--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because here's the thing―we don't give a…" description: "\"“Because here's the thing―we don't give a shit about fairness here. We're soldiers. Soldiers do not give the other guy a sporting chance. Soldiers shoo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/orson-scott-card-134_bean_because-here-s-the-thing-we-don-t-give-a_1034086.jpg" --- # Because here's the thing―we don't give a shit about… ![“Because here's the thing―we don't give a shit about fairness here. We're soldiers. Soldiers do not give the other guy a sporting chance. Soldiers shoot in the back, lay traps and ambushes, lie to the enemy and outnumber the other bastard every chance they get. Your kind of murder only works among…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/orson-scott-card-134_bean_because-here-s-the-thing-we-don-t-give-a_1034086.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/orson-scott-card-134_bean_because-here-s-the-thing-we-don-t-give-a_1034086.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/orson-scott-card-134_bean_because-here-s-the-thing-we-don-t-give-a_1034086.jpg) > ““Because here's the thing―we don't give a shit about fairness here. We're soldiers. Soldiers do not give the other guy a sporting chance. Soldiers shoot in the back, lay traps and ambushes, lie to the enemy and outnumber the other bastard every chance they get. Your kind of murder only works among civilians. And you were too cocky, too stupid, too insane to realize it.”” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War demands ruthless tactics; fairness is abandoned for survival and victory. **In simple terms:** War is brutal, not fair. Key Takeaway Accept harsh realities of conflict. Themes war survival morality strategy Mood grim serious Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - combat training - leadership decisions - enemy engagement - ethical debates Key Concepts realpolitik dehumanization military ethics Questions to Reflect On - Is winning worth losing moral compass? - How do we balance necessity with ethics? A Different Perspective Such ruthlessness can erode humanity and long‑term stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambushes Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambushes-lie-2379109/) [Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bean/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Fairness Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness-soldiers-2379108/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers/) [Soldiers Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers-shoot-2379111/) [Soldiers Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiers-soldiers-2379110/) ## Related quotes > [Go, bid the soldiers shoot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/go-bid-the-soldiers-shoot/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Peacekeeping is not a job for soldiers, but only soldiers can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/peacekeeping-is-not-a-job-for-soldiers-but-only-soldiers-can-do-it/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [“I’m a soldier,’ Nathan said. ‘We’re all soldiers, now. Soldiers don’t leave people behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-kirwan/i-m-a-soldier-nathan-said-we-re-all-soldiers-now-soldiers-don-t-leave/) [Barry Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-kirwan/) > [But sons have to be soldiers. And soldiers adapt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-sons-have-to-be-soldiers-and-soldiers-adapt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You honor our humble abode,' said Bean. 'I do, don't I,' said Peter with a smile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-honor-our-humble-abode-said-bean-i-do-don-t-i-said-peter-with-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Because these fools always look up for power. People above you, they never want to share power with you. 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Like I did today, you can turn it over to me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-would-carry-some-of-it-if-i-could-bean-said-silently-like-i-did/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“It didn't matter he was brilliant and dedicated and good. He was a child. He was young. No he isn't, thought Ender. Small, yes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/it-didn-t-matter-he-was-brilliant-and-dedicated-and-good-he-was-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Bean sighed inwardly. It never failed. Whenever he had any conversation with Ender, it turned into an argument.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/bean-sighed-inwardly-it-never-failed-whenever-he-had-any-conversation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“But what kind of race is it, when the racers never let go of each other's hands, and the winner pulls the loser laughing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/but-what-kind-of-race-is-it-when-the-racers-never-let-go-of-each/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## More by Orson Scott Card > [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Why did he hesitate? 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There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) [Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## More Bean quotes > [When I was in eighth grade, I got the nickname Bean. It was from one of the seniors on the team. She called me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breanna-stewart/when-i-was-in-eighth-grade-i-got-the-nickname-bean-it-was-from-one-of/) [Breanna Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breanna-stewart/) > [“But what kind of race is it, when the racers never let go of each other's hands, and the winner pulls the loser laughing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/but-what-kind-of-race-is-it-when-the-racers-never-let-go-of-each/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“He had never seen any child show any desire or emotion that he himself had not felt. The only difference was that Bean was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-had-never-seen-any-child-show-any-desire-or-emotion-that-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Until you get left for Mr. Bean, you don't realise how frequently he pops up. There's a shop two streets from my house that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-acaster/until-you-get-left-for-mr-bean-you-don-t-realise-how-frequently-he/) [James Acaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-acaster/) > [I love to make soups. My father used to say, 'There's nothing like a nice bowl of soup.' One of my favorites is... ready?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-danza/i-love-to-make-soups-my-father-used-to-say-there-s-nothing-like-a/) [Tony Danza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-danza/) > [“Bean sighed inwardly. It never failed. Whenever he had any conversation with Ender, it turned into an argument.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/bean-sighed-inwardly-it-never-failed-whenever-he-had-any-conversation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [You don't have to become a vegan. You can become a plant-passionate, plant-inspired bean lover!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-carr/you-don-t-have-to-become-a-vegan-you-can-become-a-plant-passionate/) [Kris Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-carr/) > [“It didn't matter he was brilliant and dedicated and good. He was a child. He was young. No he isn't, thought Ender. Small, yes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/it-didn-t-matter-he-was-brilliant-and-dedicated-and-good-he-was-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The difference between a cow and a bean is a bean can begin an adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/the-difference-between-a-cow-and-a-bean-is-a-bean-can-begin-an/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [“I would carry some of it if I could, Bean said silently. Like I did today, you can turn it over to me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-would-carry-some-of-it-if-i-could-bean-said-silently-like-i-did/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“How much time? Not as much as I had yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/how-much-time-not-as-much-as-i-had-yesterday/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“It is my trade," he said. "I work for the bean family, and every day there are deaths among the beans, mostly from thirst.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/it-is-my-trade-he-said-i-work-for-the-bean-family-and-every-day-there/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I'm very pleased with being a part of the Bean Pole family. It's a relationship that makes sense to me. 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Soldiers do not give the other guy a sporting chance. Soldiers shoot in the back, lay traps and ambushes, lie to the enemy and outnumber the other bastard every chance they get. Your kind of murder only works among civilians. 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