Jack Kelly > Quotes

“Three thousand additional troops from Ireland commanded”
― Jack Kelly, Band of Giants: The Amateur Soldiers Who Won America's Independence

“It was the creative, destructive dynamic of unregulated capitalism. Rooted in human greed, it was spreading around the globe, lifting up some, dashing down others, creating wealth beyond imagining for a few, forcing many more into economic and spiritual poverty. It was what the Pullman workers had called "the dance of skeletons bathed in human tears.”
― Jack Kelly, The Edge of Anarchy: The Railroad Barons, the Gilded Age, and the Greatest Labor Uprising in America

“[This book was written with the hope that it will] save someone who wants to give up, for there is always a new life waiting.”
― Jack Kelly, Escape to the Sea

“The famished men were learning a lesson held through history. A soldier's duty is not only, not even mainly, to fight. More often it is to walk forward when hungry, to perform one's duty while in pain, and to persevere in the face of the most intense hardship. Men ate moss, candles, lip salve, and broth from boiled shoes.”
― Jack Kelly

“As I sit with pen in hand, I am wondering, "Just what the hell do you think you are doing, Kelly?" I ask myself all the questions: how and why and will they be able to understand; can you spell good enough to get this message across? I keep coming up with the same answer: "Give it a try"- this as you see, is what I will do.”
― Jack Kelly, Escape to the Sea

“The reality of combat always exceeds the boundaries of imagination. Every battle is an amalgamation of a thousand personal battles, and each man's fight a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and smells that burn into his consciousness and echo for as long as his life lasts.
A man excited to rage runs across a smoky stubble field. One moment he is bounding ahead on eager legs. A second later he is shocked to find the ground leaping up to dash him rudely in the mouth. His teeth clack, he tastes the gritty soil. He gasps for air. Hot liquid seeps ominously from his belly. Sounds echo and recede. An idea quivers on the edge of his mind. A word forms on his dry tongue. No breath to voice it. The sun shines on him from a night sky.”
― Jack Kelly

“Leadership is an essential ingredient in any military operation. A leader must display a balance between prudence and rashness, a unique combination of good judgment and an ability to convince by words and example.”
― Jack Kelly

“In a moment of stress, reality roars. Some are overwhelmed by the rush of events. Others arrive at a place of sudden clarity unfiltered by thought. Excitement burns away the inessential. Time seems to slow. The warrior flows calmly through his experience, his thoughts bounding ahead of the tumult.”
― Jack Kelly

“Socialists offered a glorious vision; capitalists held out the prospect of a ten-cent raise. Socialists stood on principle; capitalists compromised and curried favor with both major parties. Socialists represented a risky upheaval of the familiar; capitalists enticed the public with luxuries ranging from electric lights to Pullman cars. The nation's citizens wanted pie, all right, but they didn't want it in the sky.”
― Jack Kelly, The Edge of Anarchy: The Railroad Barons, the Gilded Age, and the Greatest Labor Uprising in America