--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I joined the special forces it was…" description: "\"When I joined the special forces it was never for the money. It was for pure desire to serve in an elite unit.\" — Nirmal Purja" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/nirmal-purja-17030_army_when-i-joined-the-special-forces-it-was_3045509.jpg" --- # When I joined the special forces it was never for the… ![“When I joined the special forces it was never for the money. It was for pure desire to serve in an elite unit.” quote by Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/nirmal-purja-17030_army_when-i-joined-the-special-forces-it-was_3045509.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/nirmal-purja-17030_army_when-i-joined-the-special-forces-it-was_3045509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/nirmal-purja-17030_army_when-i-joined-the-special-forces-it-was_3045509.jpg) > “When I joined the special forces it was never for the money. It was for pure desire to serve in an elite unit.” [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Joining elite forces was driven by a pure desire to serve, not by financial gain. **In simple terms:** Service motivated by pure desire, not money. Key Takeaway Identify intrinsic motivations for service. Themes military service motivation elite units values Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational ethical When to use this quote - career counseling - leadership training - personal development - military history - ethics Key Concepts altruism personal calling leadership ethical duty Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your desire to serve? - How to maintain pure motives in high-stakes roles? A Different Perspective Financial incentives can still influence decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Elite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Special forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special-forces/) ## Related quotes > [Spartan is about this elite unit of the armed forces named the Delta Force. I play a protege of Val Kilmer's character, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-luke/spartan-is-about-this-elite-unit-of-the-armed-forces-named-the-delta/) [Derek Luke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-luke/) > [The SAS is the most elite of the special forces in the world. 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You're not trying to bomb innocent people. And that requires intelligence and confidence in our military to be able to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-bomb-isil-you-re-not-trying-to-bomb-innocent-people-and-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“The Ganeva conference on Indochina agreements stated that the south of Vietnam would be handed over to a provisional administration after two years at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/the-ganeva-conference-on-indochina-agreements-stated-that-the-south/) [Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/) > [“Michael Freeman was thirty-five years old – a former Special Forces soldier turned policeman. He was a tall and slim black man, with grey-flecked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-conway/michael-freeman-was-thirty-five-years-old-a-former-special-forces/) Simon Conway > [“Military life and culture seem to be foreign territory for many of the people who write for national magazines and newspapers today. Every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell/military-life-and-culture-seem-to-be-foreign-territory-for-many-of/) [Marcus Luttrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-luttrell/) ## More by Nirmal Purja > [I genuinely feel like, when people climb K2, it's everywhere in the news, everybody covers it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/i-genuinely-feel-like-when-people-climb-k2-it-s-everywhere-in-the/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [When people are in stressful situations, they do shout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/when-people-are-in-stressful-situations-they-do-shout/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [My father was a Gurkha, as well as my brothers, and I appreciated the attitude I saw coming from them after they joined. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/my-father-was-a-gurkha-as-well-as-my-brothers-and-i-appreciated-the/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [Sherpa were always involved with the setting of the lines, but they never got the platform to tell any story, I think. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/sherpa-were-always-involved-with-the-setting-of-the-lines-but-they/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [You definitely need a really decent bomb-proof summit suit, because that's what you wear in these extreme conditions and at extreme altitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/you-definitely-need-a-really-decent-bomb-proof-summit-suit-because/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [We all have fear in life. I don't let that fear control me. I control it, manage it, use it as a positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/we-all-have-fear-in-life-i-don-t-let-that-fear-control-me-i-control/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [The hardest climb for me was Kangchenjunga, at 28,169 feet the world's third-highest mountain. The first thing that made this summit difficult was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/the-hardest-climb-for-me-was-kangchenjunga-at-28-169-feet-the-world-s/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [Rescuing people from 8,450 meters is way harder than climbing a mountain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/rescuing-people-from-8-450-meters-is-way-harder-than-climbing-a/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [There were no good schools in my village. So my family moved so that my siblings and I would get a better education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/there-were-no-good-schools-in-my-village-so-my-family-moved-so-that/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [I was head of the Cold Weather Warfare unit within the Special Boat Service. My job was to do extreme climbs, learn about new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/i-was-head-of-the-cold-weather-warfare-unit-within-the-special-boat/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [I summited four mountains - Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I - in one push. I didn't camp anywhere. Just went boom, summit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/i-summited-four-mountains-kangchenjunga-makalu-broad-peak-and/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [Because of what I did and where I came from, people just assumed I'd climbed every mountain in my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/because-of-what-i-did-and-where-i-came-from-people-just-assumed-i-d/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [I was born in Nepal, I grew up in the Gurkhas, and I became a man in the SBS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/i-was-born-in-nepal-i-grew-up-in-the-gurkhas-and-i-became-a-man-in/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) > [I convinced my wife to let me climb Everest. 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