Next day Quote by Guy Sajer
““Too many people learn about war with no inconvenience to themselves. They read about Verdun or Stalingrad without comprehension, sitting in a comfortable armchair, with their feet beside the fire, preparing to go about their business the next day, as usual. One should really read such accounts under compulsion, in discomfort, considering oneself fortunate not to be describing the events in a letter home, writing from a hole in the mud. One should read about war in the worst circumstances, when everything is going badly, remembering that the torments of peace are trivial, and not worth any white hairs. Nothing is really serious in the tranquility of peace; only an idiot could be really disturbed by a question of salary. One should read about war standing up, late at night, when one is tired, as I am writing about it now, at dawn, while my asthma attack wears off. And even now, in my sleepless exhaustion, how gentle and easy peace seems!””
About This Quote
Source Memoir: The Forgotten Soldier, Guy Sajer, 1965
War should be studied in hardship to grasp its true horror; comfort blinds understanding.
In simple terms: Study war in discomfort.
Learn from war by confronting its harsh reality.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- military training
- peace education
- literary analysis
- media reporting
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we responsibly convey war's reality?
- What role does comfort play in learning?
Hardship may deter engagement with the subject.