--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He didn't respond for several seconds…" description: "\"“He didn't respond for several seconds. Then he said, \"You see things... sometimes you see things that make you think the rest of your life is impossib..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/mal-peet-15262_life_he-didn-t-respond-for-several-seconds-th_1276477.jpg" --- # He didn't respond for several seconds. Then he said, "You… ![“He didn't respond for several seconds. Then he said, "You see things... sometimes you see things that make you think the rest of your life is impossible. Just seeing them damages you so much, you think, I cannot go on being human." Marijke wrapped her fingers over his clenched fist. He didn't look…” quote by Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/mal-peet-15262_life_he-didn-t-respond-for-several-seconds-th_1276477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/mal-peet-15262_life_he-didn-t-respond-for-several-seconds-th_1276477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/mal-peet-15262_life_he-didn-t-respond-for-several-seconds-th_1276477.jpg) > ““He didn't respond for several seconds. Then he said, "You see things... sometimes you see things that make you think the rest of your life is impossible. Just seeing them damages you so much, you think, I cannot go on being human." Marijke wrapped her fingers over his clenched fist. He didn't look at her. "I keep thinking about the Germans in the firing squad. Killing and then killing again and again, looking at the faces... How? How did they do that? I can't... I can't even imagine. But, the thing is, if you took one of those men and stripped away the uniform, and sat him next to me, how different would we be? Would you be able to see murder on his skin? Smell murder on his breath? And not on mine?”” [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character grapples with the horror of war, questioning humanity's capacity for violence and empathy. **In simple terms:** War forces us to confront terrible acts and our own humanity. Key Takeaway Consider the moral weight of violence. Themes war humanity morality Mood somber thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - military service - historical study - ethical debates - personal reflection Key Concepts psychological trauma ethical dilemma Questions to Reflect On - Can we truly understand the mindset of a soldier? - What does empathy mean in the face of atrocity? A Different Perspective The narrative may dramatize emotions beyond realistic experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human Marijke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-marijke-4109983/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Killing Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-killing-489653/) [Killing Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-looking-4109982/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-of-your-life/) [Smell Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell-murder-4109984/) ## Related quotes > [“Is there really a difference between that killing and this killing? Does God approve of some killing and not other killing? If I kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/is-there-really-a-difference-between-that-killing-and-this-killing/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“I don't condone killing, but if killing happens anyway, then I think women go about it much more sensibly. Leave it to men to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/i-don-t-condone-killing-but-if-killing-happens-anyway-then-i-think/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [A story will come when you finish killing me, killing me that everyday life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/a-story-will-come-when-you-finish-killing-me-killing-me-that-everyday/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [We know, deep down inside, it's wrong! There's nothing you can say to ever make it right! Killing is killing, no matter how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-richter/we-know-deep-down-inside-it-s-wrong-there-s-nothing-you-can-say-to/) [Ronald Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-richter/) > [“Whatever the reason for it is, killing is killing forever. Don't you think it's better to avoid... one scar on top of another?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minari-endou/whatever-the-reason-for-it-is-killing-is-killing-forever-don-t-you/) [Minari Endou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minari-endou/) > [I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/i-am-determined-not-to-kill-not-to-let-others-kill-and-not-to-condone/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Sometimes we have to let go of whats killing us, even if its killing us to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-have-to-let-go-of-whats-killing-us-even-if-its-killing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At the end, killing is killing. Massacring is massacring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/at-the-end-killing-is-killing-massacring-is-massacring/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [This is, I believe, what happens when people take their own lives. They're not killing themselves, they're killing the world. Either to spare it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-is-i-believe-what-happens-when-people-take-their-own-lives-they/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“You’re killing me! you’re killing me! I know I am amazing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoolio-rodriguez/you-re-killing-me-you-re-killing-me-i-know-i-am-amazing/) [hoolio rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoolio-rodriguez/) > [Killing is killing whether done for duty, profit or fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ramirez/killing-is-killing-whether-done-for-duty-profit-or-fun/) [Richard Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ramirez/) > [“Can't you see what's happening? They're killing everyone. They're killing anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-celi/can-t-you-see-what-s-happening-they-re-killing-everyone-they-re/) [S. Celi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-celi/) > [I wanted to work on this central problem of killing. How you go about killing. Now, in the film I had to kill my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-burstyn/i-wanted-to-work-on-this-central-problem-of-killing-how-you-go-about/) [Ellen Burstyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-burstyn/) > [“The good news is, in those moments when you feel as if God is killing you, He is. But He’s killing you to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/the-good-news-is-in-those-moments-when-you-feel-as-if-god-is-killing/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [“In the movies, they always make sure the hero kills only in self-defense, typically in the instant before the bad guy gets the drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/in-the-movies-they-always-make-sure-the-hero-kills-only-in-self/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) ## More by Mal Peet > [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“You do not win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making sure that some poor bastard dies for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/you-do-not-win-a-war-by-dying-for-your-country-you-win-a-war-by/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“This line of reasoning could have frightened him, but it did not. He gained a certain strength from it. Because, after all, what can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/this-line-of-reasoning-could-have-frightened-him-but-it-did-not-he/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Unfortunately, however, weapons of mass destruction tend to attract maniacs: men - it's almost always men - who want to jab the red button…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/unfortunately-however-weapons-of-mass-destruction-tend-to-attract/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Boredom had not been among the dangers that the SOE had prepared him for. No pompous little officer had stood in front of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/boredom-had-not-been-among-the-dangers-that-the-soe-had-prepared-him/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Wagstaff was a trim little man in a dark-blue uniform with an armband embroidered with the words CIVIL DEFENSE. "Thank you, Headmaster, and good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/wagstaff-was-a-trim-little-man-in-a-dark-blue-uniform-with-an-armband/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Let me tell you something. When there is a penalty kick, most people think that the penalty taker is in control. But they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/let-me-tell-you-something-when-there-is-a-penalty-kick-most-people/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Sprawled, bloody, holding the pistol, he looked like a police photograph of a suicide. Dart went back to his chair and picked up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/sprawled-bloody-holding-the-pistol-he-looked-like-a-police-photograph/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.' He moved his fingers gently on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/i-can-explain-to-you-why-algebra-is-useful-but-that-is-not-what/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“So? You think people stop talking to you when they are dead?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/so-you-think-people-stop-talking-to-you-when-they-are-dead/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“It still, after all these years, puts frost into my blood to remember that men like LeMay and Powers had their fingers so close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/it-still-after-all-these-years-puts-frost-into-my-blood-to-remember/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [Sentimentality and nostalgia are closely related. Kissing cousins. I have no time for nostalgia, though. Nostalgics believe the past is nicer than the present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/sentimentality-and-nostalgia-are-closely-related-kissing-cousins-i/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Shit! Those sons a bitches Russians!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/shit-those-sons-a-bitches-russians/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“Kennedy was not perfectly sure that Khrushchev was an entirely rational being. He was not absolutely certain that the Soviet Union wouldn't be happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/kennedy-was-not-perfectly-sure-that-khrushchev-was-an-entirely/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) > [“What I'm trying to explain to my sulky little cousin is that we are doing things backwards. We are going from the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/what-i-m-trying-to-explain-to-my-sulky-little-cousin-is-that-we-are/) [Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) [Explore all 42 Mal Peet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/) ## More Killing quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-religion-has-mandated-killing-others-as-a-requirement-for-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Killing shit the ever so talented Mr. Ripley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/killing-shit-the-ever-so-talented-mr-ripley/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Humans had always been better at killing than any other living thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-had-always-been-better-at-killing-than-any-other-living-thing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. Turning the Nile to blood and parting the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/those-old-hypocrites-they-talk-about-killing-witches-but-the-good/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Muses had a way of killing those whom they inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-neville/muses-had-a-way-of-killing-those-whom-they-inspired/) [Katherine Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-neville/) > [“I would ask what it is you think you're doing, but... you are a teenager. I should have known better than to leave you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-would-ask-what-it-is-you-think-you-re-doing-but-you-are-a-teenager/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [Yelena.” I halted in the doorway, looking back over my shoulder. “You once said I wasn’t ready to believe your reason for killing Reyad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/yelena-i-halted-in-the-doorway-looking-back-over-my-shoulder-you-once/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [Killing became the same thing as having sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lee-lucas/killing-became-the-same-thing-as-having-sex/) [Henry Lee Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lee-lucas/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-both-parties-have-a-stake-in-the-other-the-chances-of-them-killing/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Dancing with death meant being committed to killing, committed with your heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/dancing-with-death-meant-being-committed-to-killing-committed-with/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) [Browse all 2,564 Killing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He didn't respond for several seconds. Then he said, \"You see things... sometimes you see things that make you think the rest of your life is impossible. Just seeing them damages you so much, you think, I cannot go on being human.\" Marijke wrapped her fingers over his clenched fist. He didn't look at her. \"I keep thinking about the Germans in the firing squad. Killing and then killing again and again, looking at the faces... How? How did they do that? I can't... I can't even imagine. But, the thing is, if you took one of those men and stripped away the uniform, and sat him next to me, how different would we be? Would you be able to see murder on his skin? Smell murder on his breath? 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