--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And then it developed that Campbell was…" description: "\"“And then it developed that Campbell was not going to go unanswered after all. Poor old Derby, the doomed high school teacher, lumbered to his feet for..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg" --- # And then it developed that Campbell was not going to go… ![“And then it developed that Campbell was not going to go unanswered after all. Poor old Derby, the doomed high school teacher, lumbered to his feet for what was probably the finest moment in his life. There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg) > ““And then it developed that Campbell was not going to go unanswered after all. Poor old Derby, the doomed high school teacher, lumbered to his feet for what was probably the finest moment in his life. There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters. But old Derby was a character now.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War reduces individuals to passive roles, but moments of agency can restore personal identity. **In simple terms:** War makes people passive; small acts can reclaim self. Key Takeaway Seek moments of agency. Themes war identity agency humanity Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - military service - civilian life - personal crisis - creative work Key Concepts existentialism psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you reclaim agency in oppressive contexts? - What small acts can restore personal dignity? A Different Perspective Even brief agency may be fleeting amid larger forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Characters Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characters-old-2968561/) [Derby Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/derby-character-5683378/) [Effects of war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects-of-war/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Old Derby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-derby-5906409/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Story Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-dramatic-2607969/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-people-538424/) ## Related quotes > [“There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-almost-no-characters-in-this-story-and-almost-no-dramatic-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-almost-no-characters-in-this-story-and-almost-no-dramatic/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/one-of-the-main-effects-of-war-after-all-is-that-people-are/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-almost-no-characters-in-this-story-and-almost-no-dramatic-3/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [What is more important is finding the soul of the character, and making sure it fits well into this story. And that it be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stuart-masterson/what-is-more-important-is-finding-the-soul-of-the-character-and/) [Mary Stuart Masterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stuart-masterson/) > [Other people, including me, have written books with main characters who were old and rich. Or old and brilliant. Old sages, old wizards, old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-moon/other-people-including-me-have-written-books-with-main-characters-who/) [Elizabeth Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-moon/) > [“Literature had taken possession even of her memories. She was matching him, presumably, with certain characters in the old novels...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/literature-had-taken-possession-even-of-her-memories-she-was-matching/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Even people who aren't engaged on the actual battlefield - the effects of war reach out like tentacles into families, into economies, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cole/even-people-who-aren-t-engaged-on-the-actual-battlefield-the-effects/) [Gary Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cole/) > [I was eighteen, this was back in '46, so we also had these very frightening images of soldiers in the streets of Paris. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-was-eighteen-this-was-back-in-46-so-we-also-had-these-very/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [One certain effect of war is to diminish freedom of expression. Patriotism becomes the order of the day, and those who question the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/one-certain-effect-of-war-is-to-diminish-freedom-of-expression/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“This discussion of war then lays the foundation for an understanding of change as a process and as an essential component of military affairs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-house/this-discussion-of-war-then-lays-the-foundation-for-an-understanding/) [John M. House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-house/) > [“The United States is so powerful that the only country capable of destroying her might be the United States herself, which means that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-united-states-is-so-powerful-that-the-only-country-capable-of/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“I notice I am taking risks with my own security and losing my sensitivity to danger. I don't know it at the time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-elliot/i-notice-i-am-taking-risks-with-my-own-security-and-losing-my/) [Jason Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-elliot/) > [“Often, then, the stories came pouring out, and often they were set before us slowly and quietly like tea. These slow stories were told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daoud-hari/often-then-the-stories-came-pouring-out-and-often-they-were-set/) [Daoud Hari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daoud-hari/) > [History more often records the brilliant successes and spectacular defeats of contending forces than the effect of war on the common people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-cable/history-more-often-records-the-brilliant-successes-and-spectacular/) [Mildred Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-cable/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Effects of war quotes > [History more often records the brilliant successes and spectacular defeats of contending forces than the effect of war on the common people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mildred-cable/history-more-often-records-the-brilliant-successes-and-spectacular/) [Mildred Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mildred-cable/) > [“Often, then, the stories came pouring out, and often they were set before us slowly and quietly like tea. These slow stories were told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daoud-hari/often-then-the-stories-came-pouring-out-and-often-they-were-set/) [Daoud Hari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daoud-hari/) > [“I notice I am taking risks with my own security and losing my sensitivity to danger. I don't know it at the time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-elliot/i-notice-i-am-taking-risks-with-my-own-security-and-losing-my/) [Jason Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-elliot/) > [“The United States is so powerful that the only country capable of destroying her might be the United States herself, which means that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-united-states-is-so-powerful-that-the-only-country-capable-of/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“This discussion of war then lays the foundation for an understanding of change as a process and as an essential component of military affairs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-house/this-discussion-of-war-then-lays-the-foundation-for-an-understanding/) [John M. House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-house/) > [I was eighteen, this was back in '46, so we also had these very frightening images of soldiers in the streets of Paris. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-was-eighteen-this-was-back-in-46-so-we-also-had-these-very/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [Even people who aren't engaged on the actual battlefield - the effects of war reach out like tentacles into families, into economies, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cole/even-people-who-aren-t-engaged-on-the-actual-battlefield-the-effects/) [Gary Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cole/) > [There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-almost-no-characters-in-this-story-and-almost-no-dramatic/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [One certain effect of war is to diminish freedom of expression. Patriotism becomes the order of the day, and those who question the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/one-certain-effect-of-war-is-to-diminish-freedom-of-expression/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > ['Fall Of A City' aims to convey, in all its emotional richness, the effects of war and the toll taken on city and family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/fall-of-a-city-aims-to-convey-in-all-its-emotional-richness-the/) [David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/) > [“There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-almost-no-characters-in-this-story-and-almost-no-dramatic-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Most of the evils attributed to civilization and progress—such as social inequality and subordination, murder, theft, rape, vandalism, and conquest—are found concentrated in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-h-keeley/most-of-the-evils-attributed-to-civilization-and-progress-such-as/) [Lawrence H. Keeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-h-keeley/) > [One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/one-of-the-main-effects-of-war-after-all-is-that-people-are/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [We recognize the force of the argument that the effects of war under modern conditions may be felt in the economy for years and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/we-recognize-the-force-of-the-argument-that-the-effects-of-war-under/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [As the wife of a retired Navy commander and the representative of the district covering Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/as-the-wife-of-a-retired-navy-commander-and-the-representative-of-the/) [Cathy McMorris Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-mcmorris-rodgers/) [Browse all 18 Effects of war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects-of-war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And then it developed that Campbell was not going to go unanswered after all. Poor old Derby, the doomed high school teacher, lumbered to his feet for what was probably the finest moment in his life. There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters. But old Derby was a character now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was-not-going-to-go-unanswered/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Effects of war" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was-not-going-to-go-unanswered/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cf/kurt-vonnegut-41_high-school_and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was_1569761.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And then it developed that Campbell was not going to go unanswered after all. Poor old Derby, the doomed…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And then it developed that Campbell...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was-not-going-to-go-unanswered/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-then-it-developed-that-campbell-was-not-going-to-go-unanswered/#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 } } ] } ```