--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was only when the giant got halfway…" description: "\"It was only when the giant got halfway down the incline that he suddenly, happily, burst into flame and continued his trip saying, \"NO SURVIVORS, NO SU..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/william-goldman-1095_brutes_it-was-only-when-the-giant-got-halfway-d_1716840.png" --- # It was only when the giant got halfway down the incline… ![“It was only when the giant got halfway down the incline that he suddenly, happily, burst into flame and continued his trip saying, "NO SURVIVORS, NO SURVIVORS!" in a manner that could only indicate deadly sincerity. It was seeing him happily burning and advancing that startled the Brute Squad to…” quote by William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/william-goldman-1095_brutes_it-was-only-when-the-giant-got-halfway-d_1716840.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/william-goldman-1095_brutes_it-was-only-when-the-giant-got-halfway-d_1716840.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3b/william-goldman-1095_brutes_it-was-only-when-the-giant-got-halfway-d_1716840.png) > “It was only when the giant got halfway down the incline that he suddenly, happily, burst into flame and continued his trip saying, "NO SURVIVORS, NO SURVIVORS!" in a manner that could only indicate deadly sincerity. It was seeing him happily burning and advancing that startled the Brute Squad to screaming. And once that happened, why, everybody panicked and ran...” [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character embraces destruction with joy, showing reckless optimism can be terrifying to others. **In simple terms:** Destruction embraced with joy scares others. Key Takeaway Recognize when reckless joy harms. Themes danger recklessness psychology Mood anxious intense dark Type narrative dramatic cautionary When to use this quote - war zones - high‑risk sports - extreme activism - crisis leadership Key Concepts nihilism catharsis group dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What drives people to celebrate self‑destruction? - How does group panic amplify fear? A Different Perspective Such joy may mask deeper trauma or cause reckless harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advancing Startled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advancing-startled-1298732/) [Brutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutes/) [Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning/) [Everybody Panicked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-panicked-1298731/) [Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames/) [Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giants/) [Halfway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/halfway/) [Panicked Ran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panicked-ran-1298733/) [Ran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ran/) [Saying no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-no/) [Screaming Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screaming-happened-1298734/) [Sincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity/) [Squad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squad/) [Startled Brute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startled-brute-1298730/) [Survivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivor/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I realised you owned me one night in this room. 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The Tea Party says, "You are out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/i-think-part-of-the-reason-the-tea-party-has-resonated-is-that-people/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [I have been accused of never saying no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-have-been-accused-of-never-saying-no/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [Americans are gathering the courage to just say no. We are saying no to addictive consumer lifestyles. We are saying no to wars and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-mckinney/americans-are-gathering-the-courage-to-just-say-no-we-are-saying-no/) [Cynthia McKinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-mckinney/) > [Resisting a beautiful chocolate cake or a wonderful foie gras is as difficult as (the idea of) saying no to Paul Newman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/resisting-a-beautiful-chocolate-cake-or-a-wonderful-foie-gras-is-as/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [I know people are saying they like you. I'm not being insulted or pushed around or anything. 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Hard to find on the map (this was after maps) not because cartographers didn't know of its existence, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/inigo-was-in-despair-hard-to-find-on-the-map-this-was-after-maps-not/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“You thought I was answering "As you wish" but that's only because you were hearing wrong. 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There were four guards outside waiting. At ten seconds per guard, she began figuring, but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/buttercup-could-picture-westley-rounding-the-final-corner-there-were/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Well, you haven’t once said you loved me.’ ‘That’s all you need? Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I love you. Spell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/well-you-haven-t-once-said-you-loved-me-that-s-all-you-need-easy-i/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [You think this is a trap then?" the Count asked. "I always think everything is a trap until proven otherwise," the Prince answered. "Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-think-this-is-a-trap-then-the-count-asked-i-always-think/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“He nodded, took a step away. “I’ll send for you soon. 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Everybody knows that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/sonny-don-t-you-tell-me-what-s-worthwhile-true-love-is-the-best-thing/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Explore all 281 William Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## More Brutes quotes > [Et tu Brute! (You too, Brutus!)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/et-tu-brute-you-too-brutus/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Agnosticism is the natural attitude of the evolutionist. How can a brute mind comprehend spiritual things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/agnosticism-is-the-natural-attitude-of-the-evolutionist-how-can-a/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [War with all its glorification of brute force is essentially a degrading thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/war-with-all-its-glorification-of-brute-force-is-essentially-a/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The philosophic spirit of inquiry may be traced to brute curiosity, and that to the habit of examining all things in search of food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/the-philosophic-spirit-of-inquiry-may-be-traced-to-brute-curiosity/) [William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/) > [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. 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A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [What took me decades to learn, these kids can get on the Internet...What I learned by brute force, dealing out hands, they learn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doyle-brunson/what-took-me-decades-to-learn-these-kids-can-get-on-the-internet-what/) [Doyle Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doyle-brunson/) > [In the code of the satyagrahi, there is no such thing as surrender to brute force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-the-code-of-the-satyagrahi-there-is-no-such-thing-as-surrender-to/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The civil magistrate cannot function without some ethical guidance, without some standard of good and evil. 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A more and more apparent cleavage occurs between the spirit and the brute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-more-a-man-cultivates-the-arts-the-less-he-fornicates-a-more-and/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) [Browse all 375 Brutes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was only when the giant got halfway down the incline that he suddenly, happily, burst into flame and continued his trip saying, \"NO SURVIVORS, NO SURVIVORS!\" in a manner that could only indicate deadly sincerity. It was seeing him happily burning and advancing that startled the Brute Squad to screaming. 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