You're going to keep making these mistakes as long as you keep carrying your brain in the same scabbard with your sword, Lelldorin.

This is stupid."

"Look. You think how stupid people are most of the time. Old men drink. Women at a village fair. Boys throwing stones at birds. Life. The foolishness and the vanity, the selfishness and the waste. The pettiness, the silliness. You think in war it must be different. Must be better. With death around the corner, men united against hardship, the cunning of the enemy, people must think harder, faster, be...better. Be heroic.

Only it's just the same. In fact do you know, because of all that pressure, and worry, and fear, it's worse. There aren't many men who think clearest when the stakes are highest. So people are even stupider in war than the rest of the time. Thinking about how they'll dodge the blame, or grab the glory, or save their skins, rather than about what will actually work. There's no job that forgives stupidity more than soldiering. No job that encourages it more.

Vivevano così, in stretta amicizia, dividendosi il poco che avevano, e senza appoggiarsi a nessun gruppo, senza fare progetti per il futuro, perché non c’era nessun futuro possibile; probabilmente sarebbe scoppiata la guerra, e l’avrebbero vinta gli stupidi; perché gli stupidi, Mario diceva, vincevano sempre.

On the Vietnam War: I've lived under situations where every decent man declared war first and I've lived under situations where you don't declare war. We've been flexible enough to kill people without declaring war.

Do you ever plan to grow up, Veltan?” he asked.

“Not if I can avoid it, no.

You've been away from home too long if you can get lost on the way from the harbor to the palace.