a-ten-fold/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [It was both necessary and desirable for us to be so strong at sea that no Sea Power could attack us without risk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-von-bulow/it-was-both-necessary-and-desirable-for-us-to-be-so-strong-at-sea/) [Bernhard von Bulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-von-bulow/) > [The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/the-best-way-to-counter-attack-a-hater-is-to-make-it-blatantly/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Everything has got a place in my house. If something is moved I get a panic attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rylan-clark-neal/everything-has-got-a-place-in-my-house-if-something-is-moved-i-get-a/) [Rylan Clark-Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rylan-clark-neal/) > [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Free speech has a very small constituency on the modern campus, particularly if the speaker under attack is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/free-speech-has-a-very-small-constituency-on-the-modern-campus/) [John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/) > [Daniil is a player who will not give you many chances to attack. If I have enough power and choose the right moment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/daniil-is-a-player-who-will-not-give-you-many-chances-to-attack-if-i/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Attack life. It's going to kill you anyways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/attack-life-it-s-going-to-kill-you-anyways/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For those of us in the political business, generally, it's been pretty much an unwritten but understood rule that family and children are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/for-those-of-us-in-the-political-business-generally-it-s-been-pretty/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 1,074 Attack quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being part of an attack was a strange thing, Marcus had always thought. It was like being a component in a larger organism, something that could live or die, stand or flee, all on its own and independent of the will of the men who made it up. Sometimes it drove you onward, into the face of what seemed like certain death, in spite of every instinct screaming for flight. Other times, you could feel it falling apart, turning at bay like a whipped dog, hunkering down or turning tail to run.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Django Wexler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-thing-marcus-had-always-thought/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attack" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-thing-marcus-had-always-thought/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b64/django-wexler-32917_falling-apart_being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-th_2124204.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being part of an attack was a strange thing, Marcus had always thought. It was like being a component in a…” — Django Wexler", "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": "Django Wexler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Being part of an attack was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-thing-marcus-had-always-thought/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/being-part-of-an-attack-was-a-strange-thing-marcus-had-always-thought/#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 } } ] } ```