Once we recognize our shadow's existence we must resist the enticing step of going with its flow. Karl Marlantes More Quotes by Karl Marlantes More Quotes From Karl Marlantes I mean, if you're proud of what you've done when you've served in the military, well then we call that bragging. And if you are unhappy about what happened, we call that complaining. And so what are you going to do? Karl Marlantes unhappy military mean And I think that it's - the military has actually made improvements, so people are considering post-traumatic stress disorder as, at the least, a possible psychological problem. You know, when I was in Vietnam, it was just considered malingering. And we're making progress. Karl Marlantes stress military thinking I knew many Marines had done brave deeds that no one saw and for which they got no medals at all. I was having a very hard time carrying those medals and didnt have the insight or maturity to know what to do with my combination of guilt and pride. Karl Marlantes marine maturity pride In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It's also a psychological trap that can stop one's growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior. Karl Marlantes nice military exercise He ran as he'd never run before, with neither hope nor despair. He ran because the world was divided into opposites and his side had already been chosen for him, his only choice being whether or not to play his part with heart and courage. He ran because fate had placed him in a position of responsibility and he had accepted the burden. He ran because his self-respect required it. He ran because he loved his friends and this was the only thing he could do to end the madness that was killing and maiming them. Karl Marlantes heart running love This nation should be less worried about putting the Vietnam syndrome behind us than restarting the World War II victory syndrome that resulted in the Vietnam syndrome in the first place. Karl Marlantes vietnam victory war Quitting is unthinkable and pain is just weakness leaving the body Karl Marlantes weakness leaving pain Cynicism is no more mature than naïveté. You're no more mature, just more burned. Karl Marlantes vets cynicism mature It was all absurd, without reason or meaning. People who didn't know each other were going to kill each other over a hill none of them cared about Karl Marlantes hills reason people Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious about writing. Karl Marlantes important writing book I grew up in Oregon, where as a teenager I worked with my grandfather Axel on his i shing boat at the mouth of the Columbia River. Karl Marlantes river mouth boat grandfather Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious about writing. So, reading Tolstoy several times - 'War and Peace,' 'The Kreutzer Sonata' - all those were really important to me. Karl Marlantes me you war peace 'The Odyssey' is the great tale, and I was really taken by 'The Iliad,' so I dig into those things, and when I was a kid I didn't. You've gotta have a certain level of understanding yourself before that stuff really starts to resonate. Karl Marlantes yourself great you understanding
