You will not say how you are haunted by the faces of the men you killed, how in their last gasp of life they sought your pity and you had none. You will not speak of the boys who died screaming for their mothers while you twisted a blade in their guts and snarled your scorn into their ears. You will not confess that you wake in the night, covered in sweat, heart hammering, shrinking from the memories. You will not talk of that, because that is the horror, and the horror is held in the heart’s hoard, a secret, and to admit it is to admit fear, and we are warriors. We do not fear. We strut. We go to battle like heroes. We stink of shit. Bernard Cornwell
About This Quote

This quote is an excerpt from the book "The Things They Carried", by Tim O'Brien. The book is about soldiers in Vietnam. One of the main character's, nicknamed "Rat" for his rat-like teeth, is asked to kill someone. He refuses to do it, throwing his rifle away and saying that he will not do it.

This quote captures the essence of why soldiers are fighting in wars in the first place, to be free from the things that haunt them, especially killing someone. The things they carry are their guns and all of the actions they take during the war. They were fighting for freedom from these actions, but yet they can't admit it.

Source: The Flame Bearer

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  4. Some had hurled spears first. Those spears thumped into our shields, making them unwieldy, but it hardly mattered. The leading Danes tripped on the hidden timbers and the men behind pushed the falling men forward. I kicked one in the face, feeling my iron-reinforced boot...
  5. I decided to start a war, father", I said, cheerfully, "it's so much more interesting than peace.
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