---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For no matter how many battles had been…"
description: "\"“For no matter how many battles had been won or lost, no matter how many friends and soldiers killed, every battle felt like the first. And I realized ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg"
---

#  For no matter how many battles had been won or lost, no…

![“For no matter how many battles had been won or lost, no matter how many friends and soldiers killed, every battle felt like the first. And I realized that it wasn't the training, nor the pain of seeing friends die, nor the will to win that made the men fight, but their will to survive that made…” quote by Magus Guidan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg)

> ““For no matter how many battles had been won or lost, no matter how many friends and soldiers killed, every battle felt like the first. And I realized that it wasn't the training, nor the pain of seeing friends die, nor the will to win that made the men fight, but their will to survive that made them soldiers.””

[Magus Guidan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magus-guidan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Soldiers fight because of a will to survive, not merely training or pain; survival instinct defines true soldierhood.

**In simple terms:** Survival instinct drives soldiers more than skill.

Key Takeaway

Respect the drive to survive.

Themes

war survival camaraderie resilience motivation

Mood

somber reflective

Type

Friendship:1 Soldiers:1 Survival:1 War:1 Battles Won:0 Friends Soldiers:0 Battle Felt:0 Survive Soldiers:1

When to use this quote

- military training
- battlefield narratives
- personal memoirs

Key Concepts

combat experience psychology of soldiers group dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What fuels your inner resilience?
- How does survival shape identity?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex combat motives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Battle Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle-felt-5246237/) [Battles Won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battles-won/) [Friends Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-soldiers-5246236/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Survive Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive-soldiers-5246238/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“Good morning,” one of the soldiers said. “I’m Captain Joseph Walker and this is Sergeant James Vanetten. We are members of the One-Hundred-and-First Airborne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shafter-bailey/good-morning-one-of-the-soldiers-said-i-m-captain-joseph-walker-and/)

[Shafter Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shafter-bailey/)

> [“When the warrior fails in any one particular pursuit of knowledge he is not defeated, because in walking the path of knowledge we fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-un-mares/when-the-warrior-fails-in-any-one-particular-pursuit-of-knowledge-he/)

[Théun Mares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-un-mares/)

> [Battles are won through the ability of men to express concrete ideas in clear and unmistakable language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/battles-are-won-through-the-ability-of-men-to-express-concrete-ideas/)

[Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/)

> [You can't take it with you! Whatever you have there you will have already sent ahead in the way of souls won, victories won,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/you-can-t-take-it-with-you-whatever-you-have-there-you-will-have/)

[David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/)

> [“That's the way all life's battles are won.. You don't look at the overall picture. You take one step, then another, and another... until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/that-s-the-way-all-life-s-battles-are-won-you-don-t-look-at-the/)

[V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/)

> [“Battles are won en route, Shalhassan of Cathal though. A worthy thought: he raised his hand in a certain way, and a moment later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-gavriel-kay/battles-are-won-en-route-shalhassan-of-cathal-though-a-worthy-thought/)

[Guy Gavriel Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-gavriel-kay/)

> [All battles are first won or lost, in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-of-arc/all-battles-are-first-won-or-lost-in-the-mind/)

[Joan of Arc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-of-arc/)

> [For when there is victory, when battles are won, when burdens are lifted, when bright shines the sun, when struggling souls gather where heroes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-krause/for-when-there-is-victory-when-battles-are-won-when-burdens-are/)

[Tom Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-krause/)

> [“Battles have been won or lost for centuries without winning or losing what they were ostensibly fought for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-smith-robertson/battles-have-been-won-or-lost-for-centuries-without-winning-or-losing/)

[priscilla Smith Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-smith-robertson/)

> [Great battles are won with artillery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/great-battles-are-won-with-artillery/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [Most battles are won before they are ever fought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/most-battles-are-won-before-they-are-ever-fought/)

[George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/)

> [“His military triumphs had been neither frequent nor epic in scale. He had lost more battles than he had won, had botched several through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/his-military-triumphs-had-been-neither-frequent-nor-epic-in-scale-he/)

[Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/)

> [There are more battles won through prayer than by any other means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-smith/there-are-more-battles-won-through-prayer-than-by-any-other-means/)

[Chuck Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-smith/)

> [“A hero is not know by the number of battles he has won, but rather by the kind of battles he chooses to fight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-k-brown/a-hero-is-not-know-by-the-number-of-battles-he-has-won-but-rather-by/)

[Tonny K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-k-brown/)

> [All my battles have been won, but the war has just begun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hollywood-undead/all-my-battles-have-been-won-but-the-war-has-just-begun/)

[Hollywood Undead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hollywood-undead/)

## More Friendship quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

[Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/)

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/)

[Unknwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/)

> [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/)

[Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/)

> [If you love some one for who they are not for there body or how many friend so when you say I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-you-love-some-one-for-who-they-are-not-for-there-body-or-how-many/)

[Unknow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknow/)

> [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/)

[Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/)

> [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“way. A true friend isn't the one that agrees with everything you say or do. A true friend is someone that has your back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shameek-speight/way-a-true-friend-isn-t-the-one-that-agrees-with-everything-you-say/)

[Shameek Speight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shameek-speight/)

> [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/)

[Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [“The real purpose of friendship was to discover and exploit weakness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/the-real-purpose-of-friendship-was-to-discover-and-exploit-weakness/)

[Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/)

[Browse all 45,469 Friendship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For no matter how many battles had been won or lost, no matter how many friends and soldiers killed, every battle felt like the first. And I realized that it wasn't the training, nor the pain of seeing friends die, nor the will to win that made the men fight, but their will to survive that made them soldiers.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Magus Guidan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magus-guidan/for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been-won-or-lost-no-matter-how/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Friendship"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magus-guidan/for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been-won-or-lost-no-matter-how/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e1/magus-guidan-258922_friendship_for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been_1455674.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For no matter how many battles had been won or lost, no matter how many friends and soldiers killed, every…” — Magus Guidan",
                "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": "Magus Guidan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magus-guidan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For no matter how many battles...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magus-guidan/for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been-won-or-lost-no-matter-how/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magus-guidan/for-no-matter-how-many-battles-had-been-won-or-lost-no-matter-how/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
