--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [The Poles] will die for their country…" description: "\"[The Poles] will die for their country; but few will work for it.\" — Norman Davies" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/norman-davies-9199_country_the-poles-will-die-for-their-country-but_249774.jpg" --- # \[The Poles\] will die for their country; but few will work… ![“[The Poles] will die for their country; but few will work for it.” quote by Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/norman-davies-9199_country_the-poles-will-die-for-their-country-but_249774.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/norman-davies-9199_country_the-poles-will-die-for-their-country-but_249774.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/710/norman-davies-9199_country_the-poles-will-die-for-their-country-but_249774.jpg) > “\[The Poles\] will die for their country; but few will work for it.” [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patriotic sacrifice is common, but genuine effort for the nation's welfare is rare. **In simple terms:** People die for country, few work for it. Key Takeaway Encourage active contribution over mere sacrifice. Themes patriotism work ethic national duty Mood thoughtful concerned Type historical social When to use this quote - military service - civil service - community projects - public policy Key Concepts history economics social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we motivate active civic work? - What barriers prevent people from working for their country? A Different Perspective Not all citizens have equal opportunity to contribute. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I will not die for my country,i will become sanjeevani for my country!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shyam-rao-mende/i-will-not-die-for-my-country-i-will-become-sanjeevani-for-my-country/) Shyam Rao Mende > [Most Poles are by temperament 'agin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/most-poles-are-by-temperament-agin/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [History must give the Poles the principal credit for bringing the Soviet bloc to its knees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/history-must-give-the-poles-the-principal-credit-for-bringing-the/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [“The way I see it, no one in this country should work full-time and still live in poverty—period.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-way-i-see-it-no-one-in-this-country-should-work-full-time-and/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Let your works not be interrupted by the stupidities happening in your own country! Work and walk on your true path ignoring any kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/let-your-works-not-be-interrupted-by-the-stupidities-happening-in/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I believe that India is such a big country that one must do as much work as possible. So I keep doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/i-believe-that-india-is-such-a-big-country-that-one-must-do-as-much/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [I was taught that in this country if you work hard, you can do anything, and I don't see a lot of those principles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-covert/i-was-taught-that-in-this-country-if-you-work-hard-you-can-do/) [Allen Covert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-covert/) > [If I really want to be the best player in the country, all I have to do is work at it, and eventually, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-cauley-stein/if-i-really-want-to-be-the-best-player-in-the-country-all-i-have-to/) [Willie Cauley-Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-cauley-stein/) > [The work to eradicate corruption must begin from the top. It is spread like termite in our country. We have to work at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-work-to-eradicate-corruption-must-begin-from-the-top-it-is-spread/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [When you work from city to city or country to country, you work the same way; the working method is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/when-you-work-from-city-to-city-or-country-to-country-you-work-the/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [It is sweet and honorable to die for your country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/it-is-sweet-and-honorable-to-die-for-your-country/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [I would die for my country, but I could never let my country die for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-kinnock/i-would-die-for-my-country-but-i-could-never-let-my-country-die-for-me/) [Neil Kinnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-kinnock/) > [You can die for your country. I'll live for mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-axelson/you-can-die-for-your-country-i-ll-live-for-mine/) Matthew Axelson > [The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/the-object-of-war-is-not-to-die-for-your-country-but-to-make-the/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [“We were all ready to die for the country but what we did not discover was we have to live for the country.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-paredes/we-were-all-ready-to-die-for-the-country-but-what-we-did-not-discover/) Jim Paredes ## More by Norman Davies > [All states and nations, however great, bloom for a season and are replaced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/all-states-and-nations-however-great-bloom-for-a-season-and-are/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [The Law and Justice government does not want a bunch of foreign historians to decide what goes on in 'their' museum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/the-law-and-justice-government-does-not-want-a-bunch-of-foreign/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [For people familiar with Eastern Europe, Marci Shore's 'The Taste of Ashes' is, in spite of its subject matter, delicious. A professor at Yale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/for-people-familiar-with-eastern-europe-marci-shore-s-the-taste-of/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [The one certainly for anyone in the path of an avalanche is this: standing still is not an option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/the-one-certainly-for-anyone-in-the-path-of-an-avalanche-is-this/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [Young people have to learn in a cocoon filled with false optimism. Unlike their parents and grandparents, they grow up with very little sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/young-people-have-to-learn-in-a-cocoon-filled-with-false-optimism/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [Any historian worth their salt should be aware of wars, conflicts, catastrophes. They happen. This is part of the panorama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/any-historian-worth-their-salt-should-be-aware-of-wars-conflicts/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [It was in the 20th century that national sovereignty really ruled the roost, and the E.U. was formed to cure that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/it-was-in-the-20th-century-that-national-sovereignty-really-ruled-the/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [“Although the rival cereals of rye, barley,oats, buckwheat and millet have continued to exist in Europe, the triumphal march of king wheat was uncontestable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/although-the-rival-cereals-of-rye-barley-oats-buckwheat-and-millet/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [The Russian myths of the Second World War are still intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/the-russian-myths-of-the-second-world-war-are-still-intact/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [One might have thought that 70 years was time enough to work out what really happened in 1939. 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Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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