--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This idea struck me: the army is the body…" description: "\"“This idea struck me: the army is the body : I am the brain. Thinking is my fighting. (15 May 1940)”\" — Virginia Woolf" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/virginia-woolf-49_diary_this-idea-struck-me-the-army-is-the-body_1453588.jpg" --- # This idea struck me: the army is the body : I am the… ![“This idea struck me: the army is the body : I am the brain. Thinking is my fighting. (15 May 1940)” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/virginia-woolf-49_diary_this-idea-struck-me-the-army-is-the-body_1453588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/virginia-woolf-49_diary_this-idea-struck-me-the-army-is-the-body_1453588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/346/virginia-woolf-49_diary_this-idea-struck-me-the-army-is-the-body_1453588.jpg) > ““This idea struck me: the army is the body : I am the brain. Thinking is my fighting. (15 May 1940)”” [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The army is like a body; the brain is the mind, and thinking is the fight. **In simple terms:** Thought is the engine of action. Key Takeaway Use intellect to drive action. Themes mind body action strategy Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - decision making - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does thinking shape your actions? - When can intellect replace brute force? A Different Perspective Physical force alone is insufficient without strategic thought. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Army Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army-body-1577521/) [Body Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-brain-731648/) [Brain Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-thinking-782565/) [Diary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diary/) [Thinking Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-fighting-779649/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Thinking is my fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/thinking-is-my-fighting/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Army: A body of men assembled to rectify the mistakes of the diplomats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephus-daniels/army-a-body-of-men-assembled-to-rectify-the-mistakes-of-the-diplomats/) [Josephus Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephus-daniels/) > [“The brain is always thinking, but who is it who is thinking?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-brain-is-always-thinking-but-who-is-it-who-is-thinking/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The human frame being what it is, heart, body and brain all mixed together, and not contained in separate compartments as they will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-human-frame-being-what-it-is-heart-body-and-brain-all-mixed/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [After the George Roop fight, I did a lot of thinking about my fighting style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-korean-zombie/after-the-george-roop-fight-i-did-a-lot-of-thinking-about-my-fighting/) [The Korean Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-korean-zombie/) > [When I'm training for a fight, I'm not the same person that I normally am when I'm at home. 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It is not possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wagner/you-can-never-stop-your-brain-from-thinking-about-what-could-happen/) [David Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wagner/) > [99% of the time my brain is thinking blah, meh, why, huh, WTF, food and computers. The other 1% I'm usually asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/99-of-the-time-my-brain-is-thinking-blah-meh-why-huh-wtf-food-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm an advocate for whole brain thinking. I'm not an advocate for the right brain or the left brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-bolte-taylor/i-m-an-advocate-for-whole-brain-thinking-i-m-not-an-advocate-for-the/) [Jill Bolte Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-bolte-taylor/) ## More by Virginia Woolf > [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. 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I think I could happily live here & read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) [Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) ## More Army quotes > [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... 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