---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Long and the Short and the Tall made…"
description: "\"The Long and the Short and the Tall made a great impression on me because it was a very ugly tale about the reality of soldiering at a time when we wer..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg"
---

#  The Long and the Short and the Tall made a great…

![“The Long and the Short and the Tall made a great impression on me because it was a very ugly tale about the reality of soldiering at a time when we were being gung-ho about the whole thing of war.” quote by Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg)

> “The Long and the Short and the Tall made a great impression on me because it was a very ugly tale about the reality of soldiering at a time when we were being gung-ho about the whole thing of war.”

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

## About This Quote

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

The play exposes the harsh, ugly reality of war, contrasting it with the glorified, enthusiastic attitudes of the time.

**In simple terms:** War is brutal, not glorious.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the true cost of conflict.

Themes

war disillusionment reality soldier experience

Mood

somber reflective

Type

dramatic critical

When to use this quote

- military training
- public speeches
- media coverage
- political debates

Key Concepts

anti‑war sentiment human cost military critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does exposure to harsh truth change public opinion?
- What responsibilities do societies have to soldiers?

A Different Perspective

Idealistic narratives can obscure suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/) [Impression Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression-ugly-4419749/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-short-495614/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Soldiering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-soldiering-4419750/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Tall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tall/) [Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly/) [Ugly Tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly-tale-4223148/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/)

## Related quotes

> [Tragedy ridden, never fit in, and dead now A life gone so quickly, would it knock at the door? Fidgeting itty bitty someone watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vocaloid/tragedy-ridden-never-fit-in-and-dead-now-a-life-gone-so-quickly-would/)

[Vocaloid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vocaloid/)

> [I think the hedge-fund industry has taken a reputational turn for the worse, this dog-eat-dog stuff. I'm not just talking about Herbalife or J.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ackman/i-think-the-hedge-fund-industry-has-taken-a-reputational-turn-for-the/)

[Bill Ackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ackman/)

> [Without always meaning to, I write really long short stories, 60-pagers, 90-pagers, pieces of fiction that are too long for all but the bravest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/without-always-meaning-to-i-write-really-long-short-stories-60-pagers/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [The days seem so long without you, but were too short when we were together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-days-seem-so-long-without-you-but-were-too-short-when-we-were/)

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

> [Lent, which seems so long, is short at other men's tables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italian-proverb/lent-which-seems-so-long-is-short-at-other-men-s-tables/)

[Italian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italian-proverb/)

> [I like to wear skirts long or short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saskia-de-brauw/i-like-to-wear-skirts-long-or-short/)

[Saskia de Brauw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saskia-de-brauw/)

> [“My gaze dipped and ran over her legs. legs unbelievable long for someone so short... and those shorts were short. tiny pockets, too. Yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/my-gaze-dipped-and-ran-over-her-legs-legs-unbelievable-long-for/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [In a perfect world, I'd love to make 90-minute movies, but for me, a movie needs to be as long or short as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/in-a-perfect-world-i-d-love-to-make-90-minute-movies-but-for-me-a/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

> [Whenever the circus would come to town, I would tell Ethan all kinds of kinky clown domination stories involving the leather clown, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-hall/whenever-the-circus-would-come-to-town-i-would-tell-ethan-all-kinds/)

[John S. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-hall/)

> [ People say, "Look, your book \[Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle\] is about tall tales." And I said, "No, you don't understand,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/people-say-look-your-book-tales-and-wisdom-from-duck-dynasty-s/)

[Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/)

> [A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That's baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-harwell/a-tall-thin-old-man-waving-a-scorecard-from-the-corner-of-his-dugout/)

[Ernie Harwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-harwell/)

> [It's exciting for me that when they think of tall players they think of big serve and forehand but they don't move that well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-draper/it-s-exciting-for-me-that-when-they-think-of-tall-players-they-think/)

[Jack Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-draper/)

> [“You're tall enough when you can reach the lightswitch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-copeland-lewis/you-re-tall-enough-when-you-can-reach-the-lightswitch/)

[Cynthia Copeland Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-copeland-lewis/)

> [Goofy was the word that was used most often by my sisters because I've been this tall ever since I was 12 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/goofy-was-the-word-that-was-used-most-often-by-my-sisters-because-i/)

[Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/)

> [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

## More by Timothy West

> [I'm reluctant to use the word class so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/i-m-reluctant-to-use-the-word-class-so-much/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [I got very cross with the term, kitchen sink. It just meant that you invaded different kinds of houses, where it was very difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/i-got-very-cross-with-the-term-kitchen-sink-it-just-meant-that-you/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [The cool thing about making a Western is that people want to be in them. You rarely get the opportunity. With horror movies you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-cool-thing-about-making-a-western-is-that-people-want-to-be-in/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [Certain things were deemed to be offensive. It was usually bad language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/certain-things-were-deemed-to-be-offensive-it-was-usually-bad-language/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [In 1968 the Arts Council managed to get a grant from the treasury to buy up a lot of derelict touring theatres and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/in-1968-the-arts-council-managed-to-get-a-grant-from-the-treasury-to/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [The foyers now look ridiculously small to us because not all that many people used them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-foyers-now-look-ridiculously-small-to-us-because-not-all-that/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [There were loads of plays which were very popular before and after the war, where everybody wore a dinner jacket in the third act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/there-were-loads-of-plays-which-were-very-popular-before-and-after/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [There was no real fringe theatre in London until way after the war, so either a play was done secretly with a club licence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/there-was-no-real-fringe-theatre-in-london-until-way-after-the-war-so/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [The bigger the movie is, the more agendas everybody has. It becomes more of a job for everyone, but on these small movies, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-bigger-the-movie-is-the-more-agendas-everybody-has-it-becomes/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [Suddenly we saw that you could do plays about real life, and people had been doing them for some time, but they weren't always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/suddenly-we-saw-that-you-could-do-plays-about-real-life-and-people/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [No producer should revive a play unless they have a very good reason for it. I think there's quite enough about a good play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/no-producer-should-revive-a-play-unless-they-have-a-very-good-reason/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [I don't believe in right-angled turning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/i-don-t-believe-in-right-angled-turning-points/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [Anybody can decide if they have got the money to fight a case if they don't like a particular thing, and they complain to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/anybody-can-decide-if-they-have-got-the-money-to-fight-a-case-if-they/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [You're not allowed to step out of whatever the rules are, politically, or socially, and they'll get you for it, they'll hunt you down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/you-re-not-allowed-to-step-out-of-whatever-the-rules-are-politically/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

> [The newly decorated theatres produced things like car parks and restaurants, so you could have a good night out, quite cheaply without all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-newly-decorated-theatres-produced-things-like-car-parks-and/)

[Timothy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

[Explore all 21 Timothy West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/)

## More Impression quotes

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [“In the innovation age customer experience is key. Your impression defines their expression”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-durotoye/in-the-innovation-age-customer-experience-is-key-your-impression/)

[Fela Durotoye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-durotoye/)

> [I have often heard that the novel is dead. But I see novels produced, I don't know how many a week, in France. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/i-have-often-heard-that-the-novel-is-dead-but-i-see-novels-produced-i/)

[Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/)

> [Cinema has become my life. I dont mean a parallel world, I mean my life itself. I sometimes have the impression that the daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-almodovar/cinema-has-become-my-life-i-dont-mean-a-parallel-world-i-mean-my-life/)

[Pedro Almodovar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-almodovar/)

> [Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/good-history-is-a-question-of-survival-without-any-past-we-will/)

[Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/)

> [My dad's quite a conservative person, and he brought me up to be very questioning of the commercial world. He looked down on pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/my-dad-s-quite-a-conservative-person-and-he-brought-me-up-to-be-very/)

[Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/)

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [It used to be that whenever I introduced myself to people and told them I was a psychologist, they would shrink away from me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/it-used-to-be-that-whenever-i-introduced-myself-to-people-and-told/)

[Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/)

> [If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-we-europeans-are-not-in-a-state-to-be-able-to-solve-the-refugee/)

[Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/)

> [Wayne Rooney has always made a great impression on me, even though I have only ever seen him on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-quagliarella/wayne-rooney-has-always-made-a-great-impression-on-me-even-though-i/)

[Fabio Quagliarella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-quagliarella/)

> [What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-an-immense-impression-paris-made-upon-me-it-is-the-most/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [My movies, in general, I have the impression that when they finish of course they're never originally what you had in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-amenabar/my-movies-in-general-i-have-the-impression-that-when-they-finish-of/)

[Alejandro Amenabar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-amenabar/)

> [I think it's really important that I'm not the only model in the world that goes through personal problems. People forget that we're human.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gigi-hadid/i-think-it-s-really-important-that-i-m-not-the-only-model-in-the/)

[Gigi Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gigi-hadid/)

> [The impossibility of separating the nomenclature of a science from the science itself, is owing to this, that every branch of physical science must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/the-impossibility-of-separating-the-nomenclature-of-a-science-from/)

[Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/)

[Browse all 2,147 Impression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Long and the Short and the Tall made a great impression on me because it was a very ugly tale about the reality of soldiering at a time when we were being gung-ho about the whole thing of war.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Timothy West"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made-a-great-impression-on-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Impression"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made-a-great-impression-on-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/timothy-west-26776_impression_the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made_524457.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Long and the Short and the Tall made a great impression on me because it was a very ugly tale about the…” — Timothy West",
                "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": "Timothy West",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-west/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Long and the Short and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made-a-great-impression-on-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-west/the-long-and-the-short-and-the-tall-made-a-great-impression-on-me/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
