Mat Best > Quotes

“These were the forces that convinced civilians to thank us for our service on airport concourses all across America, in solemn, guilt-riddled tones, like we must have been compelled, reluctantly, to sacrifice our freedom, when in fact we had proactively exercised it to enlist and do something we loved.”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service

“There is no sense in sugarcoating it: Having some weak motherfucker in your unit will get you killed.”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service

“College wasn’t their proving ground. It was their playground, with no sharp edges and no one keeping score.”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service

“Otherwise, I’ll pay someone else to push play on their laptop for five grand a week.”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service

“The gun was the primary tool of the trade for the majority of my adult life to that point. It was the difference between life and death—for me, sure, but more importantly for my team—and to not be as good as I could possibly be with it felt like it would have been a betrayal.”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service

“High-fiving some jihadi’s face into martyrdom with a suppressed AR-15? That’s just a warm slice of freedom pie with an ice-cold scoop of America on the side.”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service

“But the fundamental lack of understanding of how the world works, the lack of awareness of how privileged they were, and the absence of basic respect for America that I heard coming out of the mouths of these kids was like listening to a sixty-minute loop of nails on a chalkboard”
― Mat Best, Thank You for My Service