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Ernie Pyle

Ernie Pyle Quotes

Journalist

Ernie Pyle was an American journalist renowned for his war correspondence. Born on August 3, 1900, and killed on April 18, 1945, Pyle's work focused on the everyday experiences of soldiers during World War II, earning him widespread acclaim and a Pulitzer Prize.

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All War Literature Enough Soldier Fighting Lines Two Want Artillery Battle

Famous Ernie Pyle Quotes

“I took a walk along the historic coast of Normandy in the country of France. It was a lovely day for strolling along the seashore. Men were sleeping on the sand, some of them sleeping forever. Men were floating in the water, but they didn’t know they were in the water, for they were dead. The water was full of squishy little jellyfish about the size of your hand. Millions of them. In the center each of them had a green design exactly like a four-leaf clover. The good-luck emblem. Sure. Hell yes.”

War Death Powerful Sad Luck

Author:Ernie Pyle

“There are no atheists in the foxhole.”

War Faith Atheism Cliché

Author:Ernie Pyle

“The American soldier is quick in adapting himself to a new mode of living. Outfits which have been here only three days have dug vast networks of ditches three feet deep in the bare brown earth. They have rigged up a light here and there with a storage battery.”

Has Beens Light Earth Three Literature Feet Soldier Brown Here And There Batteries Adapting Storage Outfits Rigged American Soldier

Author:Ernie Pyle

“Swinging first and swinging to kill is all that matters now.”

Firsts Matter Literature

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“Below us the Thames grew lighter, and all around below were the shadows - the dark shadows of buildings and bridges that formed the base of this dreadful masterpiece.”

Literature Dark Building Grew Shadow Bridges Masterpiece Lighters Thames

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“In their eyes as they pass is not hatred, not excitement, not despair, not the tonic of their victory - there is just the simple expression of being here as though they had been here doing this forever, and nothing else.”

Eye Literature Simple Forever Expression Victory Despair Hatred Excitement

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“It was a night when London was ringed and stabbed with fire.”

Night Literature Fire London

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“Our artillery has really been sensational. For once we have enough of something and at the right time. Officers tell me they actually have more guns than they know what to do with.”

Knows Enough Literature Gun Officers Right Time Sensational Artillery

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“The front-line soldier wants it to be got over by the physical process of his destroying enough Germans to end it. He is truly at war. The rest of us, no matter how hard we work, are not.”

Want War Ends Matter Hard Enough Literature Process Lines Fronts Soldier Destroying

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“Thoughts are wonderful things, that they can bring two people, so far apart, into harmony and understanding for even a little while.”

People Littles Two Understanding Wonderful Harmony Wonderful Things

Author:Ernie Pyle

“One of the parodoxes of war is that those in the rear want to get up into the fight, while those in the lines want to get out.”

Want War Fighting Lines Get Up

Book:Brave Men

Source: Brave Men

“I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the mud-rain-frost-and-wind boys. They have no comforts, and they even learn to live without the necessities. And in the end they are the guys that wars can't be won without.”

War Ends Guy Boys Wind Comfort Rain Mud Frost Underdog Infantry

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“I try not to take any foolish chances, but there's just no way to play it completely safe and still do your job.”

Way Trying Stills Play Jobs Chance Safe Foolish

Author:Ernie Pyle

“Say what you will, nothing can make a complete soldier except battle experience.”

Book:Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe

Source: Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe

“War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth.”

Men Littles War Earth Literature Strange Creatures Giants Routine Advocating

Book:Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe

Source: Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe

“Someday when peace has returned to this odd world I want to come to London again and stand on a certain balcony on a moonlit night and look down upon the peaceful silver curve of the Thames with its dark bridges.”

World Want Looks Night Certain Dark London Peaceful Bridges Odd Someday Silver Curves Balconies Thames

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“I was away from the front lines for a while this spring, living with other troops, and considerable fighting took place while I was gone. When I got ready to return to my old friends at the front I wondered if I would sense any change in them.”

Ifs Fighting House Lines Gone Fronts Ready Return Spring Troops Old Friends

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“Somebody said that carrier pilots were the best in the world, and they must be or there wouldn't be any of them left alive.”

World Said Funny Left Alive Aviation Pilots Carrier

Book:Last Chapter

Source: Last Chapter

“For me war has become a flat, black depression without highlights, a revulsion of the mind and an exhaustion of the spirit.”

Mind War Spirit Peace Black Flats Anti War Antiwar Exhaustion Highlights Revulsion

Book:Brave Men

Source: Brave Men

“But to the fighting soldier that phase of the war is behind. It was left behind after his first battle. His blood is up. He is fighting for his life, and killing now for him is as much a profession as writing is for me.”

Writing Firsts War Fighting Literature Left Behinds Blood Military Battle Killing Soldier Profession Phases Left Behind

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“There is no sense in the struggle, but there is no choice but to struggle.”

Choices Struggle

Author:Ernie Pyle

“If you go long enough without a bath, even the fleas will let you alone.”

Ifs Long Enough Funny Baths Cleanliness Fleas

Author:Ernie Pyle

“I've been immersed in it too long. My spirit is wobbly and my mind is confused. The hurt has become too great.”

Mind Long War Spirit Peace Hurt Confused Hurt Feelings Great War

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“Some day I'd like to cover a war in a country as ugly as war itself.”

War Country Ugly

Author:Ernie Pyle

“Marines have a cynical approach to war. They believe in three things; liberty, payday and that when two Marines are together in a fight, one is being wasted. Being a minority group militarily, they are proud and sensitive in their dealings with other military organizations. A Marine's concept of a perfect battle is to have other Marines on the right and left flanks, Marine aircraft overhead and Marine artillery and naval gunfire backing them up.”

“All the rest of us - you and me and even the thousands of soldiers behind the lines in Africa - we want terribly yet only academically for the war to get over.”

Want War Lines Behinds Soldier Get Over

Book:Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe

Source: Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe

“[I]nstead of the usual "Why can't we make movies more like real life?" I think a more pertinent question is "Why can't real life be more like the movies?"”

Thinking Real Life Is Real Life Usual December Pertinent Pertinent Questions

Author:Ernie Pyle

“If I can just see the European war out I think I might feel justified in quitting the war.”

Ifs Thinking Feels I Can War Might Quitting Justified

Author:Ernie Pyle

“About every two minutes a new wave of planes would be over. The motors seemed to grind rather than roar, and to have an angry pulsation like a bee buzzing in blind fury.”

Two Would Be Literature Minutes Blind Angry Wave Planes Bees Fury Motor Grind

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“The closest fires were near enough for us to hear the crackling flames and the yells of firemen. Little fires grew into big ones even as we watched. Big ones died down under the firemen's valor only to break out again later.”

Littles Enough Bigs Break Fire Grew Died Flames Closest Valor Break Out Fireman

Book:Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

Source: Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches

“Our artillery... The Germans feared it almost more than anything we had.”

Military Artillery

Author:Ernie Pyle

“I've really been sick with this cold, but I think I might have kept the columns going anyhow except I was just so low in spirit, I didn't have the will to struggle against them when my deadline was so close and I felt so lousy.”

Thinking Might Spirit Literature Felt Struggle Cold Lows Sick Columns Deadline

Author:Ernie Pyle

“For a lifetime I had bathed with becoming regularity, and thought the world would come to an end unless I changed my socks every day. But in Africa I sometimes went without a bath for two months, and I went two weeks at a time without even changing my socks. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to make much difference.”

World Two Ends Sometimes Enough Seems Differences Week Changed Months Becoming Lifetime Baths Two Weeks Sock Two Months Regularity

Author:Ernie Pyle

About the Author

Born: August 3, 1900
Died: April 18, 1945
Known for: Journalist
Quotes: 33

Related Topics

War Literature Enough Soldier Fighting Lines Two Want Artillery Battle

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Ernie's war: the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatchesRelated source material

Here is Your War: Story of G.I. JoeRelated source material

Brave MenRelated source material

Last ChapterRelated source material

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