--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: War was simply a slaughterhouse on…" description: "\"“War was simply a slaughterhouse on wheels, he thought. For most men, soldiering was tragedy expressed as a profession.”\" — Simon Sebag Montefiore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_soldiering_war-was-simply-a-slaughterhouse-on-wheel_2848294.png" --- # War was simply a slaughterhouse on wheels, he thought. For… ![“War was simply a slaughterhouse on wheels, he thought. For most men, soldiering was tragedy expressed as a profession.” quote by Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_soldiering_war-was-simply-a-slaughterhouse-on-wheel_2848294.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_soldiering_war-was-simply-a-slaughterhouse-on-wheel_2848294.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/243/simon-sebag-montefiore-2994_soldiering_war-was-simply-a-slaughterhouse-on-wheel_2848294.png) > ““War was simply a slaughterhouse on wheels, he thought. For most men, soldiering was tragedy expressed as a profession.”” [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. War is a moving slaughterhouse, making soldiering a tragic profession. **In simple terms:** War is a moving slaughterhouse; soldiers face tragedy. Key Takeaway Recognize the human cost of war. Themes war tragedy profession human cost Mood somber reflective Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - military service - peace activism - historical analysis Key Concepts military ethics psychology of combat Questions to Reflect On - How does society view soldiers? - What supports veterans' mental health? A Different Perspective Romanticizing war ignores suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Soldiering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiering/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [don’t believe the war is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-koen/he-could-live-in-this-shifting-place-of-betrayals-within-betrayals-of/) Kathleen Koen > [“You are all soldiers of Christ," he said, "and now is an opportunity given to you to show that you are worthy soldiers. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-henty-2/you-are-all-soldiers-of-christ-he-said-and-now-is-an-opportunity/) G. A. HENTY > [Soldiering is a very important profession, is it not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/soldiering-is-a-very-important-profession-is-it-not/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More by Simon Sebag Montefiore > [Trump wants to be the first American tsar. With his hero worship of Putin, his admiration for the apparent omnipotence of the Kremlin, schoolboyish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/trump-wants-to-be-the-first-american-tsar-with-his-hero-worship-of/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [“History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." --- Edward Gibbon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/history-is-little-more-than-the-register-of-the-crimes-follies-and/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [Every Russian emperor from Peter the Great to Stalin and Putin knows a leader and his security agencies must never be parted. 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Churchill therefore called a conference in Cairo to hand over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/iraq-was-already-in-the-grip-of-a-bloody-insurgency-against-british/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [I don't think Jerusalem should be controlled 100% by religious people of any denomination, sect, or religion - even my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/i-don-t-think-jerusalem-should-be-controlled-100-by-religious-people/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [The memoirs of the Grand Duchess Olga are an entertaining record for anyone interested in the imperial family's home life during the last years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/the-memoirs-of-the-grand-duchess-olga-are-an-entertaining-record-for/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [I am a passionate nonfinisher. 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Actually, the dictator didn't truly become Russian; he remained Georgian culturally. Yet he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/daddy-used-to-be-a-georgian-stalin-s-son-vasily-once-said-actually/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [“Once in power, Stalin’s campaign to succeed Lenin required a legitimate heroic career which he did not possess because of his experience in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/once-in-power-stalin-s-campaign-to-succeed-lenin-required-a/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) [Explore all 143 Simon Sebag Montefiore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) ## More Soldiering quotes > [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Soldiering is a very important profession, is it not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/soldiering-is-a-very-important-profession-is-it-not/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [“You are all soldiers of Christ," he said, "and now is an opportunity given to you to show that you are worthy soldiers. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-a-henty-2/you-are-all-soldiers-of-christ-he-said-and-now-is-an-opportunity/) G. A. HENTY > [I've grown up, luckily, with only a distant relationship to war and soldiering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-ve-grown-up-luckily-with-only-a-distant-relationship-to-war-and/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [“He could live in this shifting place of betrayals within betrayals, of no loyalties honored, of the strong crushing the weak, no more. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-koen/he-could-live-in-this-shifting-place-of-betrayals-within-betrayals-of/) Kathleen Koen > [The outfit soon took on color, dash and a unique flavor which is the essence of that elusive and deathless thing called soldiering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/the-outfit-soon-took-on-color-dash-and-a-unique-flavor-which-is-the/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [My very identity as a soldier came to an abrupt end. I'd been soldiering as long as I'd been shaving. Suddenly I'd been told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/my-very-identity-as-a-soldier-came-to-an-abrupt-end-i-d-been/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [A soldier's first duty is to obey, otherwise you might as well do away with soldiering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/a-soldier-s-first-duty-is-to-obey-otherwise-you-might-as-well-do-away/) [Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/) > [“That's richt. When we were campaignin' wi' Marlborough oor lads had mony time to sleep wi' the canon dirlin' aboot them. Ye get us'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-munro/that-s-richt-when-we-were-campaignin-wi-marlborough-oor-lads-had-mony/) Neil Munro > [“The soldiers were not paid on time, and often looted and stole – sometimes from enemies, and sometimes friends – to survive.   While…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/the-soldiers-were-not-paid-on-time-and-often-looted-and-stole/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [“They rode for a while in silence, a tiny island in the smoky stream of marching men. 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There aren’t many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/only-it-s-just-the-same-in-fact-do-you-know-because-of-all-that/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [Soldiering on is a national trait of which to be proud, not one to be mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/soldiering-on-is-a-national-trait-of-which-to-be-proud-not-one-to-be/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) [Browse all 24 Soldiering quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldiering/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“War was simply a slaughterhouse on wheels, he thought. 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