--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it was so splendid in Father to…" description: "\"“I think it was so splendid in Father to go as a chaplain when he was too old to be drafted, and not strong enough for a soldier, said Meg warmly.”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png" --- # I think it was so splendid in Father to go as a chaplain… ![“I think it was so splendid in Father to go as a chaplain when he was too old to be drafted, and not strong enough for a soldier, said Meg warmly.” quote by Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png) > ““I think it was so splendid in Father to go as a chaplain when he was too old to be drafted, and not strong enough for a soldier, said Meg warmly.”” [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A father finds purpose serving as a chaplain when he can no longer fight, highlighting dignity in non‑combat roles. **In simple terms:** Finding purpose after retirement. Key Takeaway Serve where you can still help. Themes purpose age service dignity Mood reflective respectful Type inspirational narrative When to use this quote - military chaplaincy - senior volunteering - career transition - community support Key Concepts vocational identity elderly contribution Questions to Reflect On - How can societies honor non‑combat contributions? - What roles suit aging veterans? A Different Perspective May overlook the emotional toll of feeling inadequate for combat. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chaplain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaplain/) [Chaplain Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaplain-old-4430521/) [Father Chaplain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-chaplain-4430520/) [Meg Warmly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meg-warmly-4430523/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Splendid Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid-father-4430522/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) ## Related quotes > [“It isn't necessary to call me Father, the chaplain explained. I'm an Anabaptist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/it-isn-t-necessary-to-call-me-father-the-chaplain-explained-i-m-an/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [He that preaches war is the devil's chaplain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/he-that-preaches-war-is-the-devil-s-chaplain/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) > [I realized during my time as a chaplain that I didn't want to be a minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-realized-during-my-time-as-a-chaplain-that-i-didn-t-want-to-be-a/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A chaplain's assistant is customarily a figure of fun in the American Army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/a-chaplain-s-assistant-is-customarily-a-figure-of-fun-in-the-american/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [An atheist chaplain would be the perfect vehicle for convincing wounded warriors that they should end their lives because there's nothing in the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-klingenschmitt/an-atheist-chaplain-would-be-the-perfect-vehicle-for-convincing/) [Gordon Klingenschmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-klingenschmitt/) > [“It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/it-was-love-at-first-sight-the-first-time-yossarian-saw-the-chaplain/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [ “…\[E\]veryone knew that sin was evil, and that no good could come from evil. But he did feel good; he felt positively marvellous. Consequently,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/e-veryone-knew-that-sin-was-evil-and-that-no-good-could-come-from/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“When I moved back home to northwest Florida after being a cop and a cleric in Atlanta, I never would’ve imagined I’d become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lister/when-i-moved-back-home-to-northwest-florida-after-being-a-cop-and-a/) [Michael Lister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lister/) > [“Haven't you got anything humorous that stays away from waters and valleys and God? I'd like to keep away from the subject of religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/haven-t-you-got-anything-humorous-that-stays-away-from-waters-and/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“The chaplain has a good life, an easy life. He is well educated, modestly well-to-do, and awkwardly handsome. He has faced no particularly compelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-chaplain-has-a-good-life-an-easy-life-he-is-well-educated/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Christ came to take away our sins, not our minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/christ-came-to-take-away-our-sins-not-our-minds/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“How wicked it would be, if we could, to call the dead back! She said not to me but to the chaplain, 'I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/how-wicked-it-would-be-if-we-could-to-call-the-dead-back-she-said-not/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [There's a Chaplain who never visited the front.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-s-a-chaplain-who-never-visited-the-front/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Private Hott is with God now—or wherever people go after they die,” says Enoch “You can call me Brother” Root. “What kind of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/private-hott-is-with-god-now-or-wherever-people-go-after-they-die/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [I don't think ministering requires a religious context. The number one thing is that every parent is extremely worried about their kid. Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-don-t-think-ministering-requires-a-religious-context-the-number-one/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by Louisa May Alcott > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“At three o'clock in the afternoon, all the fashionable world at Nice may be seen on the Promenade des Anglais—a charming place, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/at-three-o-clock-in-the-afternoon-all-the-fashionable-world-at-nice/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Please could I say one word?" was the question three times repeated before a rough head boobed out from the grotto of books in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/please-could-i-say-one-word-was-the-question-three-times-repeated/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Elegance has a bad effect on my constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/elegance-has-a-bad-effect-on-my-constitution/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“…the child's heart bled when it was broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-child-s-heart-bled-when-it-was-broken/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“She would make a man of me. She puts strength and courage into me as no one else can. She is unlike any girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/she-would-make-a-man-of-me-she-puts-strength-and-courage-into-me-as/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-read-somewhere-that-every-inch-of-rope-used-in-the-british-navy-has/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Chance words spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people are here for -- else their experience is of little use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/chance-words-spoken-in-kindness-often-help-amazingly-and-that-s-what/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Tired of my own company, I suppose, now I've seen so much better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/tired-of-my-own-company-i-suppose-now-i-ve-seen-so-much-better/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [But buds will be roses, and kittens, cats - more's the pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/but-buds-will-be-roses-and-kittens-cats-more-s-the-pity/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman' and not be rough and wild, but do my duty here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-ll-try-and-be-what-he-loves-to-call-me-a-little-woman-and-not-be/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/if-you-feel-your-value-lies-in-being-merely-decorative-i-fear-that/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“ "I do not ask for any crown But that which all may win; Nor try to conquer any world Except the world within." ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-do-not-ask-for-any-crown-but-that-which-all-may-win-nor-try-to/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/some-books-are-so-familiar-that-reading-them-is-like-being-home-again/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) [Explore all 681 Louisa May Alcott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## More Chaplain quotes > [He that preaches war is the devil's chaplain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ray/he-that-preaches-war-is-the-devil-s-chaplain/) [John Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ray/) > [“Private Hott is with God now—or wherever people go after they die,” says Enoch “You can call me Brother” Root. “What kind of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/private-hott-is-with-god-now-or-wherever-people-go-after-they-die/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [There's a Chaplain who never visited the front.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-s-a-chaplain-who-never-visited-the-front/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“How wicked it would be, if we could, to call the dead back! She said not to me but to the chaplain, 'I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/how-wicked-it-would-be-if-we-could-to-call-the-dead-back-she-said-not/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Christ came to take away our sins, not our minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/christ-came-to-take-away-our-sins-not-our-minds/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [“The chaplain has a good life, an easy life. He is well educated, modestly well-to-do, and awkwardly handsome. He has faced no particularly compelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-chaplain-has-a-good-life-an-easy-life-he-is-well-educated/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“It isn't necessary to call me Father, the chaplain explained. I'm an Anabaptist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/it-isn-t-necessary-to-call-me-father-the-chaplain-explained-i-m-an/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Haven't you got anything humorous that stays away from waters and valleys and God? I'd like to keep away from the subject of religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/haven-t-you-got-anything-humorous-that-stays-away-from-waters-and/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“When I moved back home to northwest Florida after being a cop and a cleric in Atlanta, I never would’ve imagined I’d become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lister/when-i-moved-back-home-to-northwest-florida-after-being-a-cop-and-a/) [Michael Lister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lister/) > [ “…\[E\]veryone knew that sin was evil, and that no good could come from evil. But he did feel good; he felt positively marvellous. Consequently,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/e-veryone-knew-that-sin-was-evil-and-that-no-good-could-come-from/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/it-was-love-at-first-sight-the-first-time-yossarian-saw-the-chaplain/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [An atheist chaplain would be the perfect vehicle for convincing wounded warriors that they should end their lives because there's nothing in the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-klingenschmitt/an-atheist-chaplain-would-be-the-perfect-vehicle-for-convincing/) [Gordon Klingenschmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-klingenschmitt/) > [A chaplain's assistant is customarily a figure of fun in the American Army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/a-chaplain-s-assistant-is-customarily-a-figure-of-fun-in-the-american/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I realized during my time as a chaplain that I didn't want to be a minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-realized-during-my-time-as-a-chaplain-that-i-didn-t-want-to-be-a/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I don't think ministering requires a religious context. The number one thing is that every parent is extremely worried about their kid. Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-don-t-think-ministering-requires-a-religious-context-the-number-one/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Browse all 30 Chaplain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaplain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think it was so splendid in Father to go as a chaplain when he was too old to be drafted, and not strong enough for a soldier, said Meg warmly.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louisa May Alcott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to-go-as-a-chaplain-when-he-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chaplain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to-go-as-a-chaplain-when-he-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/louisa-may-alcott-318_chaplain_i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to_526239.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it was so splendid in Father to go as a chaplain when he was too old to be drafted, and not strong…” — Louisa May Alcott", "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": "Louisa May Alcott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think it was so splendid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to-go-as-a-chaplain-when-he-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-think-it-was-so-splendid-in-father-to-go-as-a-chaplain-when-he-was/#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 } } ] } ```