--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Commanders and historians are the people…" description: "\"“Commanders and historians are the people who discuss wars; I was in the infantry, and most of the time I did not know where I was or what I was doing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/robertson-davies-834_commanders_commanders-and-historians-are-the-people_2884293.jpg" --- # Commanders and historians are the people who discuss wars… ![“Commanders and historians are the people who discuss wars; I was in the infantry, and most of the time I did not know where I was or what I was doing except that I was obeying orders and trying not to be killed in any of the variety of horrible ways open to me.” quote by Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/robertson-davies-834_commanders_commanders-and-historians-are-the-people_2884293.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/robertson-davies-834_commanders_commanders-and-historians-are-the-people_2884293.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/robertson-davies-834_commanders_commanders-and-historians-are-the-people_2884293.jpg) > ““Commanders and historians are the people who discuss wars; I was in the infantry, and most of the time I did not know where I was or what I was doing except that I was obeying orders and trying not to be killed in any of the variety of horrible ways open to me.”” [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A soldier’s experience is chaotic and opaque, unlike the strategic view of commanders and historians. **In simple terms:** Soldiers see war differently than planners. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between frontline reality and high‑level analysis. Themes war experience perspective Mood reflective somber Type observational critical When to use this quote - combat - military planning - historical analysis Key Concepts military epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How does firsthand chaos affect decision‑making? - What can leaders learn from soldiers’ uncertainty? A Different Perspective Frontline chaos can distort strategic understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commanders/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Infantry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infantry/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [My father - I once asked him what was his greatest achievement. 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Beware of pretty girls in dance halls and parks who may be spies, as well as bicycles, revolvers, uniforms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-wills/do-not-touch-anything-unnecessarily-beware-of-pretty-girls-in-dance/) [Garry Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-wills/) > [It is remarkable that this people, though unarmed, dares attack an armed foe; the infantry defy the cavalry, and by their activity and courage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giraldus-cambrensis/it-is-remarkable-that-this-people-though-unarmed-dares-attack-an/) [Giraldus Cambrensis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giraldus-cambrensis/) > [There's a fragment that goes, "Some say the most beautiful thing in the world is a great cavalry riding down over the hill. Others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/there-s-a-fragment-that-goes-some-say-the-most-beautiful-thing-in-the/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [Let's presume that a country or army has this weapon ; this kind of armaments cannot be used by infantry for example or by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/let-s-presume-that-a-country-or-army-has-this-weapon-this-kind-of/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [The surest way to become a pacifist is to join the infantry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mauldin/the-surest-way-to-become-a-pacifist-is-to-join-the-infantry/) [Bill Mauldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mauldin/) > [There are now 17,000 local American police forces that are armed with rocket launchers, bazookas, heavy machine guns, all kinds of chemical sprays, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/there-are-now-17-000-local-american-police-forces-that-are-armed-with/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [I am in the infantry for 17 weeks and after that I don't know where I am going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-slovik/i-am-in-the-infantry-for-17-weeks-and-after-that-i-don-t-know-where-i/) [Eddie Slovik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-slovik/) > [“The beauty of the infantry is its ability to truly teach tolerance. 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