--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard for me to think about this, but…" description: "\"It's hard for me to think about this, but I first went to Southeast Asia as a Marine more than 40 years ago, as a young Marine. I was on Okinawa and th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/jim-webb-12006_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-think-about-this-but_3215068.png" --- # It's hard for me to think about this, but I first went to… ![“It's hard for me to think about this, but I first went to Southeast Asia as a Marine more than 40 years ago, as a young Marine. I was on Okinawa and then in Vietnam. I've returned in many different hats, which I think has helped me to form my own views about policy out there. I've spent a good bit…” quote by Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/jim-webb-12006_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-think-about-this-but_3215068.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/jim-webb-12006_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-think-about-this-but_3215068.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/jim-webb-12006_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-think-about-this-but_3215068.png) > “It's hard for me to think about this, but I first went to Southeast Asia as a Marine more than 40 years ago, as a young Marine. I was on Okinawa and then in Vietnam. I've returned in many different hats, which I think has helped me to form my own views about policy out there. I've spent a good bit of time in this region as a journalist.” [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal experience in Southeast Asia as a Marine and journalist informs Webb’s nuanced policy perspective, highlighting the value of diverse roles in shaping insight. **In simple terms:** Marine and journalist experiences shape policy views. Key Takeaway Leverage varied experiences for informed decisions. Themes policy military journalism Asia perspective Mood analytical thoughtful Type political reflective When to use this quote - policy debates - military strategy sessions - media analysis Key Concepts strategic analysis first‑hand knowledge regional expertise Questions to Reflect On - How do your experiences influence your policy stance? - Can diverse backgrounds improve decision‑making? A Different Perspective Relying on personal history may bias objectivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asia/) [Hats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hats/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Southeast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southeast/) [Southeast asia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southeast-asia/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) ## Related quotes > [History shows that you can't - you can't have security in Southeast Asia without security in Northeast Asia. It's just the reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/history-shows-that-you-can-t-you-can-t-have-security-in-southeast/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [I just like the people and the culture of Southeast Asia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/i-just-like-the-people-and-the-culture-of-southeast-asia/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [In Southeast Asia the world is understood to be a vast, complex network of interdependent relationships. So when global capitalism makes it impossible for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/in-southeast-asia-the-world-is-understood-to-be-a-vast-complex/) [John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/) > [As young West Point cadets, our motto was 'duty, honor, country.' But it was in the field, from the rice paddies of Southeast Asia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-schwarzkopf/as-young-west-point-cadets-our-motto-was-duty-honor-country-but-it/) [Norman Schwarzkopf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-schwarzkopf/) > [Perhaps the strongest signal of reengagement with Southeast Asia was the U.S.'s accession to the Southeast Asian Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benigno-aquino-iii/perhaps-the-strongest-signal-of-reengagement-with-southeast-asia-was/) [Benigno Aquino III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benigno-aquino-iii/) > [You are slowly developing some multinationals of your own. We certainly hope that some of them will look in this direction when they look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sellapan-ramanathan/you-are-slowly-developing-some-multinationals-of-your-own-we/) [Sellapan Ramanathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sellapan-ramanathan/) > [I've always liked Southeast Asia a lot. It's a wonderful place, an easy place. People are great, there's a lot of history and culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/i-ve-always-liked-southeast-asia-a-lot-it-s-a-wonderful-place-an-easy/) [Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/) > [As the CIA tried to find itself, the threat of international terrorism emanating from the Middle East, Africa, North Africa and Central and Southeast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/as-the-cia-tried-to-find-itself-the-threat-of-international-terrorism/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [I love Southeast Asia. As a child, I lived in that part of the world. My first time in Burma was in 1958 with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhtar-kent/i-love-southeast-asia-as-a-child-i-lived-in-that-part-of-the-world-my/) [Muhtar Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhtar-kent/) > [I'm a child of the sixties, I'm a man of the sixties. During that period of time this country was coming apart at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-flood/i-m-a-child-of-the-sixties-i-m-a-man-of-the-sixties-during-that/) [Curt Flood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-flood/) > [We wanna go back to Southeast Asia and just do it right for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zacky-vengeance/we-wanna-go-back-to-southeast-asia-and-just-do-it-right-for-them/) [Zacky Vengeance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zacky-vengeance/) > [When downed American pilots were first taken prisoner in North Vietnam in 1964, U.S. policy became pretty much to ignore them - part and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/when-downed-american-pilots-were-first-taken-prisoner-in-north/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Southeast Asia is an area in which there is a form of Islam which is both devout and progressive, and therefore to be supported.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/southeast-asia-is-an-area-in-which-there-is-a-form-of-islam-which-is/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [Southeast Asia food uses many different types of spices which are quite new to me, like the curry leaves which I saw at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-robuchon/southeast-asia-food-uses-many-different-types-of-spices-which-are/) [Joel Robuchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-robuchon/) > [The Internet is emblematic of an era in which what happens in Southeast Asia or southern Africa - from democratic advances to deforestation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-internet-is-emblematic-of-an-era-in-which-what-happens-in/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) ## More by Jim Webb > [Affirmative action was designed to recognize the uniquely difficult journey of African-Americans. This policy was justifiable and understandable, even to those who came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/affirmative-action-was-designed-to-recognize-the-uniquely-difficult/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [And all of these together, as much as any campaign the Marine Corps has ever pursued, have brought an unrelenting, never-ceasing pride to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/and-all-of-these-together-as-much-as-any-campaign-the-marine-corps/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [The wealth of a society isn't measured at the top, but at the bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/the-wealth-of-a-society-isn-t-measured-at-the-top-but-at-the-bottom/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [On any given vote, on any given day, a smart senator who has taken a bold or controversial position can reach far more media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/on-any-given-vote-on-any-given-day-a-smart-senator-who-has-taken-a/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [Your first six months in the Senate, you spend a lot of time wondering how the hell you got here. After that, you look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/your-first-six-months-in-the-senate-you-spend-a-lot-of-time-wondering/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [I have decided to launch an Exploratory Committee to examine whether I should run for President in 2016.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/i-have-decided-to-launch-an-exploratory-committee-to-examine-whether/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [I have proudly spent several periods in government, but I'm not a career politician. I come from a family of 'citizen soldiers.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/i-have-proudly-spent-several-periods-in-government-but-i-m-not-a/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [History shows that you can't - you can't have security in Southeast Asia without security in Northeast Asia. It's just the reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/history-shows-that-you-can-t-you-can-t-have-security-in-southeast/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [I walk fast. I have an aversion to wasting time. My sense of constant motion is one of the reasons that my eldest daughter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/i-walk-fast-i-have-an-aversion-to-wasting-time-my-sense-of-constant/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [The venerable Robert E. Lee has taken some vicious hits, as dishonest or misinformed advocates among political interest groups and in academia attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/the-venerable-robert-e-lee-has-taken-some-vicious-hits-as-dishonest/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [I was raised with the notion that there is no greater honor than to find a way to serve your country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/i-was-raised-with-the-notion-that-there-is-no-greater-honor-than-to/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [I'm probably more comfortable inside a Marine Corps rifle company than I am anywhere in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/i-m-probably-more-comfortable-inside-a-marine-corps-rifle-company/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [The injustices endured by black Americans at the hands of their own government have no parallel in our history, not only during the period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-webb/the-injustices-endured-by-black-americans-at-the-hands-of-their-own/) [Jim Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-webb/) > [The frustration of the Senate is that it's slow. 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