“ There is something strangely terrible in the spectacle of men, who fight—not for political or patriotic reasons, not for the sake of duty or glory—but for dear life itself; not because they want to, but because they have to. ”
Winston Churchill, The Story of the Malakand Field Force (1898). copy citation
| Author | Winston Churchill |
|---|---|
| Source | The Story of the Malakand Field Force |
| Topic | duty glory |
| Date | 1898 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://www.gutenberg.org/files/9404/9404-h/9404-h.htm |
Context
“Usually the courage and equipment of the garrison enable them to hold out until a relieving force arrives, as at Rorke's Drift, Fort Chitral, Chakdara or Gulistan. But sometimes the defenders are overwhelmed, and, as at Saraghari or Khartoum, none are left to tell the tale. There is something strangely terrible in the spectacle of men, who fight—not for political or patriotic reasons, not for the sake of duty or glory—but for dear life itself; not because they want to, but because they have to. They hold the dykes of social progress against a rising deluge of barbarism, which threatens every moment to overflow the banks and drown them all. The situation is one which will make a coward valorous, and affords to brave men opportunities for the most sublime forms of heroism and devotion.”
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