John BuchanWhen a man comes out of great danger, he is apt to be a little deaf to the call of duty.
About This Quote
When a man comes out of great danger, he is apt to be a little deaf to the call of duty. This quote comes from the autobiography of General Robert E. Lee, who fought in the American Civil War. It was written in 1873, nearly 50 years after the war.
If you have ever been in any kind of danger—or even if you haven’t—you know that you can feel more than slightly traumatized by it. As a result, people often lose their sense of duty and wonder what they should do next. But duty is something we must pursue and this quote reminds us that we cannot ignore duty and responsibility forever.
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