--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maezr smiled. \"A hundred years ago…" description: "\"“Maezr smiled. \"A hundred years ago, Ender, we found out some things. That when a commander's life is in danger he becomes afraid, and fear slows down ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/orson-scott-card-134_commander_maezr-smiled-a-hundred-years-ago-ender-w_930145.jpg" --- # Maezr smiled. "A hundred years ago, Ender, we found out… ![“Maezr smiled. "A hundred years ago, Ender, we found out some things. That when a commander's life is in danger he becomes afraid, and fear slows down his thinking. When a commander knows that he's killing people, he becomes cautious or insane, and neither of those help him do well. And when he's…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/orson-scott-card-134_commander_maezr-smiled-a-hundred-years-ago-ender-w_930145.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/orson-scott-card-134_commander_maezr-smiled-a-hundred-years-ago-ender-w_930145.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/orson-scott-card-134_commander_maezr-smiled-a-hundred-years-ago-ender-w_930145.jpg) > ““Maezr smiled. "A hundred years ago, Ender, we found out some things. That when a commander's life is in danger he becomes afraid, and fear slows down his thinking. When a commander knows that he's killing people, he becomes cautious or insane, and neither of those help him do well. And when he's mature, when he has responsibilities and an understanding of the world, he becomes cautious and sluggish and can't do his job. So we trained children, who didn't know anything but the game, and never knew when it would become real. That was the theory, and you proved that the theory worked.”” [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. The quote argues that fear and moral awareness hinder a commander’s effectiveness, so training naive children avoids those limits. **In simple terms:** Fear and conscience can impair leadership; training uninformed youths sidesteps this. Key Takeaway Consider the trade‑off between experience and emotional burden in leadership. Themes leadership fear morality training experience Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - military command - leadership training - educational programs - high‑stress decision making Key Concepts psychology military strategy ethics Questions to Reflect On - Can leaders be both experienced and emotionally resilient? - What safeguards balance innocence and competence? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on naive participants may cause ethical issues and lack of judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“This theory worked well for my sister, who has never been sick a day in her life, and is one of those Amazonian women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/this-theory-worked-well-for-my-sister-who-has-never-been-sick-a-day/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“The great commander knows that in order to win one needs to know the remote and also the immediate reasons for the war, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-magris/the-great-commander-knows-that-in-order-to-win-one-needs-to-know-the/) [Claudio Magris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-magris/) > [“The commander knows the troops" applies everywhere in fights in my Way of strategy. 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That when a commander's life is in danger he becomes afraid, and fear slows down his thinking. When a commander knows that he's killing people, he becomes cautious or insane, and neither of those help him do well. And when he's mature, when he has responsibilities and an understanding of the world, he becomes cautious and sluggish and can't do his job. So we trained children, who didn't know anything but the game, and never knew when it would become real. 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