--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Civilians listened to officers, which…" description: "\"Civilians listened to officers, which said a lot about the intelligence of civilians.\" — Tom Clancy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg" --- # Civilians listened to officers, which said a lot about the… ![“Civilians listened to officers, which said a lot about the intelligence of civilians.” quote by Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg) > “Civilians listened to officers, which said a lot about the intelligence of civilians.” [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Civilians obeying officers reveals their awareness and respect for authority. **In simple terms:** Civilians listening shows respect for authority. Key Takeaway Recognize how listening signals intelligence. Themes authority obedience perception Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational commentary When to use this quote - military training - law enforcement - public safety - teamwork Key Concepts social dynamics power relations Questions to Reflect On - What does obedience say about a group's intelligence? - How can authority be earned rather than imposed? A Different Perspective Civilians may obey out of fear, not genuine intelligence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officers/) ## Related quotes > [“It was always good to know that things in the field really were the way the officers had said they’d be, if only because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/django-wexler/it-was-always-good-to-know-that-things-in-the-field-really-were-the/) [Django Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/django-wexler/) > [We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/we-should-invade-their-countries-kill-their-leaders-and-convert-them/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [ \[General Curtis\] LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side has lost. But what makes it immoral if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/general-curtis-lemay-recognized-that-what-he-was-doing-would-be/) [Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcnamara/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [ The other thing we did as government is to open gates for the civilians to leave that \[ eastern part\] area \[in Aleppo\], and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-other-thing-we-did-as-government-is-to-open-gates-for-the/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Be kindly and just in your dealings with your men. Never play favorites. Make them feel that justice tempered with mercy may always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-lejeune/be-kindly-and-just-in-your-dealings-with-your-men-never-play/) [John A. Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-lejeune/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [Some of my best sources are ex-policemen, just to get a feeling of what it's like to be one. And it's quite different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/some-of-my-best-sources-are-ex-policemen-just-to-get-a-feeling-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [My aunt and uncle are clearly civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/my-aunt-and-uncle-are-clearly-civilians/) [Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More by Tom Clancy > [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [I understand why we do that now. It’s a help, not a threat. It’s something to remind you how important words are. Ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/i-understand-why-we-do-that-now-it-s-a-help-not-a-threat-it-s/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [People, I am actually fairly smart. Why has this not occurred to anyone? The information is all out there, if you go looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/people-i-am-actually-fairly-smart-why-has-this-not-occurred-to-anyone/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Sunday was the normal day for the political awareness session at sea. Ordinarily Putin would have officiated, reading some Pravada editorials, followed by selected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/sunday-was-the-normal-day-for-the-political-awareness-session-at-sea/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/fix-your-eyes-forward-on-what-you-can-do-not-back-on-what-you-cannot/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Speak your dialogue out loud. If it sounds like the way people talk, then write it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/speak-your-dialogue-out-loud-if-it-sounds-like-the-way-people-talk/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all-novels-what-if-and-what-next/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [The smaller the mind, the greater the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-smaller-the-mind-the-greater-the-ego/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not... Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/nothing-is-as-real-as-a-dream-the-world-can-change-around-you-but/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [An overnight success is ten years in the making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/an-overnight-success-is-ten-years-in-the-making/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [Bill Clinton is a man who thinks international affairs means dating a girl from out of town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/bill-clinton-is-a-man-who-thinks-international-affairs-means-dating-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [The objective of a terrorist is to create political change in the society he targets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-objective-of-a-terrorist-is-to-create-political-change-in-the/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“The Good of the People was a laudable enough goal, but in denying a man's soul, an enduring part of his being, Marxism stripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-good-of-the-people-was-a-laudable-enough-goal-but-in-denying-a/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [(Stereotyping) is only for those without the imagination to see people as they are instead of being like someone else they understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/stereotyping-is-only-for-those-without-the-imagination-to-see-people/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“The dead were gone and didn't know or care what they left behind.. If the dead still lived on the surface of this earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-dead-were-gone-and-didn-t-know-or-care-what-they-left-behind-if/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) [Explore all 209 Tom Clancy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## More Civilians quotes > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [My aunt and uncle are clearly civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-kimmel/my-aunt-and-uncle-are-clearly-civilians/) [Jimmy Kimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-kimmel/) > [Some of my best sources are ex-policemen, just to get a feeling of what it's like to be one. And it's quite different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/some-of-my-best-sources-are-ex-policemen-just-to-get-a-feeling-of/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Well, the U.N. Security Council resolution 1973 is very clear. It says all necessary measures to be taken to protect civilians and civilian areas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/well-the-u-n-security-council-resolution-1973-is-very-clear-it-says/) [Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/) > [Be kindly and just in your dealings with your men. Never play favorites. Make them feel that justice tempered with mercy may always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-lejeune/be-kindly-and-just-in-your-dealings-with-your-men-never-play/) [John A. Lejeune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-a-lejeune/) > [There's been a systematic propagandizing of American citizens for 30 years to make us forget what America is supposed to be and what our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/there-s-been-a-systematic-propagandizing-of-american-citizens-for-30/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [ The other thing we did as government is to open gates for the civilians to leave that \[ eastern part\] area \[in Aleppo\], and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-other-thing-we-did-as-government-is-to-open-gates-for-the/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [ \[General Curtis\] LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side has lost. But what makes it immoral if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/general-curtis-lemay-recognized-that-what-he-was-doing-would-be/) [Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcnamara/) > [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/a-large-portion-of-american-citizens-especially-people-of-color-have/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Contrary to what some believe, taking all reasonable and feasible precautions to protect civilians - and mitigating the resulting anger when we harm them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/contrary-to-what-some-believe-taking-all-reasonable-and-feasible/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/asymmetrical-warfare-is-a-euphemism-for-terrorism-just-like/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) [Browse all 428 Civilians quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilians/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Civilians listened to officers, which said a lot about the intelligence of civilians.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Clancy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/civilians-listened-to-officers-which-said-a-lot-about-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilians" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/civilians-listened-to-officers-which-said-a-lot-about-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ac/tom-clancy-1751_intelligence_civilians-listened-to-officers-which-sai_901739.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Civilians listened to officers, which said a lot about the intelligence of civilians.” — Tom Clancy", "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": "Tom Clancy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Civilians listened to officers, which said...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/civilians-listened-to-officers-which-said-a-lot-about-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/civilians-listened-to-officers-which-said-a-lot-about-the/#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 } } ] } ```