“In fact, second lieutenants were primary-school teachers. Sure, teachers with guns, but a platoon commander was, nonetheless, the guy who sorted out the working day for 30 men under his command, ta...”

“Good general differ from bad generals only in the degree to which they resist the psychopathology of the very organization they serve. Norman Dixon”

“The British Army has a fine tradition of being so distracted by what it is currently up to it stubbornly refuses to look round the corner, let alone into the future.”

“Violence is temporary, but learning is permanent.”

“we sulked and, in the finest tradition of bored soldiers, sat around throwing stones at each other.”

“Perhaps wherever you go first is what you judge everything else by.”

“Sometimes two people have to fall apart, to realize how much they need to fall back together.”

“Good literature is one key to peace. When we stop reading each other, when we stop paying attention to each other's words and stories, we too easily oppose one another.”

“There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction between the mystery novel and the novel, only between good books and bad books. A good book tak...”