--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's absolutely fascinating that…" description: "\"I think it's absolutely fascinating that in Berlin the parliament can discuss actively the role of their soldiers in Afghanistan because is it still po..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg" --- # I think it's absolutely fascinating that in Berlin the… ![“I think it's absolutely fascinating that in Berlin the parliament can discuss actively the role of their soldiers in Afghanistan because is it still possible, literally, for a German soldier to take up arms.” quote by Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg) > “I think it's absolutely fascinating that in Berlin the parliament can discuss actively the role of their soldiers in Afghanistan because is it still possible, literally, for a German soldier to take up arms.” [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) ## 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 highlights the paradox of allowing soldiers to discuss their role while still being prohibited from using force, questioning the limits of democratic oversight over military action. **In simple terms:** Discussing soldiers’ role while banning them from fighting. Key Takeaway Examine policy contradictions. Themes democracy military ethics policy parliamentary debate Mood reflective critical Type political ethical When to use this quote - parliamentary sessions - military training - public protests - policy reviews Key Concepts civil-military relations political philosophy law human rights Questions to Reflect On - How can democratic societies balance oversight with operational readiness? - What are the ethical implications of restricting soldiers’ combat roles? A Different Perspective The quote may oversimplify complex legal constraints on armed forces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/) [Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament/) [Soldier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [India will continue to support Afghanistan in all possible ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-nath-kovind/india-will-continue-to-support-afghanistan-in-all-possible-ways/) [Ram Nath Kovind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-nath-kovind/) > [Those who have ever valued liberty for its own sake believed that to be free to choose, and not to be chosen for, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/those-who-have-ever-valued-liberty-for-its-own-sake-believed-that-to/) [Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/) > [Berlin would be a great place to have no cell phone, I think. Especially if you were able to live in a central location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ebert/berlin-would-be-a-great-place-to-have-no-cell-phone-i-think/) [Alex Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ebert/) > [Berlin is still a very edgy place, a very cosmopolitan place. It's a place where completely different ideas and cultures come together and clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/berlin-is-still-a-very-edgy-place-a-very-cosmopolitan-place-it-s-a/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [I wouldn't want to live in Berlin. It's bombed out and there's a lot of techno.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-in-berlin-it-s-bombed-out-and-there-s-a-lot/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [God bless America, land that I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/god-bless-america-land-that-i-love/) [Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/) > [I am in Paris. Yes ma'am , I made it back. I came up from Berlin, stopped here ten days, fought a losing battle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/i-am-in-paris-yes-ma-am-i-made-it-back-i-came-up-from-berlin-stopped/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [...what happened in New York and Washington is the same thing that England and America did to Berlin every day for three years during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/what-happened-in-new-york-and-washington-is-the-same-thing-that/) [Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/) > [The church of St. Peter at Berlin, notwithstanding the total difference between them in the style of building, appears in some respects to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-philipp-moritz/the-church-of-st-peter-at-berlin-notwithstanding-the-total-difference/) [Karl Philipp Moritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-philipp-moritz/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [My works are dear to me, each in its own way, I shall have to answer for them on the Day off Judgement. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-works-are-dear-to-me-each-in-its-own-way-i-shall-have-to-answer/) [Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/) > [The music changed. We had Irving Berlin and Gershwin and Lerner and Loewe and Cole Porter. Great music. Now we have 'Rent.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/the-music-changed-we-had-irving-berlin-and-gershwin-and-lerner-and/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [The fall of the Berlin Wall makes for nice pictures. But it all started in the shipyards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-makes-for-nice-pictures-but-it-all/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I did a concert... in September with the Berlin Philharmonic... They're great musicians, and there's always something to learn from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-bartoli/i-did-a-concert-in-september-with-the-berlin-philharmonic-they-re/) [Cecilia Bartoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-bartoli/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## More by Stephen Daldry > [In issues of recent ethnic wars and genocides - particularly if you look at Darfur - one of the most remarkable things is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/in-issues-of-recent-ethnic-wars-and-genocides-particularly-if-you/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [Every now and then I have to teach directing. The thing about the theatre is that the most important thing you can do as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/every-now-and-then-i-have-to-teach-directing-the-thing-about-the/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [When I got married, my mother was very surprised. She said: 'What on earth is going on? I thought you were gay?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/when-i-got-married-my-mother-was-very-surprised-she-said-what-on/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [I've never been to Hollywood. I can count the number of times I've been to Los Angeles on my hands. I've never made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-ve-never-been-to-hollywood-i-can-count-the-number-of-times-i-ve/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [Well, there are three different processes of making a film, of course. They're sort of re-written three times. You write it to start with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/well-there-are-three-different-processes-of-making-a-film-of-course/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [Most theater methodology is predicated on the idea of repeated actions. That's what you work toward. Having the actor repeat the same moment eight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/most-theater-methodology-is-predicated-on-the-idea-of-repeated/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [I never want to make a film. I don't wake up in the morning going, 'Ooh, I'd really love to be on set making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-never-want-to-make-a-film-i-don-t-wake-up-in-the-morning-going-ooh/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [I am, in fact, Superman. Every morning I wake up and go into a telephone booth and change my costume, and then go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-am-in-fact-superman-every-morning-i-wake-up-and-go-into-a-telephone/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [Is it appropriate still for a German to have a gun? I only use that as an example of a country that's still deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/is-it-appropriate-still-for-a-german-to-have-a-gun-i-only-use-that-as/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [As soon as I know how to do something, I usually get bored with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/as-soon-as-i-know-how-to-do-something-i-usually-get-bored-with-it/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [I'm not really a director for hire. You read these scripts and go, 'This is a really great script, but Paul Greengrass would make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-m-not-really-a-director-for-hire-you-read-these-scripts-and-go-this/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [I spent a little time in Germany as a schoolboy learning German, and it's a country I knew very well, spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-spent-a-little-time-in-germany-as-a-schoolboy-learning-german-and/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [There are a few writers that one has a relationship with that means, basically, you do whatever they say. One is Caryl Churchill, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/there-are-a-few-writers-that-one-has-a-relationship-with-that-means/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [Actually, to be honest, this is a useful time to not be knowing what I'll be doing in 2013 or 2014, because really, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/actually-to-be-honest-this-is-a-useful-time-to-not-be-knowing-what-i/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) > [With journalism, films always have to be to do with some personal statement of your own. As a general rule, I resist that. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/with-journalism-films-always-have-to-be-to-do-with-some-personal/) [Stephen Daldry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) [Explore all 38 Stephen Daldry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's absolutely fascinating that in Berlin the parliament can discuss actively the role of their soldiers in Afghanistan because is it still possible, literally, for a German soldier to take up arms.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Daldry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that-in-berlin-the-parliament-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afghanistan" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that-in-berlin-the-parliament-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52b/stephen-daldry-16978_afghanistan_i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that_2824635.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it's absolutely fascinating that in Berlin the parliament can discuss actively the role of their…” — Stephen Daldry", "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": "Stephen Daldry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-daldry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it's absolutely fascinating that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that-in-berlin-the-parliament-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-daldry/i-think-it-s-absolutely-fascinating-that-in-berlin-the-parliament-can/#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 } } ] } ```