--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This \"sir, yes sir\" business, which would…" description: "\"“This \"sir, yes sir\" business, which would probably sound like horseshit to any civilian in his right mind, makes sense to Shaftoe and to the officers ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png" --- # This "sir, yes sir" business, which would probably sound… ![“This "sir, yes sir" business, which would probably sound like horseshit to any civilian in his right mind, makes sense to Shaftoe and to the officers in a deep and important way. Like a lot of others, Shaftoe had trouble with military etiquette at first. He soaked up quite a bit of it growing up…” quote by Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png) > ““This "sir, yes sir" business, which would probably sound like horseshit to any civilian in his right mind, makes sense to Shaftoe and to the officers in a deep and important way. Like a lot of others, Shaftoe had trouble with military etiquette at first. He soaked up quite a bit of it growing up in a military family, but living the life was a different matter. Having now experienced all the phases of military existence except for the terminal ones (violent death, court-martial, retirement), he has come to understand the culture for what it is: a system of etiquette within which it becomes possible for groups of men to live together for years, travel to the ends of the earth, and do all kinds of incredibly weird shit without killing each other or completely losing their minds in the process. The extreme formality with which he addresses these officers carries an important subtext: your problem, sir, is deciding what you want me to do, and my problem, sir, is doing it. My gung-ho posture says that once you give the order I'm not going to bother you with any of the details--and your half of the bargain is you had better stay on your side of the line, sir, and not bother me with any of the chickenshit politics that you have to deal with for a living. The implied responsibility placed upon the officer's shoulders by the subordinate's unhesitating willingness to follow orders is a withering burden to any officer with half a brain, and Shaftoe has more than once seen seasoned noncoms reduce green lieutenants to quivering blobs simply by standing before them and agreeing, cheerfully, to carry out their orders.”” [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Military culture relies on strict etiquette to enable cooperation among soldiers, allowing them to function together despite absurdities and dangers. **In simple terms:** Strict etiquette lets soldiers work together despite chaos. Key Takeaway Respect hierarchy and communicate clearly. Themes military etiquette leadership cooperation culture Mood tense reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - boot camp - combat missions - long deployments - command decisions Key Concepts hierarchy burden of command obedience subordination Questions to Reflect On - How does formality affect moral responsibility? - When should subordinates question orders? A Different Perspective The system can suppress individual moral judgment and lead to blind obedience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addresses Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses-officers-3993298/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Follow Orders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-orders-852641/) [Living the life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-the-life/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military Etiquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-etiquette-3993297/) [Military family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-family/) [Sense Shaftoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-shaftoe-3993299/) [Shaftoe Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaftoe-officers-3993296/) ## Related quotes > [“Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/death-is-a-dignitary-who-when-he-comes-announced-is-to-be-received-2/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Sometimes you have to follow orders so you can stay safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-whitlow/sometimes-you-have-to-follow-orders-so-you-can-stay-safe/) [Lexi Whitlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-whitlow/) > [“The reluctance of unschooled workers to follow orders has taken many forms. 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Like a lot of others, Shaftoe had trouble with military etiquette at first. He soaked up quite a bit of it growing up in a military family, but living the life was a different matter. Having now experienced all the phases of military existence except for the terminal ones (violent death, court-martial, retirement), he has come to understand the culture for what it is: a system of etiquette within which it becomes possible for groups of men to live together for years, travel to the ends of the earth, and do all kinds of incredibly weird shit without killing each other or completely losing their minds in the process. The extreme formality with which he addresses these officers carries an important subtext: your problem, sir, is deciding what you want me to do, and my problem, sir, is doing it. My gung-ho posture says that once you give the order I'm not going to bother you with any of the details--and your half of the bargain is you had better stay on your side of the line, sir, and not bother me with any of the chickenshit politics that you have to deal with for a living. The implied responsibility placed upon the officer's shoulders by the subordinate's unhesitating willingness to follow orders is a withering burden to any officer with half a brain, and Shaftoe has more than once seen seasoned noncoms reduce green lieutenants to quivering blobs simply by standing before them and agreeing, cheerfully, to carry out their orders.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Stephenson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-probably-sound-like-horseshit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-probably-sound-like-horseshit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/neal-stephenson-362_business_this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-pr_2070196.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This \"sir, yes sir\" business, which would probably sound like horseshit to any civilian in his right mind…” — Neal Stephenson", "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": "Neal Stephenson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This \"sir, yes sir\" business, which...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-probably-sound-like-horseshit/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/this-sir-yes-sir-business-which-would-probably-sound-like-horseshit/#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 } } ] } ```