Heather dennis

“We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.”
― Charles MacKay, Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds

“Our section chief found himself there in conversation with a “Fritz” who spoke fairly good French. He was saying that they were mostly Poles in his regiment. They wouldn’t surrender, because the Germans would take it out on their families and their property. But this Pole suddenly indicated that someone was coming along the boyau, and he dropped down, calling out Vive la Pologne! Vive la France!”
― Louis Barthas, Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914-1918

“That Astronomical Annoyance, the Star Shell, Which Momentarily Enables You to Scrutinize the Kind of Mud You Are In.”
― Bruce Bairnsfather, Bullets and Billets

“To give a recipe for getting a rough idea, in case you want to, I recommend the following procedure. Select a flat ten-acre ploughed field, so sited that all the surface water of the surrounding country drains into it. Now cut a zig-zag slot about four feet deep and three feet wide diagonally across, dam off as much water as you can so as to leave about a hundred yards of squelchy mud; delve out a hole at one side of the slot, then endeavour to live there for a month on bully beef and damp biscuits, whilst a friend has instructions to fire at you with his Winchester every time you put your head above the surface.”
― Bruce Bairnsfather, Bullets and Billets