---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War, the ordinary man's most convenient…"
description: "\"War, the ordinary man's most convenient means of escaping from the ordinary.\" — Philip Caputo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png"
---

#  War, the ordinary man's most convenient means of escaping…

![“War, the ordinary man's most convenient means of escaping from the ordinary.” quote by Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png)

> “War, the ordinary man's most convenient means of escaping from the ordinary.”

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

War offers an easy escape from everyday life for ordinary people.

**In simple terms:** War is an escape.

Key Takeaway

Consider the true cost of such escapes.

Themes

war escape ordinary life

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

analytical commentary

When to use this quote

- military service
- political protest
- media consumption
- personal stress

Key Concepts

political science human behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do people seek escape in conflict?
- What healthier escapes exist?

A Different Perspective

Escaping through war has severe consequences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Convenient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convenient/) [Escaping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping/) [Escaping Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping-ordinary-983464/) [Man Convenient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-convenient-3538438/) [Marine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine/) [Marine corps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marine-corps/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-man/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [War Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war-ordinary-3538437/)

## Related quotes

> [“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-used-to-dream-about-escaping-my-ordinary-life-but-my-life-was-never-3/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-used-to-dream-about-escaping-my-ordinary-life-but-my-life-was-never-2/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [This war is not an ordinary war. It is the war of the entire Russian people. Not only to eliminate the danger hanging over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/this-war-is-not-an-ordinary-war-it-is-the-war-of-the-entire-russian/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

> [“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-used-to-dream-about-escaping-my-ordinary-life-but-my-life-was-never/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [“Ten days passed, ten days of total idleness. The novelty of our surroundings wore off and the battalion began to suffer from a spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/ten-days-passed-ten-days-of-total-idleness-the-novelty-of-our/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [“The essence of the Marine Corps experience, I decided, was pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/the-essence-of-the-marine-corps-experience-i-decided-was-pain/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [ the ordinary man's experience is chaotic, irregular, fragmentary. \[He\] falls in love or reads Spinoza, and these two experiences have nothing to do with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-ordinary-man-s-experience-is-chaotic-irregular-fragmentary-he/)

[T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/)

> [That which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualified in. and the best of me is diligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/that-which-ordinary-men-are-fit-for-i-am-qualified-in-and-the-best-of/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [For the ordinary man, whose mind is a checkerboard of crisscrossing reflections, opinions, and prejudices, bare attention is virtually impossible; his life is thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kapleau/for-the-ordinary-man-whose-mind-is-a-checkerboard-of-crisscrossing/)

[Philip Kapleau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kapleau/)

> [I'm just an ordinary man. I get tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakii-retondo/i-m-just-an-ordinary-man-i-get-tired/)

[Rakii Retondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakii-retondo/)

> [Genius... is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/genius-is-the-capacity-to-see-ten-things-where-the-ordinary-man-sees/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-was-the-most-ordinary-man-in-all-the-world-and-yet-in-her-memory/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [Brian and I have ups and downs like every marriage does. Although he's a legend, he's still, inside, an ordinary man, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-dobson/brian-and-i-have-ups-and-downs-like-every-marriage-does-although-he-s/)

[Anita Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-dobson/)

> [One machine can do the work of hundred ordinary men but no machine can do the work of one extra ordinary man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smartmuslimanas/one-machine-can-do-the-work-of-hundred-ordinary-men-but-no-machine/)

[SmartMuslimAnas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smartmuslimanas/)

> [A warrior, or any man for that matter, cannot possibly wish he were somewhere else; a warrior because he lives by challenge, an ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/a-warrior-or-any-man-for-that-matter-cannot-possibly-wish-he-were/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

## More by Philip Caputo

> [Being a correspondent at the Vietnam war for me was about exposing myself to danger but it wasn't completely self-serving. I felt that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/being-a-correspondent-at-the-vietnam-war-for-me-was-about-exposing/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [I'm a Midwesterner by birth, and when I traveled there, when I was young, most of the small towns were thriving, vibrant places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/i-m-a-midwesterner-by-birth-and-when-i-traveled-there-when-i-was/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [You're going to learn that one of the most brutal things in the world is your average nineteen-year-old American boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/you-re-going-to-learn-that-one-of-the-most-brutal-things-in-the-world/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [ “I really believe that when we start talking ourselves back, we'll have more to offer the world." he \[Woodenkinfe\] said. "I don't want a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/i-really-believe-that-when-we-start-talking-ourselves-back-we-ll-have/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [“The essence of the Marine Corps experience, I decided, was pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/the-essence-of-the-marine-corps-experience-i-decided-was-pain/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [“Directly overhead the Milky Way was as distinct as a highway across the sky. The constellations shown brilliantly, except the north, where they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/directly-overhead-the-milky-way-was-as-distinct-as-a-highway-across/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [There is the guilt all soldiers feel for having broken the taboo against killing, a guilt as old as war itself. Add to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/there-is-the-guilt-all-soldiers-feel-for-having-broken-the-taboo/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [Belief is a virus, and once it gets into you, its first order of business is to preserve itself, and the way it preserves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/belief-is-a-virus-and-once-it-gets-into-you-its-first-order-of/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [“Before you leave here, Sir, you’re going to learn that one of the most brutal things in the world is your average nineteen-year-old American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/before-you-leave-here-sir-you-re-going-to-learn-that-one-of-the-most/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [In a guerrilla war, the line between legitimate and illegitimate killing is blurred. The policies of free-fire zones, in which a soldier is permitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/in-a-guerrilla-war-the-line-between-legitimate-and-illegitimate/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [It’s paradoxical that the death of your quarry is besides the point and at the same time the whole point. A chase without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/it-s-paradoxical-that-the-death-of-your-quarry-is-besides-the-point/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [I guess every generation is doomed to fight its war...suffer the loss of the same old illusions, and learn the same old lessons on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/i-guess-every-generation-is-doomed-to-fight-its-war-suffer-the-loss/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [“Ten days passed, ten days of total idleness. The novelty of our surroundings wore off and the battalion began to suffer from a spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/ten-days-passed-ten-days-of-total-idleness-the-novelty-of-our/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [“Fitzhugh wasn’t immune to the desire that’s in most people to spray graffiti on the cold rock of the world and say “I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/fitzhugh-wasn-t-immune-to-the-desire-that-s-in-most-people-to-spray/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

> [In wartime, the degree of patriotism is directly proportional to distance from the front.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/in-wartime-the-degree-of-patriotism-is-directly-proportional-to/)

[Philip Caputo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

[Explore all 20 Philip Caputo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/)

## More Convenient quotes

> [For rich children, it'd be very easy and convenient never to take any steps to build an identity outside of your association with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-johnson/for-rich-children-it-d-be-very-easy-and-convenient-never-to-take-any/)

[Jamie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-johnson/)

> [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/)

[George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/)

> [Any creative process is about being in a territory which isn't secure, isn't necessarily familiar, and isn't convenient in any sort of way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/any-creative-process-is-about-being-in-a-territory-which-isn-t-secure/)

[Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/)

> [Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure &amp; perpetuate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/rulers-who-wished-to-subvert-the-public-liberty-may-have-found-an/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [I think if you look all across the country, the so-called Blue Dogs are all gone to kennel. There are no more Blue Dogs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-if-you-look-all-across-the-country-the-so-called-blue-dogs/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you are my friend,you are down for me at all times,not just when it's convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-v/if-you-are-my-friend-you-are-down-for-me-at-all-times-not-just-when/)

[Jasmine V](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-v/)

> [It is convenient that there be gods, and, as it is convenient, let us believe there are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-convenient-that-there-be-gods-and-as-it-is-convenient-let-us/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/prayer-is-not-a-convenient-device-for-imposing-our-will-upon-god-or/)

[John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/)

> [. . . by natural selection our mind has adapted itself to the conditions of the external world. It has adopted the geometry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/by-natural-selection-our-mind-has-adapted-itself-to-the-conditions-of/)

[Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/)

> [Cell phones are so convenient that they're an inconvenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/cell-phones-are-so-convenient-that-they-re-an-inconvenience/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [But while capitalism may be a convenient scapegoat, it did not cause any of these problems. Indeed, whatever one wishes to call the unruly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaron-brook/but-while-capitalism-may-be-a-convenient-scapegoat-it-did-not-cause/)

[Yaron Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaron-brook/)

> [People do what seems easy and convenient, not what is best for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spence/people-do-what-seems-easy-and-convenient-not-what-is-best-for-them/)

[John Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spence/)

> [With Zipcar, consumers avoid the upfront cost of buying a car, not to mention gas, insurance, and repairs. Plus, they reduce the number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-jurich/with-zipcar-consumers-avoid-the-upfront-cost-of-buying-a-car-not-to/)

[Lynn Jurich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-jurich/)

> [It is highly convenient to believe in the infinite mercy of God when you feel the need of mercy, but remember also his infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/it-is-highly-convenient-to-believe-in-the-infinite-mercy-of-god-when/)

[Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/)

> [ I think everybody is covering their \[posteriors\] with the Enron scandal and it was very convenient that Sept. 11 came along to deflect the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-think-everybody-is-covering-their-posteriors-with-the-enron-scandal/)

[Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/)

[Browse all 388 Convenient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convenient/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "War, the ordinary man's most convenient means of escaping from the ordinary.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Caputo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-means-of-escaping-from-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Convenient"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-means-of-escaping-from-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f16/philip-caputo-27862_convenient_war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-m_1191693.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“War, the ordinary man's most convenient means of escaping from the ordinary.” — Philip Caputo",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Philip Caputo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-caputo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "War, the ordinary man's most convenient...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-means-of-escaping-from-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-caputo/war-the-ordinary-man-s-most-convenient-means-of-escaping-from-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
