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Rick Atkinson

Rick Atkinson Quotes

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Rick Atkinson is an American historian and author renowned for his in-depth research into World War II. His works are known for their meticulous narration and analytical depth, earning him numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. Born on November 16, 1952, Atkinson's career spans both journalism and writing.

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Famous Rick Atkinson Quotes

“For among mortal powers, only imagination can bring back the dead.”

Death Imagination

Book:An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

Source: An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

“I am apt to despise what I am not accustomed to.”

King George Iii

Book:The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777

Source: The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777

“If Ive vividly laid out the narrative, the reader will come to his own conclusions.”

Ifs Reader Conclusion Narrative

Author:Rick Atkinson

“I was with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq, really in the middle of nowhere, about 80 miles south of Baghdad. And it was almost midnight, and I got a computer message from the home office of the Washington Post asking me to call them. I did call them and was told that I'd won the Pulitzer Prize.”

Home Middle Office Computer Messages Asking South Iraq Miles Posts Prize Division Midnight Baghdad Middle Of Nowhere Airborne Home Office

Author:Rick Atkinson

“Global war is a clash of systems, not just battalions biffing one another in some godforsaken forest.”

War Forests Clash

Author:Rick Atkinson

“The American army between world wars after World War I had virtually disintegrated. It was a very small force, given largely to practicing cavalry charges on western outposts.”

World War Given Force Army Western War Of The Worlds World War I Cavalry American Army

Author:Rick Atkinson

“Hitler had a police state of the first order. And those who showed any sign of being weak-kneed faced prison or often summary execution. That prevented a lot of people who knew that the war was not going to turn out well for Germany from giving up.”

People Giving Firsts Wells War States Order Turns Giving Up Weak Police Prison Germany Execution Police State Summary

Author:Rick Atkinson

“There were almost 11,000 American soldiers killed in Germany in April of 1945, the last full month of the war. Thats almost as many as died in June, 1944. Right to the very end, it was absolutely brutal.”

War Ends Lasts Months Died Soldier Germany Brutal June April American Soldier

Author:Rick Atkinson

“The people who write official histories for the Army believe that a generation needs to pass before you can tackle the official history. It's useful to have some distance. Sources become available. Passions cool. It allows an opportunity to make some real assessments and judgments about personalities and characters.”

People Needs Writing Believe Real Character Passion Opportunity Generations Source Personality Judgment Army Distance Available Officials Assessment Personality And Character

Author:Rick Atkinson

“The spring of 1942 was given over to a very impassioned, strategic debate about where we should first attack in counterpunching against the Germans and Italians. The British argued very persuasively on the part of Winston Churchill, prime minister, that this was a very green American Army, green soldiers, green commanders.”

Should Firsts Given Spring Army Green Soldier British Debate Ministers Prime Prime Minister Strategic Commanders Impassioned American Army

Author:Rick Atkinson

“Almost everything about American society is affected by World War II: our feelings about race; our feelings about gender and the empowerment of women, moving women into the workplace; our feelings about our role in the world. All of that comes in a very direct way out of World War II.”

World Way War Feelings Moving Race Roles Empowerment Direct Gender War Of The Worlds Affected World War Ii World War I Workplace American Society

Author:Rick Atkinson

“I'm going to leave WWII. I considered and rejected doing something on the Pacific. Fourteen years is enough. I'd like to take on a different challenge and probably a different era. But it will be another war. It's what I do.”

Years Different War Enough Challenges Eras Rejected Wwii Pacific Fourteen Different Eras

Author:Rick Atkinson

“The U.S. Army records alone for World War II weigh 17,000 tons, and even the best historians have not done more than just scratch the surface. The story is such that 500 years from now people will be writing and reading about it.”

People World Writing Years War Done Stories Reading Records Army Surface War Of The Worlds Historian World War Ii World War I Scratches Writing And Reading

Author:Rick Atkinson

“There are a number of World War II historians I admire: Cornelius Ryan, Mark Stoler, Antony Beevor, to name a few. As for generals, there are those I admire as combat leaders and others I admire because they're great fun to write about.”

World Writing War Names Fun Numbers Leader Mark Admire War Of The Worlds Combat Historian World War Ii World War I Antony

Author:Rick Atkinson

“I was born in Munich, and my father was stationed in Salzburg. For the first three years of my life, I lived in Austria back when the American Army was still in Austria. I grew up subsequently in posts around the country around veterans.”

Years Firsts Stills Country Three Father Born Grew Grew Up Army Posts Three Years Thank You Veteran Memorial Memorial Day Back When Austria Munich American Army Salzburg

Author:Rick Atkinson

“In battle, topography is fate.”

Fate Battle Topography

Book:An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy

Source: An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy

“There is something within our biological structure that screams out and says it is morally wrong for the old to outlive the young. This is one of the times when God doesn’t seem to make sense. This is the worst that life gets.”

Seems Young Worst Structure Make Sense Scream

Book:Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War

Source: Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War

About the Author

Born: November 16, 1952
Known for: Author
Quotes: 17

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Popular Topics

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Books & Sources

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943Related source material

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation TrilogyRelated source material

Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf WarRelated source material

The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777Related source material

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