Hannah

“His voice had a tremor in it, a tone of anguish. “I don’t even know how many I’ve done killed . . . least five or six. . . maybe more’n that . . . and I never wanted to kill nobody. Nobody.”
“Peter, you couldn’t help it. You did what you had to do, because you are a soldier, and this is a war, an awful, senseless, bloody war. When soldiers fight a war, they kill people. Because that is war.”
“But I’ll always wonder if they was just like me; they didn’t want to kill nobody neither. Somebody made them think killing me was their duty, and all . . . that them German fellas I killed was just fellas like me, not knowing what they was doing . . .just doing what they thought they was expected to do. Like I was.”
“Peter, the Germans started this awful war. They deserved what they
got. You have nothing to feel bad about.”
“You think them German fellas I killed knew who started it?” Elizabeth wasn’t sure how to take the question. Was it an expression of cynical doubt . . . or sincere hope?”
― Alfred Nicols, Lost Love's Return

“Peter wondered how he would feel killing a German soldier. Surely it would be different. The German soldier would be trying to kill him first.”
― Alfred Nicols, Lost Love's Return

“And those Twain books weren’t only about those boys having fun,” Peter continued, musing. “That fella,Twain, he was trying to tell us some stuff . . . like ain’t nothing right about no one man owning no other man . . . and them that don’t know it ain’t got no religion and ain’t got no right God.”
― Alfred Nicols, Lost Love's Return

“Peter gave Casey a stern but loving look. “Son, you know that Golden Rule?'
Casey did, but it was Carrie who articulated it.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” she said, slowly and softly, but with confidence. The Golden Rule was the cornerstone of Peterism, something he wanted them to think more about.”
― Alfred Nicols, Lost Love's Return