--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was the only thing that had got him…" description: "\"“That was the only thing that had got him through the four years of blood and madness: Know exactly where your gun is when you doze for ten minutes in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg" --- # That was the only thing that had got him through the four… ![“That was the only thing that had got him through the four years of blood and madness: Know exactly where your gun is when you doze for ten minutes in your dugout; always check your gas mask; see that your men have understood their orders to the letter. You don't think ahead in years or months: you…” quote by M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg) > ““That was the only thing that had got him through the four years of blood and madness: Know exactly where your gun is when you doze for ten minutes in your dugout; always check your gas mask; see that your men have understood their orders to the letter. You don't think ahead in years or months: you think about this hour and maybe the next. Anything else is speculation" p. 33”” [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on immediate, concrete tasks rather than distant, abstract plans. **In simple terms:** Deal with the present moment. Key Takeaway Prioritize present readiness over future speculation. Themes focus discipline preparedness Mood serious alert Type practical instructional When to use this quote - military training - emergency response - sports coaching - project deadlines Key Concepts situational awareness risk management Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance present focus with future planning? - What are the risks of over‑preparing for the now? A Different Perspective May neglect long‑term strategy and adaptability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Madness Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness-know-3058089/) [Men Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-understood-1011536/) [Minutes Dugout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes-dugout-4957623/) [Think Ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-ahead/) [Years Blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-blood-1772116/) ## Related quotes > [“The store owner had settled himself behind the counter again and was reaching for his book. "The journey will test your sanity." He spoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-mostert/the-store-owner-had-settled-himself-behind-the-counter-again-and-was/) [Natasha Mostert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-mostert/) > [What passes relentlessly through the years is blood, and time; all the bitterness or warmth along the way is almost incidental. Even blood gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-davies/what-passes-relentlessly-through-the-years-is-blood-and-time-all-the/) [Luke Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-davies/) > [“Eventually, after years of blood, sweat, and lots of tears, you become an “overnight success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-wright/eventually-after-years-of-blood-sweat-and-lots-of-tears-you-become-an/) [Christy Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-wright/) > [“The Targaryens wed brothers and sisters for three hundred years to keep the blood line pure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-targaryens-wed-brothers-and-sisters-for-three-hundred-years-to/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [A great step forward was made the day men understood that in order to torment one another more efficiently they would have to gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-step-forward-was-made-the-day-men-understood-that-in-order-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Christ said, "I and my father are one", and you repeat it. Yet it has not helped mankind. For nineteen hundred years men have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/christ-said-i-and-my-father-are-one-and-you-repeat-it-yet-it-has-not/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“Sam and I had been adopted when we were babies, but I saw no reason to tell either of these men about that, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-f-olson/sam-and-i-had-been-adopted-when-we-were-babies-but-i-saw-no-reason-to/) [Melissa F. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-f-olson/) > [My officers and men understood wishes so well that this movement was executed under fire, the right wing keeping up fire, without giving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-chamberlain/my-officers-and-men-understood-wishes-so-well-that-this-movement-was/) [Joshua Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-chamberlain/) > [If men understood domestic economy half as well as women do, then their political economy and their entire consequent statecraft would not be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/if-men-understood-domestic-economy-half-as-well-as-women-do-then/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Know for a certainty that if men understood how terrible is even one solitary sin, they would rather be cast into a heated furnace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-of-genoa/know-for-a-certainty-that-if-men-understood-how-terrible-is-even-one/) [Catherine of Genoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-of-genoa/) > [“Men have never understood the words of the wise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/men-have-never-understood-the-words-of-the-wise/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Finally he said that among men there was no such communion as among horses and the notion that men can be understood at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/finally-he-said-that-among-men-there-was-no-such-communion-as-among/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [I would urge everyone to start looking at the world in a different way. Spend some time looking at everyday objects, at their design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/i-would-urge-everyone-to-start-looking-at-the-world-in-a-different/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [ “...\[O\]n virtually every page, the same unmistakable message: Tread lightly. Think ahead. Respect the reality that despite your intelligence you are inseparable from the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-weed/o-n-virtually-every-page-the-same-unmistakable-message-tread-lightly/) [Tim Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-weed/) > [“Mind your mind. Think of distinctive footprints. Insofar as all things move forward and not backward, avoid retrogressive thinking, imprison negative thoughts, build a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/mind-your-mind-think-of-distinctive-footprints-insofar-as-all-things/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) ## More by M. L. Stedman > [“You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/you-only-have-to-forgive-once-to-resent-you-have-to-do-it-all-day-2/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/oh-but-my-treasure-it-is-so-much-less-exhausting-you-only-have-to/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“But how? How can you just get over these things, darling?...You've had so much strife but you're always happy. How do you do it?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/but-how-how-can-you-just-get-over-these-things-darling-you-ve-had-so/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“I promised to spend my life with you. I still want to spend my life with you. Izz, I've learned the hard way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/i-promised-to-spend-my-life-with-you-i-still-want-to-spend-my-life/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“Izz, I've learned the hard way that to have any kind of a future you've got to give up hope of ever changing your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/izz-i-ve-learned-the-hard-way-that-to-have-any-kind-of-a-future-you/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“It is so much less exhausting. You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/it-is-so-much-less-exhausting-you-only-have-to-forgive-once-to-resent/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“Sometimes the contract to forget is as important as any promise to remember”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/sometimes-the-contract-to-forget-is-as-important-as-any-promise-to/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [Such a mysterious business, motherhood. How brave a woman must be to embark on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/such-a-mysterious-business-motherhood-how-brave-a-woman-must-be-to/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [To have any kind of a future you've got to give up hope of ever changing your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/to-have-any-kind-of-a-future-you-ve-got-to-give-up-hope-of-ever/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“Fella upstairs's given you a second chance, so I reckon he's not too fussed about whatever you did or didn't do back then. Stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/fella-upstairs-s-given-you-a-second-chance-so-i-reckon-he-s-not-too/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [“Love's what children do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/love-s-what-children-do/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) > [We live with the decisions we makeThat’s what bravery is. Standing by the consequences of your mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/we-live-with-the-decisions-we-makethat-s-what-bravery-is-standing-by/) [M. L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) [Explore all 13 M. L. Stedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/) ## More Men Understood quotes > [Finally he said that among men there was no such communion as among horses and the notion that men can be understood at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/finally-he-said-that-among-men-there-was-no-such-communion-as-among/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Men have never understood the words of the wise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/men-have-never-understood-the-words-of-the-wise/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Know for a certainty that if men understood how terrible is even one solitary sin, they would rather be cast into a heated furnace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-of-genoa/know-for-a-certainty-that-if-men-understood-how-terrible-is-even-one/) [Catherine of Genoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-of-genoa/) > [If men understood domestic economy half as well as women do, then their political economy and their entire consequent statecraft would not be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/if-men-understood-domestic-economy-half-as-well-as-women-do-then/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [My officers and men understood wishes so well that this movement was executed under fire, the right wing keeping up fire, without giving the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-chamberlain/my-officers-and-men-understood-wishes-so-well-that-this-movement-was/) [Joshua Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-chamberlain/) > [“Sam and I had been adopted when we were babies, but I saw no reason to tell either of these men about that, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-f-olson/sam-and-i-had-been-adopted-when-we-were-babies-but-i-saw-no-reason-to/) [Melissa F. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-f-olson/) > [Christ said, "I and my father are one", and you repeat it. Yet it has not helped mankind. For nineteen hundred years men have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/christ-said-i-and-my-father-are-one-and-you-repeat-it-yet-it-has-not/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [A great step forward was made the day men understood that in order to torment one another more efficiently they would have to gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-step-forward-was-made-the-day-men-understood-that-in-order-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 9 Men Understood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-understood-1011536/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That was the only thing that had got him through the four years of blood and madness: Know exactly where your gun is when you doze for ten minutes in your dugout; always check your gas mask; see that your men have understood their orders to the letter. You don't think ahead in years or months: you think about this hour and maybe the next. Anything else is speculation\" p. 33”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "M. L. Stedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him-through-the-four-years-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Men Understood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him-through-the-four-years-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/m-l-stedman-2-35592_quote_that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him_2221148.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That was the only thing that had got him through the four years of blood and madness: Know exactly where…” — M. L. Stedman", "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": "M. L. Stedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That was the only thing that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him-through-the-four-years-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman-2/that-was-the-only-thing-that-had-got-him-through-the-four-years-of/#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 } } ] } ```