--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I considered the practice the equivalent…" description: "\"“I considered the practice the equivalent of involuntary servitude and a breach of faith with those affected, and I was determined to end it. A few mon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-m-gates-2972_retired_i-considered-the-practice-the-equivalent_669090.jpg" --- # I considered the practice the equivalent of involuntary… ![“I considered the practice the equivalent of involuntary servitude and a breach of faith with those affected, and I was determined to end it. A few months before I retired, not one soldier was on stop-loss.” quote by Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-m-gates-2972_retired_i-considered-the-practice-the-equivalent_669090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-m-gates-2972_retired_i-considered-the-practice-the-equivalent_669090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-m-gates-2972_retired_i-considered-the-practice-the-equivalent_669090.jpg) > ““I considered the practice the equivalent of involuntary servitude and a breach of faith with those affected, and I was determined to end it. A few months before I retired, not one soldier was on stop-loss.”” [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He ended involuntary service, stopping stop‑loss for soldiers. **In simple terms:** Ended forced service for troops. Key Takeaway Advocate humane military policies. Themes leadership ethics military Mood compassionate determined Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - military reform - veteran support - policy making Key Concepts human rights service contracts Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives protect readiness? - How to support affected personnel? A Different Perspective Operational challenges remain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Involuntary Servitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/involuntary-servitude-1760148/) [Months Retired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months-retired-4307135/) [Retired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retired/) [Retired Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retired-soldier-5316448/) [Soldier Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier-stop-5316447/) ## Related quotes > [I got pregnant five or six months after I retired, and then it was off to the races! 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There can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/no-man-can-have-a-right-to-impose-an-unchosen-obligation-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [By its attempt to regulate and govern the private businesses, which are miscalled public accommodations in the bill, this proposal would inject the Government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/strom-thurmond/by-its-attempt-to-regulate-and-govern-the-private-businesses-which/) [Strom Thurmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/strom-thurmond/) > [All forms of involuntary servitude are prohibited, not only slavery but also conscription, forced association, and forced welfare distribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/all-forms-of-involuntary-servitude-are-prohibited-not-only-slavery/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Statutes that curtail her abortion choice are disturbingly suggestive of involuntary servitude, prohibited by the Thirteenth Amendment, in that forced pregnancy requires a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-johnsen/statutes-that-curtail-her-abortion-choice-are-disturbingly-suggestive/) [Dawn Johnsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-johnsen/) > [When caring for your neighbor becomes a compulsory obligation imposed by government instead of voluntary, charity turns to confiscation and freedom to achieve to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-parker/when-caring-for-your-neighbor-becomes-a-compulsory-obligation-imposed/) [Star Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/star-parker/) > [I am surprised that many people disregard the fact that the end for almost all drug dealers ends up being the cemetery or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-escobar/i-am-surprised-that-many-people-disregard-the-fact-that-the-end-for/) [Juan Pablo Escobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-escobar/) > [Old ladies in wheelchairs with blankets over their legs, I don't think so...retired mermaids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-jones/old-ladies-in-wheelchairs-with-blankets-over-their-legs-i-don-t-think/) [Milton Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-jones/) > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [I retired one year in 1959. But then I realized I wanted to play more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blanda/i-retired-one-year-in-1959-but-then-i-realized-i-wanted-to-play-more/) [George Blanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blanda/) > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/i-want-to-concentrate-on-winning-things-with-barcelona-and-argentina/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [I've retired my sneakers for stilettos, baby!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivica-a-fox/i-ve-retired-my-sneakers-for-stilettos-baby/) [Vivica A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivica-a-fox/) > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) ## More by Robert M. Gates > [And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/and-so-the-greatest-of-american-triumphs-became-a-peculiarly-joyless/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama answered, “Yes. I’m no peacenik.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-answered-yes-i-m-no-peacenik/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I was seething. I told him that “the clock is ticking” and that our patience with their lack of political progress was running out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-was-seething-i-told-him-that-the-clock-is-ticking-and-that-our/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Some people have said, in so many words, that I'm kind of wooly-headed in believing that the Iranians would see not having nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/some-people-have-said-in-so-many-words-that-i-m-kind-of-wooly-headed/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama was the fourth president I had worked for who said outright that he wanted to eliminate all nuclear weapons (Carter, Reagan, and Bush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-was-the-fourth-president-i-had-worked-for-who-said-outright/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no concerns - I had no reason to have concerns based on what was available to me about North's contacts with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-concerns-i-had-no-reason-to-have-concerns-based-on-what-was/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/health-care-costs-are-eating-the-defense-department-alive/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“The passage of fourteen years had led to another significant change in the international environment. As I told Bush 43 and Condi Rice on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-passage-of-fourteen-years-had-led-to-another-significant-change/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I've been very sensitive for a long time to the repeated pattern, during economic hard times or after a war, of the United States'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-ve-been-very-sensitive-for-a-long-time-to-the-repeated-pattern/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I don't know General Michael Flynn well, but it's hard for me to believe anybody would allow themselves to be blackmailed by the Russians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-don-t-know-general-michael-flynn-well-but-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no difficulty as Secretary of Defense moving from the Bush administration to the Obama administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-difficulty-as-secretary-of-defense-moving-from-the-bush/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [The United States has been a global power since late in the 19th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-united-states-has-been-a-global-power-since-late-in-the-19th/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [My one concern is that Hu Jintao may overestimate how much power China has in Pyongyang. They have - they do have influence, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/my-one-concern-is-that-hu-jintao-may-overestimate-how-much-power/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I thought you were my friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-thought-you-were-my-friend/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Soon after the raid was over, the White House released the now-famous photo of all of us watching the video in that small conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/soon-after-the-raid-was-over-the-white-house-released-the-now-famous/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) [Explore all 143 Robert M. Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## More Retired quotes > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I've retired my sneakers for stilettos, baby!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivica-a-fox/i-ve-retired-my-sneakers-for-stilettos-baby/) [Vivica A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivica-a-fox/) > [I want to concentrate on winning things with Barcelona and Argentina. Then if people want to say nice things about me when I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/i-want-to-concentrate-on-winning-things-with-barcelona-and-argentina/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I retired one year in 1959. But then I realized I wanted to play more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blanda/i-retired-one-year-in-1959-but-then-i-realized-i-wanted-to-play-more/) [George Blanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blanda/) > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Old ladies in wheelchairs with blankets over their legs, I don't think so...retired mermaids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-jones/old-ladies-in-wheelchairs-with-blankets-over-their-legs-i-don-t-think/) [Milton Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-jones/) > [I am surprised that many people disregard the fact that the end for almost all drug dealers ends up being the cemetery or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-pablo-escobar/i-am-surprised-that-many-people-disregard-the-fact-that-the-end-for/) [Juan Pablo Escobar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-pablo-escobar/) > [If you are an investor who's retired and hopes to live off the income that your portfolio is generating, then we would focus just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-shaughnessy/if-you-are-an-investor-who-s-retired-and-hopes-to-live-off-the-income/) [James O'Shaughnessy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-shaughnessy/) > [My grandfather is a retired Marine, and I've always had a great deal of respect for anyone who serves our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/my-grandfather-is-a-retired-marine-and-i-ve-always-had-a-great-deal/) [Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/) > [You are a long time retired. I don't want to sit there when that happens and think, 'Oh, I wish I had done that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-milner/you-are-a-long-time-retired-i-don-t-want-to-sit-there-when-that/) [James Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-milner/) > [I have retired but only in body. Spiritually, I still feel able.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fauja-singh/i-have-retired-but-only-in-body-spiritually-i-still-feel-able/) [Fauja Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fauja-singh/) > [“I'm 68 years old, and somebody asked if I'm retired. 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