--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The military mind tends to be…" description: "\"The military mind tends to be conservative, realistic and historical. The civilian mind tends to be liberal, idealistic and Utopian. Journalists, obvio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/mark-riebling-70005_civilian_the-military-mind-tends-to-be-conservati_3231577.jpg" --- # The military mind tends to be conservative, realistic and… ![“The military mind tends to be conservative, realistic and historical. The civilian mind tends to be liberal, idealistic and Utopian. Journalists, obviously, are civilians, and they tend to distrust, and to suspect, the military's motives.” quote by Mark Riebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/mark-riebling-70005_civilian_the-military-mind-tends-to-be-conservati_3231577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/mark-riebling-70005_civilian_the-military-mind-tends-to-be-conservati_3231577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/mark-riebling-70005_civilian_the-military-mind-tends-to-be-conservati_3231577.jpg) > “The military mind tends to be conservative, realistic and historical. The civilian mind tends to be liberal, idealistic and Utopian. Journalists, obviously, are civilians, and they tend to distrust, and to suspect, the military's motives.” [Mark Riebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-riebling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts military and civilian mindsets, suggesting soldiers are pragmatic and rooted in history, while civilians are idealistic, leading journalists to distrust military motives. **In simple terms:** Military is practical; civilians are idealistic; journalists distrust military. Key Takeaway Recognize bias in perspectives. Themes military civilian journalism trust bias Mood critical analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - reporting - policy analysis - public discourse - media criticism Key Concepts pragmatism idealism skepticism culture Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance realism with idealism? - What safeguards can reduce distrust? A Different Perspective Civilian idealism can overlook practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilian/) [Civilian Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilian-mind-6115185/) [Civilians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical Civilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-civilian-6115186/) [Idealistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idealistic/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-mind-311881/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Realistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realistic/) [Suspects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspects/) [Utopian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utopian/) ## Related quotes > [I know it's very idealistic and utopian, but I believe we need to just let everyone not be judged in terms of religion, groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/i-know-it-s-very-idealistic-and-utopian-but-i-believe-we-need-to-just/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [True Americanism is practical idealism. Its aims, instead of being materialistic and mechanical, are idealistic to the point of being Utopian. In this way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/true-americanism-is-practical-idealism-its-aims-instead-of-being/) [Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/) > [Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the-military-mind-in-their-dead-2/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [“The second reason for which the military mind addresses itself to specific assumed situations is on the occasions when there may in reality exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/the-second-reason-for-which-the-military-mind-addresses-itself-to/) [J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/) > [The military mind has one aim, and that is to make soldiers react as mechanically as possible. They want the same predictability in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/the-military-mind-has-one-aim-and-that-is-to-make-soldiers-react-as/) [Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/) > [I was born military. I made up my mind right away, 'Im gong to do this for the rest of my life.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-boesch/i-was-born-military-i-made-up-my-mind-right-away-im-gong-to-do-this/) [Rudy Boesch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-boesch/) > [The professional military mind is by necessity an inferior and unimaginative mind; no man of high intellectual quality would willingly imprison his gifts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-professional-military-mind-is-by-necessity-an-inferior-and/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The military mind is indeed a menace. Old-fashioned futurity that sees only men fighting and dying in smoke and fire; hears nothing more civilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-casey/the-military-mind-is-indeed-a-menace-old-fashioned-futurity-that-sees/) [Sean O'Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-casey/) > [“The insensitivity of the military mind is the result of fearing the worst and acting on the basis of worst case scenarios. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rikhi-jaipal/the-insensitivity-of-the-military-mind-is-the-result-of-fearing-the/) [Rikhi Jaipal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rikhi-jaipal/) > [Nothing so comforts the military mind as the maxim of a great but dead general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-so-comforts-the-military-mind-as-the-maxim-of-a-great-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old one out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/the-only-thing-harder-than-getting-a-new-idea-into-the-military-mind/) [B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/) > [Some 70% to 80% of all who join the military will return to the civilian workforce. They'll return to communities, and one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mullen/some-70-to-80-of-all-who-join-the-military-will-return-to-the/) [Michael Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mullen/) > [Spending should be transparent. All spending by the Pentagon should be online. Every check. Exceptions should be made for legitimate national security issues. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/spending-should-be-transparent-all-spending-by-the-pentagon-should-be/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/after-i-was-discharged-from-the-military-it-was-difficult-trying-to/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [Civilian law around aviation is much looser than those governing military. Civilian planes can basically fly wherever they want in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/civilian-law-around-aviation-is-much-looser-than-those-governing/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) ## More by Mark Riebling > [Consider the death of Princess Diana. This accident involved an English citizen, with an Egyptian boyfriend, crashed in a French tunnel, driving a German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-riebling/consider-the-death-of-princess-diana-this-accident-involved-an/) [Mark Riebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-riebling/) > [ Winston Churchill led the life that many men would love to live. He survived 50 gunfights and drank 20,000 bottles of champagne. \[...\] And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-riebling/winston-churchill-led-the-life-that-many-men-would-love-to-live-he/) [Mark Riebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-riebling/) > [Every time the Secretary of Defense tries to get a hand on his many intelligence programs, we hear warnings about the dire consequences to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-riebling/every-time-the-secretary-of-defense-tries-to-get-a-hand-on-his-many/) [Mark Riebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-riebling/) [Explore all 4 Mark Riebling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-riebling/) ## More Civilian quotes > [Civilian law around aviation is much looser than those governing military. Civilian planes can basically fly wherever they want in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/civilian-law-around-aviation-is-much-looser-than-those-governing/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [After I was discharged from the military, it was difficult trying to become a civilian,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/after-i-was-discharged-from-the-military-it-was-difficult-trying-to/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [Spending should be transparent. All spending by the Pentagon should be online. Every check. Exceptions should be made for legitimate national security issues. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-norquist/spending-should-be-transparent-all-spending-by-the-pentagon-should-be/) [Grover Norquist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-norquist/) > [Some 70% to 80% of all who join the military will return to the civilian workforce. They'll return to communities, and one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mullen/some-70-to-80-of-all-who-join-the-military-will-return-to-the/) [Michael Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mullen/) > [I think it's a common misconception in the civilian community that the military community is filled with just drills and discipline and pain. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/i-think-it-s-a-common-misconception-in-the-civilian-community-that/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) > [Let the soldier yield to the civilian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-the-soldier-yield-to-the-civilian/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I'm a civilian, a citizen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/i-m-a-civilian-a-citizen/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [WikiLeaks exposed corruption, war crimes, torture and cover-ups. It showed that we were lied to about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemima-khan/wikileaks-exposed-corruption-war-crimes-torture-and-cover-ups-it/) [Jemima Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemima-khan/) > [During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Latin America moved decisively away from military rule and toward civilian democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/during-the-late-1970s-and-early-1980s-latin-america-moved-decisively/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [By citing the UN Charter I indicate that the defensive party to the conflict should use only proportionate force, try to avoid civilian casualties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhikkhu-bodhi/by-citing-the-un-charter-i-indicate-that-the-defensive-party-to-the/) [Bhikkhu Bodhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhikkhu-bodhi/) > [During my administration, our desire has been to strengthen the civilian spirit of our people. Thus, we have eliminated military ranks and salutes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/during-my-administration-our-desire-has-been-to-strengthen-the/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I'm a fully trained cosmonaut and have completed 800 hours training, which has made me the No. 1 civilian reserve ready to visit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/i-m-a-fully-trained-cosmonaut-and-have-completed-800-hours-training/) [Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/) > [“I’ve never shot a civilian except when under orders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-ve-never-shot-a-civilian-except-when-under-orders/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [It's important. One of the principles in the United States is civilian control of the military.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/it-s-important-one-of-the-principles-in-the-united-states-is-civilian/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [Nonetheless, Article 5 makes clear that if an Iraqi civilian who is not a member of the armed forces, has engaged in attacks on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/nonetheless-article-5-makes-clear-that-if-an-iraqi-civilian-who-is/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) [Browse all 108 Civilian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The military mind tends to be conservative, realistic and historical. The civilian mind tends to be liberal, idealistic and Utopian. 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