Soldiers manage by dividing themselves. They're one man in the killing, another at home, and the man that dandles his bairn on his knee has nothing to do wi' the man who crushed his enemy's throat with his boot, so he tells himself, sometimes successfully.

Diana Gabaldon
About This Quote

Soldiers manage by dividing themselves. They're one man in the killing, another at home, and the man that dandles his bairn on his knee has nothing to do wi' the man who crushed his enemy's throat with his boot, so he tells himself, sometimes successfully. The quote above is a humorous reference to the fact that soldiers must often keep their true feelings about war hidden from civilians. This is because civilians might not understand what drives soldiers to fight and die for other countries.

This is a very common attitude in a country like America. Americans are generally a peace loving people who don't like war and would never dream of going to war themselves. This attitude makes it difficult for military commanders to motivate troops during wartime.

Source: The Scottish Prisoner

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