--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Uphill? There's nothing up the hill,\"…" description: "\"“Uphill? There's nothing up the hill,\" Colly said, trying desperately to work out where this conversation was going. \"As a matter of fact, there is. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/john-flanagan-904_big-day_uphill-there-s-nothing-up-the-hill-colly_2523084.jpg" --- # Uphill? There's nothing up the hill," Colly said, trying… ![“Uphill? There's nothing up the hill," Colly said, trying desperately to work out where this conversation was going. "As a matter of fact, there is. There's a bluff about twelve meters high, with a river running below it. The water's deep, so it'll be quite safe for you to jump." In his brief…” quote by John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/john-flanagan-904_big-day_uphill-there-s-nothing-up-the-hill-colly_2523084.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/john-flanagan-904_big-day_uphill-there-s-nothing-up-the-hill-colly_2523084.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/john-flanagan-904_big-day_uphill-there-s-nothing-up-the-hill-colly_2523084.jpg) > ““Uphill? There's nothing up the hill," Colly said, trying desperately to work out where this conversation was going. "As a matter of fact, there is. There's a bluff about twelve meters high, with a river running below it. The water's deep, so it'll be quite safe for you to jump." In his brief glimpse of the river, Halt had noticed that the fast-flowing water cut under the bluff in a sharp curve. That should mean that the bottom had been scoured out over the years. A thought struck him. "You can swim, I assume?" "Yes. I can swim," Colly said. "But I'm going jumping off some bluff just because you say to!" "No, no. Of course not. That'd be asking far too much of you. You'll jump off because if you don't, I'll shoot you. It'll be the same effect, really. If I have to shoot you, you'll fall off. But I thought I'd give you a chance to survive." Halt paused, then added, "Oh, and if you decide to run downhill, I'll also shoot you with an arrow. Uphill and off is really your only chance of survival." "You can't be serious!" Colly said. "Do you really-" But he got no further. Halt leaned forward, putting a hand up to stop the outburst. "Colly, take a good, long look into my eyes and tell me if you see anything, anything at all, that says I'm not deadly serious." His eyes were deep brown, almost black. They were steady and unwavering and there was no sign of anything there but utter determination. Colly looked at them and after a few second, his eyes dropped away. halt nodded as the other man's gaze slid away from his. "Good. Now we've got that settled, you should try to get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.”” [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A leader offers a deadly choice, forcing a subordinate to confront fear and obedience, revealing the harsh reality of survival under pressure. **In simple terms:** A tough decision forces someone to face fear and obey. Key Takeaway Choose courage over fear. Themes leadership survival obedience fear choice Mood tense determined serious Type advice motivational philosophical When to use this quote - military training - life‑or‑death decisions - extreme pressure situations - leadership challenges Key Concepts power dynamics psychological coercion ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - What would you do when faced with a lethal ultimatum? - How does fear influence obedience? 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If I eat terribly and I don't sleep well and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/sometimes-when-i-m-healthier-on-a-big-day-i-feel-better-about-myself/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) [Browse all 65 Big day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-day/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Uphill? There's nothing up the hill,\" Colly said, trying desperately to work out where this conversation was going. \"As a matter of fact, there is. There's a bluff about twelve meters high, with a river running below it. The water's deep, so it'll be quite safe for you to jump.\" In his brief glimpse of the river, Halt had noticed that the fast-flowing water cut under the bluff in a sharp curve. That should mean that the bottom had been scoured out over the years. A thought struck him. \"You can swim, I assume?\" \"Yes. I can swim,\" Colly said. \"But I'm going jumping off some bluff just because you say to!\" \"No, no. Of course not. That'd be asking far too much of you. You'll jump off because if you don't, I'll shoot you. It'll be the same effect, really. If I have to shoot you, you'll fall off. But I thought I'd give you a chance to survive.\" Halt paused, then added, \"Oh, and if you decide to run downhill, I'll also shoot you with an arrow. Uphill and off is really your only chance of survival.\" \"You can't be serious!\" Colly said. \"Do you really-\" But he got no further. Halt leaned forward, putting a hand up to stop the outburst. \"Colly, take a good, long look into my eyes and tell me if you see anything, anything at all, that says I'm not deadly serious.\" His eyes were deep brown, almost black. They were steady and unwavering and there was no sign of anything there but utter determination. Colly looked at them and after a few second, his eyes dropped away. halt nodded as the other man's gaze slid away from his. \"Good. Now we've got that settled, you should try to get some sleep. 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There's nothing up the hill,\" Colly said, trying desperately to work out where this conversation was…” — John Flanagan", "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": "John Flanagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Uphill? 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