#World War I
Quotes about world-war-i
World War I, often referred to as the Great War, was a monumental conflict that reshaped the world in the early 20th century. Spanning from 1914 to 1918, it involved many of the world's great powers and was marked by unprecedented levels of destruction and loss. This war was not just a clash of armies but a profound human experience that tested the limits of courage, resilience, and the human spirit. The trenches of Europe became a symbol of endurance and sacrifice, where soldiers faced unimaginable hardships. People are drawn to quotes about World War I because they encapsulate the raw emotions and profound reflections of those who lived through it. These quotes offer insights into the complexities of war, the nature of heroism, and the enduring hope for peace. They serve as poignant reminders of the past, urging us to reflect on the lessons learned and the enduring impact of such a global conflict. Through these words, we connect with the shared human experience of those turbulent times, finding inspiration and understanding in their stories of bravery and perseverance.
America didn’t start the war, didn’t appreciate unrestricted submarine warfare, and had gradually come to see the German Empire as an international bully.
In addition to the American officers, walking around the bustling camp were French and British officers who lectured the wide-eyed teenagers about the conditions in the trenches on the Western Front. The foreign officers told stories of the terrible battles of Ypres, the Somme, and Verdun. Roy listened with awe and foreboding to the danger from unseen enemies firing shell after shell, the muddy lines of trenches, the heroic acts of men disregarding their own safety to rescue wounded comrades.
In an instant it became clear to us that the nearly — but not quite — perfect uniformity of the advancing columns, dissolving chaotically in the clash of the fronts, reformed itself after he battle in a far more perfect form: as the utterly precise, utterly indistinguishable rows of crosses in the heroes' cemeteries, where the lines spread out into a broad perspective, moving in its spare monotony, cut at right angles and chopped in blocks, so that an absolute order was finally achieved.
Rather, both sides fought as soldiers fought in most wars—for survival, and to protect the men who had become extended family.
They used to call it the 'Great War'. But I'll be damned if I could tell you what was so 'great' about it. They also called it 'the war to end all wars'...'cause they figured it was so big and awful that the world'd just have to come to its senses and make damn sure we never fought another one ever again. That woulda been a helluva nice story.But the truth's got an ugly way of killin' nice stories.
On both sides in 1915 there would be more dead on any single day than yards gained in the entire year. And there would be nearly four more years of attrition—not to determine who was right, but who was left.
England looked strange to us returned soldiers. We could not understand the war-madness that ran wild everywhere, looking for a pseudo-military outlet. The civilians talked a foreign language. I found serious conversation with my parents all but impossible.
...It is impossible," I concluded, "to find any satisfaction in the thought of 25,000 slaughtered Germans, left to mutilation and decay; the destruction of men as though beasts, whether they be English, French, German or anything else, seems a crime to the whole march of civilization.
Their schoolboy gang of friends had weathered the storms and squabbles of puberty, and now they were young men. Ready to join their fathers at work and in the pub, ready to court the girls they’d gone to school with, ready to try out for the local hurling team, ready to become adults—but there was always time for fishing. Some things just had to take priority.