Jamila Escarrega

“The Vietnamese soldier said, “Before I spoke to her, I had given her a cooked ration of rice. Instead of her being grateful for the meal, she abused me! What gives with these Kampuchean People?”

(A Gracious Enemy & After the War Volume Two)”
― Michael G. Kramer

“Nagumo was suddenly on his own. At this crucial time, the cost of his failure to learn the complicated factors that played into carrier operations suddenly exploded. Now, when every minute counted, it was too late to learn the complexities involved in loading different munitions on different types of planes on the hangar deck, too late to learn how the planes were organized and spotted on the flight decks, too late to learn the flight capabilities of his different types of planes, and far too late to know how to integrate all those factors into a fast-moving and efficient operation with the planes and ordnance available at that moment. Commander Genda, his brilliant operations officer, couldn’t make the decisions for him now. It was all up to Nagumo. At 0730 on June 4, 1942, years of shipbuilding, training, and strategic planning had all come to this moment. Teams of highly trained pilots, flight deck personnel, mechanics, and hundreds of other sailors were ready and awaiting his command. The entire course of the battle, of the Combined Fleet, and even perhaps of Japan were going to bear the results of his decisions, then and there.”
― Dale A. Jenkins, Diplomats & Admirals: From Failed Negotiations and Tragic Misjudgments to Powerful Leaders and Heroic Deeds, the Untold Story of the Pacific War from Pearl Harbor to Midway

“Self-realization and self-fulfilment are the sine qua non for human existence.”
― Arthur Miller

“Ah non ! C'est un peu court jeune homme
On pourrait dire, O Dieu, bien des choses en somme
En variant le ton, par exemple, tenez:
Agressif: moi monsieur, si j'avais un tel nez
Il faudrait sur le champ que je me l'emputasse !
Amical: mais il doit tremper dans votre tasse
Pour boire faîtes-vous donc fabriquer un hanap.
Descriptif: c'est un roc ! c'est un pic ! c'est un cap !
Que dis-je, c'est un cap ? c'est une péninsule !”
― Edmond Rostand