--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Until we’re dead, we Service people, the…" description: "\"“Until we’re dead, we Service people, the world will always be in danger of another war. We had too good a time in the last one. We’ll none of us come ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/nevil-shute-16517_time_until-we-re-dead-we-service-people-the-w_262804.jpg" --- # Until we’re dead, we Service people, the world will always… ![“Until we’re dead, we Service people, the world will always be in danger of another war. We had too good a time in the last one. We’ll none of us come out into the open and admit it. It might be better for us if we did. [...] For our generation, the war years were the best time of our lives, not…” quote by Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/nevil-shute-16517_time_until-we-re-dead-we-service-people-the-w_262804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/nevil-shute-16517_time_until-we-re-dead-we-service-people-the-w_262804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/nevil-shute-16517_time_until-we-re-dead-we-service-people-the-w_262804.jpg) > ““Until we’re dead, we Service people, the world will always be in danger of another war. We had too good a time in the last one. We’ll none of us come out into the open and admit it. It might be better for us if we did. \[...\] For our generation, the war years were the best time of our lives, not because they were war years but because we were young. The best years of our lives happened to be war years. Everyone looks back at the time when they were in their early twenties with nostalgia, but when we look back we only see the war. We had a fine time then, and so we think that if a third war came we’d have those happy, carefree years all over again. I don’t suppose we would—some of us might.”” [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War creates intense, youthful experiences that later feel nostalgic, but glorifying them overlooks the suffering and danger inherent in conflict. **In simple terms:** War years feel intense and nostalgic, yet are dangerous. Key Takeaway Recognize the cost of war, not just the thrill. Themes war nostalgia memory generational trauma youth Mood reflective somber thoughtful Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - education - peace activism - personal storytelling - mental health counseling Key Concepts historical cycles psychology of nostalgia peace advocacy Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can we learn from past wars? - How does nostalgia affect our view of conflict? A Different Perspective Nostalgia can romanticize conflict, obscuring its horrors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-time/) [Best Years Of Our Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-years-of-our-lives/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time of our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-of-our-lives/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Years Of Our Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-of-our-lives/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [“Though the ending is schmaltzy, there was bite enough in the film to distinguish it from a Norman Rockwell vision of the nation. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/though-the-ending-is-schmaltzy-there-was-bite-enough-in-the-film-to/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [“We need to take on sin patterns and defeat them by the power of the Spirit. 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The War seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/when-i-was-first-sent-from-h-m-s-king-alfred-to-be-interviewed-by/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [You cannot argue stupidity, you just have to accept it patiently as one of those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/you-cannot-argue-stupidity-you-just-have-to-accept-it-patiently-as/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [“Only by an act of treachery to those who believe in us can either of us escape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/only-by-an-act-of-treachery-to-those-who-believe-in-us-can-either-of/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [“Here they go cruising for a fortnight up in parts where everyone is dead of radiation, and all that they can catch is measles!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/here-they-go-cruising-for-a-fortnight-up-in-parts-where-everyone-is/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [“Security was now a thing of the past though it took a conscious effort to remember it; with no enemy in all the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/security-was-now-a-thing-of-the-past-though-it-took-a-conscious/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [Without work men are utterly undone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/without-work-men-are-utterly-undone/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [Remember that the Clerget lands very fast, at over forty miles an hour, and with that great engine in the nose the tail was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/remember-that-the-clerget-lands-very-fast-at-over-forty-miles-an-hour/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) [Explore all 39 Nevil Shute quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) ## More Best time quotes > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' 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The best years of our lives happened to be war years. Everyone looks back at the time when they were in their early twenties with nostalgia, but when we look back we only see the war. We had a fine time then, and so we think that if a third war came we’d have those happy, carefree years all over again. 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